Samuel Allen
@samuelallentl.bsky.social
Freelance Tabletop/Video Game Translator (JP→EN)
フリーランス翻訳者：デジタル・アナログゲーム（日→英）
He/Him | 日本語OK! | FFXIV@Coeurl
フリーランス翻訳者：デジタル・アナログゲーム（日→英）
He/Him | 日本語OK! | FFXIV@Coeurl
Replaying Hades before Hades 2, and boy, this game is fantastic. Better than, even. Snappy writing, challenging yet surmountable combat, charming characters, heartwarming story...the list goes on and on.
November 29, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Replaying Hades before Hades 2, and boy, this game is fantastic. Better than, even. Snappy writing, challenging yet surmountable combat, charming characters, heartwarming story...the list goes on and on.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Good literary translation requires understanding (language, culture, genre--on both sides of the translation) and an ability to write well. "AI" can't do that. There are no shortcuts. Treat your work and foreign language readers with the respect they deserve. You won't fool anyone with this.
Amazon has launched a new AI-driven translation service, Kindle Translate, for Kindle Direct Publishing authors 👇 #BookSky
Amazon launches AI translation service for indie authors
ebx.sh
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Good literary translation requires understanding (language, culture, genre--on both sides of the translation) and an ability to write well. "AI" can't do that. There are no shortcuts. Treat your work and foreign language readers with the respect they deserve. You won't fool anyone with this.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
"To translate is not simply to transfer meaning but to attend to differences—of culture, time, thought, expression—that evade perfect alignment." www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
The Costs of Instant Translation
AI might soon rob us of the thrill and challenge of cross-cultural conversation.
www.theatlantic.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:44 AM
"To translate is not simply to transfer meaning but to attend to differences—of culture, time, thought, expression—that evade perfect alignment." www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
Reposted by Samuel Allen
I wrote more words about how it feels to be a translator watching the games press report on AI and labor, coming from a field that's fought these battles for decades. It may look like I'm beating up on one outlet, but it's not about them; I've been trying to write this for me and my peers all year.
You Can't Report on Hunger While Taking Bread Off the Table
On the proliferation of machine translation in video game outlets covering the effects of AI on labor.
dateemups.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I wrote more words about how it feels to be a translator watching the games press report on AI and labor, coming from a field that's fought these battles for decades. It may look like I'm beating up on one outlet, but it's not about them; I've been trying to write this for me and my peers all year.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Put simply, SE's LQA testers take a proactive role in the final stages of localization and ensure that our final edits are as spotless as possible. While the translators and editors SE hires are quite talented, QA always deserves credit for making sure our vision is, in fact, implemented correctly.
November 6, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Put simply, SE's LQA testers take a proactive role in the final stages of localization and ensure that our final edits are as spotless as possible. While the translators and editors SE hires are quite talented, QA always deserves credit for making sure our vision is, in fact, implemented correctly.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Tell your favorite artists you love their work
September 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Tell your favorite artists you love their work
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Repeat after us: 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.
• Nothing is linear
• You often get the texts in disarray
• Different UIs, menus, dialog styles mean different contexts
• Also no one can translate more than 2-3k words a day without sacrificing quality, proofreading & LQA.
• Nothing is linear
• You often get the texts in disarray
• Different UIs, menus, dialog styles mean different contexts
• Also no one can translate more than 2-3k words a day without sacrificing quality, proofreading & LQA.
Sometimes I wonder why people say Reddit is a cesspool.
Then I read things like this, and I get it.
Then I read things like this, and I get it.
September 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Repeat after us: 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀.
• Nothing is linear
• You often get the texts in disarray
• Different UIs, menus, dialog styles mean different contexts
• Also no one can translate more than 2-3k words a day without sacrificing quality, proofreading & LQA.
• Nothing is linear
• You often get the texts in disarray
• Different UIs, menus, dialog styles mean different contexts
• Also no one can translate more than 2-3k words a day without sacrificing quality, proofreading & LQA.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
I never post here, but i found out my book was used to train AI, so now I'm doing my part to try and bankrupt those fucksticks.
Got a book? Let's sue 'em together!
Got a book? Let's sue 'em together!
Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.
OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.
OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
September 6, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I never post here, but i found out my book was used to train AI, so now I'm doing my part to try and bankrupt those fucksticks.
Got a book? Let's sue 'em together!
Got a book? Let's sue 'em together!
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Unicorn Overlord Cosplay ?? 👀
I see so few of them ! Despite the video game being amazing ? 😱
I don't know if this will interest someone but...
I finished my Virginia cosplay ! ✨
Honestly very happy with the result of it 😁
#unicornoverlord #cosplaymaker #cosplay
I see so few of them ! Despite the video game being amazing ? 😱
I don't know if this will interest someone but...
I finished my Virginia cosplay ! ✨
Honestly very happy with the result of it 😁
#unicornoverlord #cosplaymaker #cosplay
July 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Unicorn Overlord Cosplay ?? 👀
I see so few of them ! Despite the video game being amazing ? 😱
I don't know if this will interest someone but...
I finished my Virginia cosplay ! ✨
Honestly very happy with the result of it 😁
#unicornoverlord #cosplaymaker #cosplay
I see so few of them ! Despite the video game being amazing ? 😱
I don't know if this will interest someone but...
I finished my Virginia cosplay ! ✨
Honestly very happy with the result of it 😁
#unicornoverlord #cosplaymaker #cosplay
KPop Demon Hunters was super good! The animation is slick and the music is really catchy 🎶
July 25, 2025 at 2:12 PM
KPop Demon Hunters was super good! The animation is slick and the music is really catchy 🎶
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Finished this piece and I feel i'm not gonna try to go further (I lost so much patience for background detailing, but it's still acceptable"
But behold, my FF14 ttrpg party!
#ffxiv #ttrpg #illustration
But behold, my FF14 ttrpg party!
#ffxiv #ttrpg #illustration
July 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Finished this piece and I feel i'm not gonna try to go further (I lost so much patience for background detailing, but it's still acceptable"
But behold, my FF14 ttrpg party!
#ffxiv #ttrpg #illustration
But behold, my FF14 ttrpg party!
#ffxiv #ttrpg #illustration
Reposted by Samuel Allen
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
July 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Boycott all publishers using GenAi.
July 9, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Boycott all publishers using GenAi.
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Anime Expo 2025 kicks off later this week! 🥳 sqex.to/PJCwZ
Check out our booth activities and don't forget to tune into the livestream for Yoshi-P's guest of honor panel on Friday, July 4 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) / 19:30 (GMT) 📅
Also, we've added a #FFXIV TTRPG reward for completing the stamp rally!
Check out our booth activities and don't forget to tune into the livestream for Yoshi-P's guest of honor panel on Friday, July 4 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) / 19:30 (GMT) 📅
Also, we've added a #FFXIV TTRPG reward for completing the stamp rally!
June 30, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Anime Expo 2025 kicks off later this week! 🥳 sqex.to/PJCwZ
Check out our booth activities and don't forget to tune into the livestream for Yoshi-P's guest of honor panel on Friday, July 4 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) / 19:30 (GMT) 📅
Also, we've added a #FFXIV TTRPG reward for completing the stamp rally!
Check out our booth activities and don't forget to tune into the livestream for Yoshi-P's guest of honor panel on Friday, July 4 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) / 19:30 (GMT) 📅
Also, we've added a #FFXIV TTRPG reward for completing the stamp rally!
Reposted by Samuel Allen
This is ANOTHER reason why it's so important for manga companies to focus on quality instead of quantity: destroying the trust our customers have in us.
It's so easy for manga readers to find stuff for free online with terrible quality. We have to give them a reason to pay for our products!
It's so easy for manga readers to find stuff for free online with terrible quality. We have to give them a reason to pay for our products!
on the audience side it's really sad that for some readers the takeaway is mutating not into "support higher-quality loc" but "don't trust official releases of any kind". i don't blame folks for coming to that conclusion given the absolute state of the info environment but it's so tragic
June 27, 2025 at 10:46 PM
This is ANOTHER reason why it's so important for manga companies to focus on quality instead of quantity: destroying the trust our customers have in us.
It's so easy for manga readers to find stuff for free online with terrible quality. We have to give them a reason to pay for our products!
It's so easy for manga readers to find stuff for free online with terrible quality. We have to give them a reason to pay for our products!
Reposted by Samuel Allen
If you don't want this to become the norm: speak up.
Fans, professionals, everyone, needs to report the issue to the company. Flood them on socials. Email them about the issue. Tag the Japanese author and publisher.
Companies think audiences "don't care about quality". Show them that we do.
Fans, professionals, everyone, needs to report the issue to the company. Flood them on socials. Email them about the issue. Tag the Japanese author and publisher.
Companies think audiences "don't care about quality". Show them that we do.
Not even a day past & they already messed up 💀
June 27, 2025 at 10:04 PM
If you don't want this to become the norm: speak up.
Fans, professionals, everyone, needs to report the issue to the company. Flood them on socials. Email them about the issue. Tag the Japanese author and publisher.
Companies think audiences "don't care about quality". Show them that we do.
Fans, professionals, everyone, needs to report the issue to the company. Flood them on socials. Email them about the issue. Tag the Japanese author and publisher.
Companies think audiences "don't care about quality". Show them that we do.
Years late to the party at this point, but Xenoblade is a real delight!
June 28, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Years late to the party at this point, but Xenoblade is a real delight!
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Here are my two cents on GenAI in #gameloc. Because we can't let the BS peddlers destroy our industry from within, and silence is complicity. locdandloaded.net/2025/05/13/h...
The Human Cost of AI
A couple of years ago, a good friend* achieved their lifelong dream: After a decade of grueling agency work, they had finally secured an in-house localization job on a game they loved. This was a high...
locdandloaded.net
May 13, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Here are my two cents on GenAI in #gameloc. Because we can't let the BS peddlers destroy our industry from within, and silence is complicity. locdandloaded.net/2025/05/13/h...
Reposted by Samuel Allen
"But a better way forward would be to start celebrating the work of the subtitler; to praise their contribution to the global cinema landscape, and their vital role in bringing stories across borders."
📢📢📢 #nameyoursubtitler #loveyoursubtitler #HumansNotMaschines #TranslatorsInTheCredits
📢📢📢 #nameyoursubtitler #loveyoursubtitler #HumansNotMaschines #TranslatorsInTheCredits
Lost in Translation: The unsung art of subtitling
The "one-inch barrier" that Bong Joon Ho spoke of in 2019 still exists – and it's not always audiences who are to blame for subtitles being inaccessible.
lwlies.com
February 28, 2025 at 4:39 PM
"But a better way forward would be to start celebrating the work of the subtitler; to praise their contribution to the global cinema landscape, and their vital role in bringing stories across borders."
📢📢📢 #nameyoursubtitler #loveyoursubtitler #HumansNotMaschines #TranslatorsInTheCredits
📢📢📢 #nameyoursubtitler #loveyoursubtitler #HumansNotMaschines #TranslatorsInTheCredits
Reposted by Samuel Allen
We're stoked to introduce the 'No Gen AI' seal for indie games!
Indie devs can use it on their game's store page to assure potential players that their game was made without the use of Generative AI.
You can grab it from the Polygon Treehouse website:-
www.polygon-treehouse.com/no-gen-ai-seal
Indie devs can use it on their game's store page to assure potential players that their game was made without the use of Generative AI.
You can grab it from the Polygon Treehouse website:-
www.polygon-treehouse.com/no-gen-ai-seal
February 15, 2025 at 1:29 PM
We're stoked to introduce the 'No Gen AI' seal for indie games!
Indie devs can use it on their game's store page to assure potential players that their game was made without the use of Generative AI.
You can grab it from the Polygon Treehouse website:-
www.polygon-treehouse.com/no-gen-ai-seal
Indie devs can use it on their game's store page to assure potential players that their game was made without the use of Generative AI.
You can grab it from the Polygon Treehouse website:-
www.polygon-treehouse.com/no-gen-ai-seal
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Snezhinka, the sequel to Marfusha, is released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S!
playism.com/en/game/snez...
playism.com/en/game/snez...
Snezhinka - Console Release Trailer
YouTube video by PLAYISM
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Snezhinka, the sequel to Marfusha, is released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S!
playism.com/en/game/snez...
playism.com/en/game/snez...
Reposted by Samuel Allen
Don't make me tap the sign
January 23, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Don't make me tap the sign