Casino translation: five things you need from your translators

It’s easy to think every casino translation project is pretty much the same. Maybe the languages and subject matter change, but all you’re doing is converting words from one language into another. So, surely, the process is the same regardless of the topic, languages and specifics of any given project – right?

Tell this to any translator who’s worked in a highly-specialised field like casino translation. They’ll be quick to explain it takes more than linguistic expertise to get the best results with projects of this nature.

Here are five things you need from your translators for casino translation.

#1: A clear understanding of your objectives

This one counts for any kind of translation project not just in regards to casino translation. The more your translators know about your business and its objectives, the better informed they are to help you achieve them in foreign-speaking markets.

A professional translator should be quick to ask you about your business objectives: which languages you’re targeting, which markets are priorities, when you plan to launch in each market, etc.

#2: Expert knowledge of the gambling industry

The gambling industry is a highly-specialised field and you’re at a major disadvantage if you don’t have translators with expert knowledge in this field. This starts with knowing the key terminology in each language they’re dealing with.

There are many occasions where casino terms don’t have a direct casino translation and others that are kept in their English form for certain languages. Your translator needs to know when these terms should be translated directly, kept in their English form or when a close alternative is commonly used.

#3: Market knowledge

Aside from industry knowledge, your translator will also need a certain amount of market knowledge for each of your target markets. At the very least, they’ll need to understand the linguistic differences related to casino games and this includes multiregional languages (eg: European Portuguese vs Brazilian Portuguese).

Of course, it’s not your translator’s responsibility to take care of market research for you, but it only helps to have additional expertise on board. If you’re completely new to certain markets or the industry in general, an extra bit of market knowledge can be invaluable.

#4: Knowledge of local gambling laws

Once again, it’s not a translator’s responsibility to make sure you operate legally as an online casino (nor do you want to entrust this to someone else), but local legal knowledge is always beneficial to translators for online casinos.

If nothing else, this makes the casino translation of terms and conditions, privacy policies and other legal elements faster and more reliable. You want to know you can trust your translators to handle the legal details of your site in each language and each market without coming unstuck.

#5: Local gambling terms and slang

Something you’ll quickly notice with casino translation in the gambling industry is there’s a tonne of variation in terminology and slang between different markets – sometimes even within the same country. In some cases, you’ll be better off ignoring this and sticking with standardised language. In others, you’ll want to adapt some of your word choices to resonate with specific audiences.

Your translator needs to know when to make these calls, which not only requires the localised linguistic knowledge but also a solid understanding of who your target audiences are.

When you’re choosing your translators or language services agency, it should become quickly apparent whether they’ve got the skills you need for casino translation. Beyond the linguistic expertise, you want to look for specific experience and proven knowledge of the online casino industry and a certain level of market knowledge for every target audience in your scope.

If you’re in doubt, bring up the five topics we’ve mentioned in this article and you’ll soon get an idea of what your language experts are capable of.