Wurm Online: Language Selection & Auto-Translate Feature

[antonslavick 137]

Implementing a language selection feature along with auto-translate in "Wurm Online" can significantly enhance the experience for non-English speakers, making the game more accessible and inclusive. Here's a structured suggestion for this feature:

 

Objective:
Increase the inclusivity of "Wurm Online" by offering language selection and auto-translation to cater to the diverse player base.

 

1. Language Selection:

 

• In-game Menu Implementation:
  •     - Add an option in the game settings for players to select their preferred language.
  •     - The UI should update according to the chosen language.
• Supported Languages:
  •     - Begin with major languages such as Spanish, French, German, Chinese, etc. based on the game's demographics.
  •     - Gradually add more languages based on player demand and region popularity.

 

2. Auto-Translate Feature:

 

• Chat Interface:
  •     - When a player types a message, there should be an option to auto-translate it to the recipient's selected language.
  •     - Players receiving the message can see both the original text and the translated version to ensure context is not lost.
• Implementation:
  •     - Integrate with established translation APIs like Google Translate or DeepL for accurate and real-time translations.
  •     - The translation should be quick to avoid delays in communication.
• In-Game Notifications:
  •     - If a message has been auto-translated, a small icon or notification should accompany it, so recipients know it's machine-translated. This helps set expectations about potential inaccuracies.

 

3. Additional Features:

 

• Language Packs:
  •     - Allow the community to contribute and refine translations, enabling a crowdsourced approach to improving language support.
• Localized Servers or Channels:
  •     - Offer servers or chat channels that are language-specific, allowing players to communicate easily in their native tongue.
• Language Badges:
  •     - Display a badge/icon next to a player's name indicating their primary language, helping others know which language to approach them in.

 

4. Potential Challenges & Solutions:

 

• Translation Inaccuracies:
  •     - While auto-translate is a powerful tool, it can sometimes be inaccurate. It's essential to set expectations and perhaps allow players to offer corrections when mistakes occur.
• Increased Server Load:
  •     - Auto-translation in real-time might cause server strain. It's essential to optimize the system and perhaps limit rapid-fire translations to avoid overloading the system.
• Cultural Context:
  •     - Some phrases might not translate well culturally. Encourage players to be understanding and patient.

 

This feature will undoubtedly make "Wurm Online" more welcoming to a broader audience and allow players from different regions to interact more efficiently.

Edited October 10, 2023 by antonslavick

[Suntan 84]

I do not know the technical hurdles of having to implement the google translate into the game via java would be, but this is a great suggestion for those having villagers that do not speak english. 

 

+1

 

[antonslavick 137]

Bump Added Poll 

[Niwasaka 6]

In general, native multilingualism for Wurm would be desirable. I have some reservations about an automatic translation by Google. Not everything can be automatically translated the way it is meant.

But I would still be in favour of it

[TheTrickster 2,290]

While this would be nice, the resources required (both in development and when in use) are not something I would want tied up in this while other stuff remains unfixed.

 

As an English speaker, I do feel a bit churlish for having this position, though.  Maybe it is something that could be delivered in/with/like Wurm Assistant?

[Calcifer 29]

I believe translations are an excellent idea, perfectly aligned with the strategy that GCG has already announced for Wurm Online, to start reaching out to new players from a broad audience. Language barriers might deter many potential players from starting. On the other hand, I also agree with some comments here that the development resources are limited and perhaps this may not be the best use for them, but I believe there are still solutions that may work.

 

Many development studios have collaborated with their communities to create community-driven translations... I would suggest implementing them not just as an additional feature, but as the primary method for developing translations. Honestly, based on my experience, the results of these translations are usually quite accurate, since you will have native speakers with enough proeficiency in English translating content to their mother language. The benefit of this approach is that the resources needed from the development team are quite low. Spanish, German, and French might be good languages to start with.

 

Analyzing the current situation in Wurm, we see that there's already a Spanish-GL chat and a Non-English-GL chat. This shows Wurm's commitment to accommodating non-English speakers. Translating the game interface, items, sentences, etc., would not only enhance the experience for these players but also attract new ones.

 

I wouldn't opt for the auto-translate option, as it can project an unprofessional image due to the high number of inaccuracies it might introduce in the game. Considering the Wurm community, I believe many would be willing to contribute high-quality, community-driven translations. I'd be the first to volunteer for the Spanish translation.

 

I am a native Spanish speaker, proficient in English, and intermediate in German. Even though I have no issues playing the game in English, the comfort and warmth of experiencing the game in one's native language is priceless.

 

Thank you and wish you all a nice day! 

[Archaed 2,282]

A major issue with translation in a game like this is that the strings are hard coded. Many games when working with localisation would have seperate text that is called from various places in the code. 

 

For a very wrong example that kind of makes sense,  As wurm is currently, when you begin to improve it, the code then pushes the text "you begin to improve the item". For localisation you would say you have a file called "improve.language" that has the simple phrase "you begin to improve the item" in a dozen languages. When you improve the item the code would say get.improve.language that would then select the phrase based on your language settings.

 

To add another language is to share those language files and have people give their translations for it, so they can be stored in that file and then called whenever the code calls it. With wurm, the work would have to be to either change EVERY piece of code to have a language file, or hard code all the languages in. It's simply a lot of work that isn't possible without investing in a huge amount of localisation work with programmers. 

 

Accomodation for non-english is working, but integrating API's would get very expensive quickly. 

 

For example:

Feature	Metered usage	Price
Total usage for language detection and text translation by using the NMT model	First 500,000 characters* per month	Free (applied as $10 credit every month)†
	500,000 to 1 billion characters* per month	$20 per million characters
	Over 1 billion characters* per month	Contact a sales representative to discuss discount pricing.

 

This is googles basic translate API cost, at $20 per million characters. I just had a quick line at my GL chat files (and I am by no means active) and the file for april last year was 2 million characters. Meaning if I had translations on, I'd be costing wurm $40 per month just to read chat, let alone event tabs, skill tabs, and the like. 

 

It's a cool idea that works on a small level, but does not scale well at all sadly. 

 

I'd love to see more languages included in Wurm, I just don't think it's technically feasible at this time