Thibault Ortega
@tortegatrad.bsky.social
💼 Freelance video game translator (EN -> FR).
📁 HADES, HADES II
📁 HADES, HADES II
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
I've found this to be true for the translation industry too. Making friends and supporting each other (building a network of amazing people) can open potential doors, but it takes years to build up those relationships.
Fellow translators aren't competition, they're colleagues and friends.
Fellow translators aren't competition, they're colleagues and friends.
Talking to one of these types at a con who asked how I 'got in' with so many 'famous writers' who I'd been talking to and I said "we made friends before anyone knew who we were decades ago by striking up interesting conversations and enjoying each other's company" and he kept re-asking the question.
They have come to the convention hoping to "break in" and then find themselves -- shocker! -- a "nobody in the book world." Yeah no shit! We all are! I have gently told guys like this a million times that it takes most of us *years* of hard work but they do not believe that could be true for them. +
December 27, 2025 at 6:53 AM
I've found this to be true for the translation industry too. Making friends and supporting each other (building a network of amazing people) can open potential doors, but it takes years to build up those relationships.
Fellow translators aren't competition, they're colleagues and friends.
Fellow translators aren't competition, they're colleagues and friends.
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
As the year draws to a close, we wanted to wish you a happy and restful holiday season, and thank you for supporting Hades II and our team!🙏🌖
This festive moment in the Crossroads brought to you by our environment artist Joanne Tran.
This festive moment in the Crossroads brought to you by our environment artist Joanne Tran.
December 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM
As the year draws to a close, we wanted to wish you a happy and restful holiday season, and thank you for supporting Hades II and our team!🙏🌖
This festive moment in the Crossroads brought to you by our environment artist Joanne Tran.
This festive moment in the Crossroads brought to you by our environment artist Joanne Tran.
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
« pushing hard on genAI » for no gain in efficiency lmao
maybe stop then ?
maybe stop then ?
sigh
December 16, 2025 at 7:39 PM
« pushing hard on genAI » for no gain in efficiency lmao
maybe stop then ?
maybe stop then ?
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
"Bradage de la traduction, plan social invisible : Harlequin passe à l’IA"
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
December 15, 2025 at 8:20 PM
"Bradage de la traduction, plan social invisible : Harlequin passe à l’IA"
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
warner brothers trickster figures explained
November 8, 2025 at 3:23 AM
warner brothers trickster figures explained
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
SE’s localization work on FFXIV and FFXVI have been some of the most incredible examples of good JPN-ENG loc. SE has defined new standards for excellence in our craft.
Not to mention, that good loc has been pivotal in establishing a dedicated fanbase—and good sales.
Not to mention, that good loc has been pivotal in establishing a dedicated fanbase—and good sales.
square trying to cut its QA and loc teams to the bone for a great AI pivot is absolutely crazy your entire thing is prestiege narrative jrpgs distributed worldwide
November 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
SE’s localization work on FFXIV and FFXVI have been some of the most incredible examples of good JPN-ENG loc. SE has defined new standards for excellence in our craft.
Not to mention, that good loc has been pivotal in establishing a dedicated fanbase—and good sales.
Not to mention, that good loc has been pivotal in establishing a dedicated fanbase—and good sales.
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Localization budgets tend to be a very well-guarded secret, but thanks to SGG's transparency, we can at least make an educated guess for Hades II: The cost of localizing the game's 380.000 words into 14 languages was approximately $1.5m.
Read more: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Read more: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Hades II is now out of Early Access, earning a staggering 94 score on Metacritic. But beyond butter-smooth gameplay, incredible art and mesmerizing music, the game also stood out for its localization…...
Hades II is now out of Early Access, earning a staggering 94 score on Metacritic. But beyond butter-smooth gameplay, incredible art and mesmerizing music, the game also stood out for its localization ...
www.linkedin.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Localization budgets tend to be a very well-guarded secret, but thanks to SGG's transparency, we can at least make an educated guess for Hades II: The cost of localizing the game's 380.000 words into 14 languages was approximately $1.5m.
Read more: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Read more: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
The time has finally come!
Words aren't enough to express how wonderful it's been to work on the French translation of @supergiantgames.bsky.social 's latest title.
Bonne chance pour tuer le Temps, et que la Lune éclaire votre chemin ⏳🌔
Words aren't enough to express how wonderful it's been to work on the French translation of @supergiantgames.bsky.social 's latest title.
Bonne chance pour tuer le Temps, et que la Lune éclaire votre chemin ⏳🌔
September 25, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The time has finally come!
Words aren't enough to express how wonderful it's been to work on the French translation of @supergiantgames.bsky.social 's latest title.
Bonne chance pour tuer le Temps, et que la Lune éclaire votre chemin ⏳🌔
Words aren't enough to express how wonderful it's been to work on the French translation of @supergiantgames.bsky.social 's latest title.
Bonne chance pour tuer le Temps, et que la Lune éclaire votre chemin ⏳🌔
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
HADES II v1.0 arrives in less than one week!!🌒
It will be available worldwide at 9am PDT on Thursday, September 25, or your local time, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
It will be available worldwide at 9am PDT on Thursday, September 25, or your local time, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
September 18, 2025 at 7:53 PM
HADES II v1.0 arrives in less than one week!!🌒
It will be available worldwide at 9am PDT on Thursday, September 25, or your local time, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
It will be available worldwide at 9am PDT on Thursday, September 25, or your local time, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
. @teamcherry.bsky.social spent 7 years polishing Silksong to no end, yet so far we learned both the Chinese and French localizations have been botched.
Loc is an afterthought even in some of the most lovingly crafted titles. It's so fucking sad.
Whole audiences who can't enjoy your labor of love.
Loc is an afterthought even in some of the most lovingly crafted titles. It's so fucking sad.
Whole audiences who can't enjoy your labor of love.
September 6, 2025 at 9:08 AM
. @teamcherry.bsky.social spent 7 years polishing Silksong to no end, yet so far we learned both the Chinese and French localizations have been botched.
Loc is an afterthought even in some of the most lovingly crafted titles. It's so fucking sad.
Whole audiences who can't enjoy your labor of love.
Loc is an afterthought even in some of the most lovingly crafted titles. It's so fucking sad.
Whole audiences who can't enjoy your labor of love.
I'm still in the first act of the game, but yes, the amount of errors I've seen that would've been caught just with basic proofreading is, unfortunately, quite high. More examples below (spoilers for very early-game content, mistakes explained in ALT)
![Screenshot of the description of the Memory Locket item.
- "Permets d'améliorer un emblème" should be "Permet d'améliorer un emblème"
- "Les emblèmes peuvent être améliorer [...]" -> "Les emblèmes peuvent être améliorés [...]".
Again, two basic errors that could've been caught with minimal proofreading.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:l4xd26oifivhntemvtojlcas/bafkreibjmvqhrh5g6vrjwbjkdxsdul2roru5qcpjrae4qmu6s6w5wani4i@jpeg)
![Screenshot of a conversation with a certain NPC.
- "Je suis venue jusqu'à Pharloom [...] -> "Je suis venue à Pharloom [...]". The "jusqu'à" is superfluous here
- In French, many punctuation signs (in this case, question marks) must be preceded by a non-breaking space (this one also looks rather out-of-place here, a period would be more appropriate). I've seen this kind of error a few more times in other places, notably with colons
- A recurring issue in many many dialogues so far: the underuse of commas. I don't have access to the source text here but if we're to keep this particular phrasing, commas should be added after "moi" and "maintenant", like so: "Elle était plus rapide que moi, et maintenant, j'ai perdu sa trace".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:l4xd26oifivhntemvtojlcas/bafkreibng2wx7bl6y2nstsyr2oo33fg4d2slze4zby3wmov3qsyukzivky@jpeg)
September 5, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I'm still in the first act of the game, but yes, the amount of errors I've seen that would've been caught just with basic proofreading is, unfortunately, quite high. More examples below (spoilers for very early-game content, mistakes explained in ALT)
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Since 2023, translators and interpreters have seen work dry up, rates plummet and their jobs reduced to editing AI-generated output. Some are leaving the field, others are considering bankruptcy. All despite any major upgrade in translation quality.
This is how AI is killing translation work:
This is how AI is killing translation work:
AI Killed My Job: Translators
Few industries have been hit by AI as hard as translation. Rates are plummeting. Work is drying up. Translators are considering abandoning the field, or bankruptcy. These are their stories.
www.bloodinthemachine.com
August 21, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Since 2023, translators and interpreters have seen work dry up, rates plummet and their jobs reduced to editing AI-generated output. Some are leaving the field, others are considering bankruptcy. All despite any major upgrade in translation quality.
This is how AI is killing translation work:
This is how AI is killing translation work:
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
The Gameloc Directory 2025 update is live! It now features a marker (★) highlighting entities with strict no MT/AI policies. locdandloaded.net/2020/10/22/g...
Gameloc Agency Directory
There are multiple ways of entering the game localization industry, and one of the most common ones is by working with agencies who are specialized in this particular niche. I have compiled a list of ...
locdandloaded.net
August 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
The Gameloc Directory 2025 update is live! It now features a marker (★) highlighting entities with strict no MT/AI policies. locdandloaded.net/2020/10/22/g...
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Le futur d'internet semble clair : les gens vont aller de plus en plus sur ChatGPT pour "poser leur question" et "avoir une réponse", ce qui contribuera encore à tuer les médias qui nourrissent l'IA pour former les "réponses"
July 14, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Le futur d'internet semble clair : les gens vont aller de plus en plus sur ChatGPT pour "poser leur question" et "avoir une réponse", ce qui contribuera encore à tuer les médias qui nourrissent l'IA pour former les "réponses"
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Suite aux affiches en IA générative par la Mairie de Montpellier, nous publions une tribune, signée par plus de 150 artistes et travailleur•euses de l'art de la région.
@michaeldelafosse.bsky.social
En intégralité ici : framaforms.org/non-a-lutili...
1/4
@michaeldelafosse.bsky.social
En intégralité ici : framaforms.org/non-a-lutili...
1/4
July 11, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Suite aux affiches en IA générative par la Mairie de Montpellier, nous publions une tribune, signée par plus de 150 artistes et travailleur•euses de l'art de la région.
@michaeldelafosse.bsky.social
En intégralité ici : framaforms.org/non-a-lutili...
1/4
@michaeldelafosse.bsky.social
En intégralité ici : framaforms.org/non-a-lutili...
1/4
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Stop spreading this garbage about em dashes in ACTUAL EDITED PROSE OH MY GOD.
Plenty of actual human beings know how to type em dashes! We’re called “writers” and “editors” — maybe you’ve heard of us?
Plenty of actual human beings know how to type em dashes! We’re called “writers” and “editors” — maybe you’ve heard of us?
July 6, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Stop spreading this garbage about em dashes in ACTUAL EDITED PROSE OH MY GOD.
Plenty of actual human beings know how to type em dashes! We’re called “writers” and “editors” — maybe you’ve heard of us?
Plenty of actual human beings know how to type em dashes! We’re called “writers” and “editors” — maybe you’ve heard of us?
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
— Les Français : *souffrent de la canicule*
— Le gouvernement de droite :
« Astuces pour survivre à la canicule : soyez riches lol ».
— Le gouvernement de droite :
« Astuces pour survivre à la canicule : soyez riches lol ».
July 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
— Les Français : *souffrent de la canicule*
— Le gouvernement de droite :
« Astuces pour survivre à la canicule : soyez riches lol ».
— Le gouvernement de droite :
« Astuces pour survivre à la canicule : soyez riches lol ».
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Tout est dit :
- Précarisation du domaine
- Épuisement moral des traducteurices
- Gain de temps quasi inexistant de la post-édition
- Ignorance des responsables qui l'imposent
- Appauvrissement de la langue
- Risque d'erreurs graves dans des domaines sensibles
- Disparition d'un savoir-faire ancien
- Précarisation du domaine
- Épuisement moral des traducteurices
- Gain de temps quasi inexistant de la post-édition
- Ignorance des responsables qui l'imposent
- Appauvrissement de la langue
- Risque d'erreurs graves dans des domaines sensibles
- Disparition d'un savoir-faire ancien
Salaire divisé par deux, moins de contrats, perte de sens… Les traducteurs percutés de plein fouet par l’IA générative www.01net.com/actualites/s...
June 22, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Tout est dit :
- Précarisation du domaine
- Épuisement moral des traducteurices
- Gain de temps quasi inexistant de la post-édition
- Ignorance des responsables qui l'imposent
- Appauvrissement de la langue
- Risque d'erreurs graves dans des domaines sensibles
- Disparition d'un savoir-faire ancien
- Précarisation du domaine
- Épuisement moral des traducteurices
- Gain de temps quasi inexistant de la post-édition
- Ignorance des responsables qui l'imposent
- Appauvrissement de la langue
- Risque d'erreurs graves dans des domaines sensibles
- Disparition d'un savoir-faire ancien
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Dear translators, what's your favorite line you've ever localized, and why?
(Just trying to make a point & demonstrate how LLMs can't replace human translators, feel free to share)
(Just trying to make a point & demonstrate how LLMs can't replace human translators, feel free to share)
June 12, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Dear translators, what's your favorite line you've ever localized, and why?
(Just trying to make a point & demonstrate how LLMs can't replace human translators, feel free to share)
(Just trying to make a point & demonstrate how LLMs can't replace human translators, feel free to share)
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
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 Thibault Ortega
On this day one year ago, we launched HADES II in Early Access!!🌒🌕🌘
It's been incredibly exciting and eye-opening as we've worked to realize the potential so many of you see in our game. Thank you for all your feedback and patience as we get closer to the finish line!
It's been incredibly exciting and eye-opening as we've worked to realize the potential so many of you see in our game. Thank you for all your feedback and patience as we get closer to the finish line!
May 6, 2025 at 2:56 PM
On this day one year ago, we launched HADES II in Early Access!!🌒🌕🌘
It's been incredibly exciting and eye-opening as we've worked to realize the potential so many of you see in our game. Thank you for all your feedback and patience as we get closer to the finish line!
It's been incredibly exciting and eye-opening as we've worked to realize the potential so many of you see in our game. Thank you for all your feedback and patience as we get closer to the finish line!
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Season's greetings from the Crossroads!🎄🎁
Thank you for all your support of our team and Hades II this past year. For those playing in Early Access, please look forward to our second Major Update in early 2025. Until then, may moonlight guide you out there!🌒
Thank you for all your support of our team and Hades II this past year. For those playing in Early Access, please look forward to our second Major Update in early 2025. Until then, may moonlight guide you out there!🌒
December 23, 2024 at 5:47 PM
Season's greetings from the Crossroads!🎄🎁
Thank you for all your support of our team and Hades II this past year. For those playing in Early Access, please look forward to our second Major Update in early 2025. Until then, may moonlight guide you out there!🌒
Thank you for all your support of our team and Hades II this past year. For those playing in Early Access, please look forward to our second Major Update in early 2025. Until then, may moonlight guide you out there!🌒
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Calling all translators! We're building a Bluesky starter pack for emerging and established translators—so that we can follow each other and be in community together on the World Wide Web. If you want to be included, add yourself to this thread, and share this post far and wide with your networks :)
November 26, 2024 at 7:08 PM
Calling all translators! We're building a Bluesky starter pack for emerging and established translators—so that we can follow each other and be in community together on the World Wide Web. If you want to be included, add yourself to this thread, and share this post far and wide with your networks :)
Reposted by Thibault Ortega
Si le travail de traduction des jeux vidéo (et Final Fantasy) vous intéresse, Square Enix publie aujourd'hui la première partie d'une interview de l'équipe de localisation de #FFXVI. Ironie du sort, c'est en anglais, mais très intéressant : eu.finalfantasy.com/...
FINAL FANTASY XVI Localization Team Interview! Part 1 | TOPICS | FINAL FANTASY PORTAL SITE | SQUARE ENIX
FINAL FANTASY XVI just celebrated one year after its release on June 22, 2023, and the FF Portal staff got some time with the game’s localization t...
eu.finalfantasy.com
November 22, 2024 at 11:16 AM
Si le travail de traduction des jeux vidéo (et Final Fantasy) vous intéresse, Square Enix publie aujourd'hui la première partie d'une interview de l'équipe de localisation de #FFXVI. Ironie du sort, c'est en anglais, mais très intéressant : eu.finalfantasy.com/...