Hey, everybody!

Feels a bit strange to make a post so soon after the last one, but I wasn't expecting to be approached with a proposal to translate Forge:Re into Spanish! I'm very thankful to this person for reaching out, as I always love getting messages about Forge:Re out of the blue. I oftentimes find myself wondering "Is there even any interest in Forge:Re?" So, receiving the odd message here and there really brightens my day. Along with that, I'm very humbled to see that there's an interest in translating Forge:Re into other languages. Never would I have thought my work would be worthy of a translation, so in my book, this is one of the highest honors I can receive.

That said, there are a number of warnings and terms I had to lay out to this person, which I'm going to post below for the reference of anyone who wishes to translate Forge:Re into another language in the future. Without further ado, here are a few things all prospective translators need to read and understand:

"1. If you want to translate Forge:Re, you'd best be prepared to spend at least a year or two translating it. Forge:Re's word count is in the neighborhood of 650k words as of right now, and I estimate the full game will end up being at least 700k words in length. For comparison's sake, that's almost as long as the Bible. On top of that, Forge:Re is not written in simple English. Not that I mean to imply my prose is terribly complex, but there are a number of characters with very distinctive speech quirks, which may make translating the game difficult. In other words, if you want to translate Forge:Re, you're going to need a lot of commitment, time, skills, and experience.

2. I won't allow work on a translation to begin until the full game is out in English. This is partially to ensure there isn't any leakage of spoilers, but there's another equally important reason behind this decision. You cannot make a good translation of a work if you haven't read/played/watched through the entire thing. If you translate a work before finishing it, certain elements can get lost in translation. For instance, foreshadowing and character motivations. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of Forge:Re before I'll allow you to begin working on it, and as the game likely won't be fully released until next year, that means you're going to have to wait to start translating it.

3. I won't allow Forge:Re to be translated solo. If you want to translate it, you're going to have to form a team of at least three people. That way, you can have a group to consult and check your work. This is all to ensure the translation meets a certain level of quality. I've worked myself half to death making Forge:Re. But while I pride myself on its quality, it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is if not for my beta testers and quality assurance team. Simply put, I expect the same level of quality from anyone who translates it. Yet, as I am not bilingual, I can't check your work myself. Therefore, the best I can do is require you to work in a team of people who *can*.

4. I need to be involved in the translation process. While I may not be able to understand other languages, I'll be consulting with you on a regular basis to see how things are going and to get a sense of how and why you've chosen to tackle certain things the way you did. For instance, Foxy has a very unique way of speaking, so I might ask for a detailed explanation of how you intend to translate that. In the same way, this allows you to ask me questions (in case there's anything you need clarified) as you translate. For the most part, though, this is just another way for me to make sure that the translation quality is good enough for publication. So, don't count on me handing you the script and sending you on your merry way. I'm not that kind of writer. I actually care.

If after all that, you're still interested in translating Forge:Re, great! I wouldn't blame you if my terms and warnings have made you lose interest, though. I'm sure there are plenty of games out there that are great for amateurs, but this isn't one of them. If you want to translate Forge:Re, you need to be prepared to be challenged. A lot."

As is written above, translating Forge:Re would be a monumental undertaking, which I don't want anyone to underestimate. On top of that, the terms listed above are non-negotiable, so prospective translators need to agree to them before I can give them the go-ahead. I just wanted to post this write-up here for the reference of anyone who's interested. This way, the next time someone comes up to me and asks if they can translate Forge:Re, I can point them here.

I have nothing more to add, so with that, I guess talk to you all later this month!