"Games are risky business, but the winners take it all." Interview with Pavel Tokarev, founder of INLINGO game localization studio

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

How games helped escape reality in the 90s, and then became a matter of life.

Pavel Tokarev is the founder of the project for the translation of computer and mobile games into different languages. Localization allows gamers to explore projects created anywhere in the world. We talked with a businessman and found out what kind of attitude the translators require, why 20-year-old guys are voiced differently and what games he plays himself.

Sometimes you need to get out of reality and gain strength

When did you first come into contact with the computer gaming industry?

- Like many people, I started to get involved in games in primary school - in 1998 or even earlier. I remember that cigarettes cost 6 rubles, and during the crisis the price went up to 30 rubles. At that moment I was just smoking and playing games. I even managed to find copies on tape. A friend's father worked as a pilot, brought a prefix from somewhere, and it was simply impossible to tear us away from it.

What attracted you the most during the game?

- This is an experience that is impossible to get in reality. I lived in Novokuibyshevsk, an ordinary industrial city. Of course, from time to time I kicked the ball in the yard and went to the sports sections, but the games still seemed more interesting. This is the form of activity in which I was looking for myself. At the same time, I cannot call myself a tough gamer: at that time there were no projects with a regular donation, so purchases were one-time and rather rare.

As a teenager, I was not fond of any forbidden means of changing reality - my maximum was cigarettes and light alcohol. Compared to all this, games seemed like a much cooler pastime.

Gaming is the best thing that could happen to humanity. Year after year, for general development, I keep track of the number of people who are in prison. I can say with confidence that the statistics are improving, which means that the level of aggression is getting lower. I would like to believe that games contribute to this.

If a person is doing badly, it is much better if he or she goes headlong into Dota 2 than into alcohol. The virtual world will help fill the inner emptiness and preserve the liver. This is the safest way to compensate for the severity that children and adults face.

Sometimes you need to leave reality and gain strength in order to return later.

Why did you want to leave reality?

- I grew up in a place that can hardly be called Barvikha. Some of the acquaintances from my yard have already been to prisons or have died altogether. Everything that was shown in the TV series "Brigade" happened in front of my eyes - such a school movement in the period of the 90s. The elders decided real things, and the little ones imitated all this.

Of course, the environment in which I lived affected my perception of the world. I can't say that reality pissed me off, but games were an opportunity for me to breathe out. They played the role of oil, which helps the engine not to stall from friction.

When did you start thinking about your own business in the gaming industry?

- It was 2012, and at that time I had already worked as a corporate sales coach in large corporations: Eldorado, DNS, LG. Everything would be fine, but I was overtaken by a classic crisis that many are experiencing in the period from 27 to 30 years: there was a restructuring of values. I clearly realized that the role of an employee no longer suits me. The body refused to move in the same direction.

To change the situation, I started testing different projects: I went to freelance as a business coach, I tried myself in logistics and reselling legal services. One of the most significant attempts was the position of a sales assistant in a translation agency. After a year of working on the project, I realized that it was not developing. One evening we sat with colleagues and discussed what the problem was. I said that we deal with all translations in a row - medical, legal, technical, but we need to focus on one thing. During the conversation, the topic of games was raised, which for some reason I was hooked on. It seemed to me that this is a growing area, which is also interesting to me.

Over the next three months, I closed all the projects I had done before and focused only on the localization of games. It was difficult because everything I had done before had become irrelevant. I was only engaged in offline sales, but going to a personal meeting with a developer from Moscow when I am in Samara is not an option. I had to write and call everyone in a row. Over time, I managed to get several orders and with the help of our team to carry out test ones for large companies. The element of luck worked, because at that moment they were looking for contractors.

What were the very first projects?

- It was a major translation project from Korean into Russian. Unfortunately, I cannot voice the name: such is the agreement. In addition to him, we were engaged in games from the WebGames company. For business, the cooperation turned out to be very fruitful: we learned how to look for translators and evaluate them. Our team translated from Korean into Russian, then into English, and from it into all key European languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian.

Localization is part of marketing. You can spend a million dollars on development, but save on translation, and this will negatively affect the success of the game.

Of course, if the project was launched at the wrong time or did not hit the intended audience, then even perfect localization will not save, but if everything worked out, focusing on different markets can significantly improve the situation.

Translators sit at home around the clock and interact only with the screen

What are the stages of the localization process?

- Zero phase - preparation. We study the game and look at the text as a work of art. If the name of a hero, location, game mechanics or control is repeated several times, the term should be translated the same way. To comply with these subtleties, we are creating a glossary with the developers.

Then, if there is such an opportunity, we try to communicate with producers and screenwriters in order to better understand what target audience the game is designed for and what hidden meanings are embedded in the text. These are important points to figure out before starting work.

The next step is to select translators. Our team consists of more than 150 specialists around the world. We select people who know the language pair we need and who specialize in a specific genre. There are guys who are good at translating fantasy, are well aware of the game specifics of Blizzard, or have been playing Perfect World for a long time.

When the choice is made, we begin to educate people. This is the task of the project managers: they help the specialists to get comfortable, and then use questions to check how they are in the topic. After that, the translators play, watch teasers and study the glossary to understand exactly what they are dealing with.

The third stage is translation. The logic is very simple: from the initial language to English, and then to those requested by the customer. After that, the proofreading process begins. It can be complete or partial. English is always checked completely, and other languages, if time is short, can be viewed in fragments. However, in this case, we must be sure that the translators were as experienced as possible.

Previously, this was the end of the process, but now we ask the client for the final version of the game with translation. This is the most sacred moment: no matter how well you know the specifics, in the end the text still looks a little different. It is important for us that all translated words fit into the cells for which they are intended and look the way they should. If the testing team finds a bug, we put it in a report and then send it to the developer. He makes the edits, and we carry out the final test only of those moments in which the flaws were found.

How long does it take to localize a game?

- Translating a mobile game into 20 languages requires 2 to 30 days depending on the genre and text. Most clients release regular updates, so the processes run in parallel. Within one week, we can translate elements of one update and test another.

I heard that a huge number of factors affect the player's perception: the character's accent, timbre, intonation. How do you find the voices you want from all over the world?

- Before that, we talked about text localization, but three years ago we had voice acting services. From that moment on, even more difficulties arose, because the perception of the voice is very subjective. The work proceeds on the basis of references: the customer sends a variant that seems correct to him, and we suggest what exactly needs to be changed from the proposed one.

The Chinese once said that they needed the voice of a 20-year-old boy. We showed how it sounds, and they answer us: "What kind of old man is this?" They send, as in their picture of the world sounds a 20-year-old man, and there is a baby. It took a long time to explain with the examples of famous American shows that everything is a little different. To solve difficulties, you need to conduct a dialogue with the client - all our work is based on this.

We are currently doing voice acting in 10 key European and Asian languages. A sound engineer has appeared on the staff, who helps to record and process voices. We cooperate with studios in different countries: they provide their base of actors and help to find the right person based on our request. Then we show the customer several test options and he chooses one. The result consists of the work of the actor, sound engineer and project manager - here you have to communicate much more than when organizing a translation.

We record versions with the chosen actor, show them to the client, and he makes edits - sometimes out of 20 scenes it turns out that five need to be re-dubbed. When the customer confirms that we hit the mark in terms of intonation, work continues on the following episodes.

How much can you earn on localization?

- The annual revenue of the Keywords company is $ 150,000,000, these are the market leaders. I like this amount, and I go to it. At the same time, the marginality in our business is extremely low. I will not name the exact amount, but the profit is similar to earnings in the Russian retail. The main costs are spent on internal processes: maintenance and training of project managers, marketing, implementation of new IT solutions.

How much do translators and voice actors earn?

- If we are talking about native speakers, then their earnings vary from 3 to 8 thousand dollars per month. The voice acting is about the same. It all depends on the rate and the number of hours spent at work. At the same time, specialists need to be more careful: if the rate is small, then there are many orders, but the value of an hour is rather low.

How many people work in your team?

- The staff is now 67 people and about 150 translators who work full time. In addition, there are about 500 more people in reserve - we have a large community around the world. I keep my work with translators under control because it is not just a resource. I regularly give the guys feedback through the project managers, both corrective and positive. This is important because translators sit at home around the clock and only interact with the screen.

Once we lost a man because he was overheated from work and was hospitalized with overwork. People need communication and support.

I have three key requirements for full-time employees: focus on results, loyalty and an open mind. The first value is very important: a person should not be silent about the difficulties he faced while completing a task. Moreover, he must be able to find solutions to the problem. Any discussion at a meeting should end with a record of an action plan. It is important for me that a person does not spread his thoughts along the tree.

The next term is loyalty. True, it always runs counter to competencies: the smarter a person is, the less devoted he is. I want an employee to be willing to sacrifice personal time for the benefit of the company when needed. For example, if a client offers to come to the office in a week, and you have already bought a ticket to Europe for this period, you can donate to it. I will gladly reimburse such an employee so that he can go on vacation with peace of mind and bonuses from the deal. For people who are ready to invest in the company, I spare neither money, nor resources, nor my own time.

At the same time, everything must be balanced. Usually people are most loyal when they understand that they cannot achieve the result with their mind. It is much easier to say the right words to the management and imitate the hectic activity.

I see no reason to sit at work for 12 hours if there is no sense in it. Loyalty must go hand in hand with results.

The last value is openness of thinking. This is a serious thing that is being killed in our society. You need to be able to give up previous experience in order to perform new tasks and constantly look for practices to solve issues within the framework of your competencies. I strive to broaden the horizons of my employees so that they think about linguistics issues, think about how games are made, and try to find customer problems. My learning speed is about one paper book a week. In addition, I do yoga, travel, constantly learn new skills and perform in public.

There are guys on my team who play baseball and are fans of Japanese or Korean culture. These are not ordinary people who chase beer every day after work and, at best, fitness. It is important for me to see that a person has a hobby and directions in which he develops. It is from this that the openness of thinking is formed.

Business is surfing, so sometimes a wave hits you

What does your workplace look like?

- I'm a fidget. My workplace is an office, spread over 70 squares. There is a large meeting table and a separate one for the computer, at which I check the reports. I have a therapy room where I hold one-on-one meetings, and also a bar counter where I drink coffee and look at the Volga. True, there are situations when you have to open whiskey. It just so happens that business is surfing, so sometimes a wave hits you. However, I try to relieve stress through physical activity.

There are a bunch of flipcharts and whiteboards on the walls because I record everything that happens and try to focus. Even if the idea cannot be implemented now, I put it in a separate folder. Once upon a time there was an offer to do voice acting, but now we are doing it regularly. If I get bored of sitting in my office, I move to a cafe.

Almost all of my equipment is from Apple, because I'm a fan of the company. There is a Windows computer in the office, since it is easier to use special translation and reporting programs with it. I need a large monitor because I try to set aside at least two hours in three days to play with my clients' novelties. This is not a duty, but a lifestyle: I'm really interested.

I also love expensive accessories: I love Moleskine notebooks and sturdy pens. Once I bought one for autographs on the book Our Game, which I co-authored, and I realized that I was enjoying it. I love it when things are cool and of high quality.

Do you often play at work - for example, to check if everything is correctly localized and voiced?

- I'm not playing to test the game. I like to dive into the worlds our colleagues create to better understand their business on an emotional level. I also keep a close eye on my customers' income. It is important that their costs pay off. Translation should be part of the success of the game - this is a key thought that occupies my head.

What is your favorite game and why?

- I donated a lot of money at War Robots. It is similar to World of Tanks, but with robots. This is a very dynamic game in which you have to defeat the other team using various strategies in 10 minutes. From time to time I go to it at the airport while waiting for boarding - this is enough to play a couple of games. I also love projects related to the construction of fortresses and attacks.

What components should a game have in order to win the love of users and organically join the list of top representatives of the industry?

- It seems to me that no one knows the exact answer to this question. There is a company called Playrix, which regularly repeats successful projects, but sometimes failures also happen. Even the biggest game developer Blizzard makes mistakes from time to time.

It seems to me that there are several components of a great project: a cool idea and a team, enough money to bring the idea to release, the right mechanics and economics. If the game does not ask for money from the user at all, it will not fight back, and if it requires too much, no one will play.

An important point is timing. You need to release the product on time, but calculating the universal period is difficult. People with extensive experience can probably already predict what will be relevant tomorrow. I think user preference data helps with this.

It's worth remembering that gaming is a risky business, but the winners take it all. The mortality rate is high here, but it is compensated by superb income, if you manage to reach Olympus. People become billionaires in decades.

The gaming industry is developing much more actively abroad than in Russia: there are more offers and the players themselves. What is the reason for the lag?

- I would not say that the game industry is poorly developed in Russia. From the point of view of the companies that make games, we are not the worst losers. For example, Playrix is one of the top mobile developers.

At the same time, the quality of our products is weaker. In this regard, China has taken a strong lead in recent years. I think it all comes down to education and market size. There are much fewer players in Russia than in the States, Korea, Japan or China. At the same time, the economy in these countries is better developed - people are ready to pay more.

How do you organize yourself during the day?

- This year I discovered Todoist - it's a very easy-to-use application in which I enter all the tasks. Convenient, because it is possible to distribute them across projects and specify tags. The app is on my phone and computer, and on top of that it also syncs with Gmail, so Todoist is a real assistant for me. However, I still use a blank sheet of paper on which I write out all the tasks for the day. This is how the brain works better.

Google Calendar helps me. This is where I put all my Todoist appointments and set deadlines. Overdue tasks sometimes appear, but I try to rule out such incidents as I dedicate this year to personal efficiency. I realized that for a further breakthrough and growth of the company, you need to put things in order in your head and become an example for your employees.

Share apps that help you make your work and life easier

- To relax, I do yoga and cardio. I periodically test different fitness planners, but in the end I ended up working with a trainer - he schedules classes for me. I also meditate for half an hour a day. It's like brushing your teeth, it just helps refresh your mind.

I use a dictaphone quite often, because there is a person on the staff who quickly transcribes the recordings and translates them into text. And for English lessons I downloaded Quizlet - the tutor leaves me assignments right in the app.

What do you do in your free time?

- I used to play airsoft, but now I stopped riding it. Most often I ride a bike, read books, do fitness. Recently I realized that I want to buy a boat because I fell in love with hunting. I tried it several times and felt that I like to shoot with a weapon. I once killed a duck with the first shot - it's very cool for me. Tokarev is a hunting surname, so the genes leapt. I think hunting will become my hobby for the next 10 years for sure.

Life hacking from Pavel Tokarev

Books

I like the book by Nikolai Chernyshevsky "" - it is about business. The author predicted the appearance of skyscrapers and combines. This is a real life hack for building a business and recruiting people. For me, this book was a revelation, so I periodically re-read it.

Stephen Covey's "" is also a hot topic. Everyone says they've read it, but no one can list the skills themselves. It seems to me that these are basic things that can and should be used. Another revelation this year for me was the book by Alexander Fridman "". Right now I continue to read "" by his own authorship.

If we talk about the product, then it is worth paying attention to the book "The Platform Revolution". In addition to it, be sure to read the Strugatsky "" and "" Alexander Dumas. I also love Viktor Pelevin. I especially like "" - she greatly influenced me in terms of business.

Films and series

Good TV shows are Silicon Valley and Force Majeure. In America, things are not quite as shown on the screen, but the picture is very cool.

The next level is the Billions series. I'm not looking more at the storyline, but at how the roles of people are described there. Besides him, I liked House of Cards. The series is about how you need to be a politician. Very useful also in terms of business.

But the coolest TV show for me is Young Dad. It's just a masterpiece. From the old I recommend Sherlock Holmes and Seventeen Moments of Spring.

Podcasts and videos

One of my favorite podcasts is. Periodically I listen to "" and watch Yevgeny Chernyak's YouTube channel - this is the new Oleg Tinkov. The thoughts that he utters and his presentation are very cool.

From time to time I watch the channel "". I don't really like the presenter, but the guests are cool. I also subscribe to game streamers and watch the channel - I like topics about public speaking.

From a PR point of view, I follow. The way he talks about business is always relevant. In addition, I like the channel - it is difficult to perceive information from it, but it tells interestingly about the work of the brain. Then I study the primary sources to which he refers. And the last one is the channel "". The guys publish very high quality content.