Translator I - (Bilingual Japanese / English)

Hybrid Work Model

#LI-hybrid

Job Summary:
SEGA of America is seeking a Translator I to help deliver top-class, Japanese products to Western markets.

Our translators are specialists in the Japanese language and work closely with a team of fellow translators alongside a partnered editing team. The primary responsibility is to provide raw Japanese-to-English translations and support the editors as they craft them into evocative, meaning-faithful English localizations. This includes dialogue, narrative text, system messages, and other in-game content, all of which should accurately reflect the intent, tone, and experience of the original Japanese source and while resonating with Western audiences.

We are seeking candidates for this position who are passionate about video games, language, cross-cultural storytelling, and who bring a friendly, professional, and collaborative approach to their work.

Translators who consistently demonstrate a sustained, high-quality performance for a prolonged period may be considered for future lateral growth opportunities.

This is a hybrid position, with employees expected to be in-office on specified days each week.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Translate game text, scripts, manuals, web content, QA bugs, and other materials from Japanese to English with accuracy and attention to context.
• Create preparation materials for localization, such as terms list, character descriptions, voiceover scripts, and related documentation.
• Become familiar with assigned projects by playing builds, creating summaries, and sharing relevant information with the project team.
• Collaborate with editors, translators, and project team members on assigned projects; communicate in person and via messaging tools to clarify game text and resolve issues.
• Coordinate with Project Leads to track progress and receive translation guidance.
• Attend daily/weekly project-specific meetings as required.
• Attend voiceover recording sessions as needed, either for in-studio or remote sessions.
• Update and maintain translation style guides, glossaries, and story bibles for assigned projects.
• Stay current with video game trends, game terminology, first-party naming conventions, and relevant subcultures.
• Solve localization challenges by finding effective English equivalents for Japanese nuances such as jokes, idioms, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Project Leads, Senior Translators, Lead Translators, or Localization Management.
• Other responsibilities are performed as assigned or needed.