I’ve been translating videogames as a hobby for nearly 10 years, EN > IT.
I started with “Invisible, Inc” (by Klei) after Totalbiscuit (RIP John) briefly mentioned in his video that users could upload their own translations of the game via Steam Workshop (this is true for most of Klei’s games, especially Oxygen Not Included). I immediately enjoyed the work and just kept on doing it.
It’s got to the point that I spend more time translating games than playing them as I get a great feeling of satisfaction from this activity. I enjoy localizing the games I truly love to show my appreciation to the devs. A few years ago I spent months translating Pathologic 2 (roughly 250,000 words) despite knowing that barely anyone would use my work afterwards. Long story short, I really really care about this. It’s one of the few things I’m really good at. I do my own proofreading and maniacally reread every string 10 times before deeming it ready. …