<< there will be an ***increase in outsourcing future translation and test activities to third-party companies*** on an as-needed basis, >>
In a nutshell, most game publishers source their European translations from external agencies, which in turn use freelancers working from home.
An Excel spreadsheet with game texts goes from the developers to the agency, then from the agency to the freelancer (which has no access to the game -for safety and practical reasons- and thus has to rely on questions and guesswork) and then all the way back and into the game.
NoE was one of the very few companies to have translators physically in their offices, working directly on the game. Which is more expensive but also allows for a much stronger adaptation.
Those 190 people were full-time employees working exclusively for Nintendo, sometimes for years, which were simply not given a permanent contract in case Nintendo changed their mind about localization.
And that's what has happened now. They simply gave up on the idea of having their own translators (at least for Europe).
TLDR: Nintendo of Europe has fired its in-house localization department in order to use tele-commuting freelancers like everybody else
Comments 2
Re: Full Extent of Nintendo of Europe Job Cuts Becomes Clear
They were full-time in-house staff who were never given the option of a stable contract.
"NOE uses a temp agency for its employees, but that is mainly to bypass German work law and be able to lay off people without any notice. "
http://kotaku.com/i-worked-at-noe-localization-for-2-years-i-know-a-lot-1628643725
"We didn't volunteer to be leasing staff, we were never given another option"
"Many of my colleagues had been working there for 5 years or more on "temporary" contracts. I was there for 2.5."
http://kotaku.com/i-am-one-of-the-190-leasing-staff-being-released-and-n-1628775935
Re: Full Extent of Nintendo of Europe Job Cuts Becomes Clear
@WaLzgi You are incorrect
<< there will be an ***increase in outsourcing future translation and test activities to third-party companies*** on an as-needed basis, >>
In a nutshell, most game publishers source their European translations from external agencies, which in turn use freelancers working from home.
An Excel spreadsheet with game texts goes from the developers to the agency, then from the agency to the freelancer (which has no access to the game -for safety and practical reasons- and thus has to rely on questions and guesswork) and then all the way back and into the game.
NoE was one of the very few companies to have translators physically in their offices, working directly on the game. Which is more expensive but also allows for a much stronger adaptation.
Those 190 people were full-time employees working exclusively for Nintendo, sometimes for years, which were simply not given a permanent contract in case Nintendo changed their mind about localization.
And that's what has happened now. They simply gave up on the idea of having their own translators (at least for Europe).
TLDR: Nintendo of Europe has fired its in-house localization department in order to use tele-commuting freelancers like everybody else