Continue reading »]]> Japanese Sweets/Candy test

I have to apologise. In week six I wrote Japanese Candies were horrible. Back then I just had bad luck with picking the right things. Meanwhile I found some good sweets/candy. However gumdrops don’t seem to be very popular in Japan. You’ll find more candy than gumdrops in every grocery store. When one finally found gumdrops the packages are so small that one will ask her or himself, why the packages are reclosable at all. Those packs have a three times smaller capacity compared to regular German gumdrop packs with the difference that the price is three times as high compared to German Gumdrop packs. None the less. Most of those gumdrops are tasty. Enjoy the video.

Japanese candy test – Japanischer Süßigkeitentest von Daaaaaaaaaaaax

Here a selection of different candy package designs. For the first time you can vote in this blog which package design you like best! Three packs will be raffled off amongst all voters and will be sent to them. Winners can choose which candy they would like to receive. So you don’t have to take the one you voted for. Any recourse to courts of law is excluded. (Sorry, still have to set up the vote. Will post it here once everything is set up)

[Show as slideshow]

(This text has not been revised. Should you spot a horrible mistake you simply can’t live with :) or a typical “German English” phrase please let me know by dropping me a message or a comment. I will correct it and credit your name should you wish that. I’m happy to receive any feedback and really appreciate your help.)

Special thanks to: Hyunjung Kim, 유현화, both South Korea; Fumi Ono, Japan; Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services; Lilith Pendzich;

Continue reading »]]> Test the rest

It’s finally about time to say something about my new job. As I already mentioned it is a project based job, and slow but steady we are about to reach the end of our project.

The company in which I am working does so-called linguistic video game testing as briefly mentioned in week eight. Times in which we get video games only in its origin language are fortunately over since the nineties. Games are being translated and adapted to their respective markets. This process is called localisation.

Just translating every manual and game texts won’t suffice here. Every culture comes up with small but mighty distinctions which can lead to big misunderstandings or even provocations if adapted inadequately.

Some examples:

Cultural or history-bound distinctions

A move in a snowboarding game is called Super 9/11. Needless to say that the name will be changed for the U. S. market.

Measures

Whereas in Germany, Austria or Switzerland the metric system prevails in the U.S.A. or U.K. gallons, degrees Fahrenheit, feet and miles are used. The adaptation does not mean a problem when translating it in texts. But for speedometer and thermometer – scales which need to be calculated in real time – complete new algorithms have to be programmed.

Poems and puns …

… are certainly one of the biggest challenges of a localisation translator. On one hand one would like to preserve the rhyme or the wit but on the other hand, logic should not fall by the wayside. A problem which is also linked to the film industry. Here an example from the film ‘the downfall‘:

Drunk German soldiers in bombed down Berlin:

Hey Berlin ist die Stadt der Warenhäuser. Hier war ‘n haus und da war ‘n Haus.

Hey Berlin is the City of ware houses. Here were houses and there were houses.

Poems or lyrics from Disney films are often mentioned as paragons for localisation work.

The localisation happens almost simultaneously with the creation of the base frame of a game. So relatively early in the development phase. After all the script has already been written so that the localisation agencies can begin with the translation work. And this is how the programmers don’t just work with a single version of the game from the very beginning but in all versions in which the game will be released.

This is where the localisation testers come into the play. Our task is to check every dialogue, every menu, the whole content which was translated and adapted on semantic, grammar, formatting, terminology mistakes, misspellings, or culturally conditioned mistakes.

Theoretically now every game tester would have to complete the game including all menus and sub menus. So that the publisher does not have to pay too many hourly rates to us testers we are being given cheats by the developer with which we can win or – should the test require it – lose at the touch of a button. Also we receive cheats with which we can select all the levels directly.

By and by it should be getting more clear how linguistic game testing works. But how does it look in detail?

Games are being tested on so called debug consoles which are only available for the studios and can only be purchased by the manufacturer directly. With this systems it is possible to run games which are still in their development stages. The single version of a game in development is called a build. As soon as the first build is on the table the team arranges who is going to test which game mode respectively and which menu including sub menus. This way every language forms a team which single members sit in front of on their respective platforms (PC, console, handheld). Because no full priced game is being developed for a single system any more these days except for exclusive titles.

What kind of bugs are there? To answer the question briefly: many! Too many to be mentioned altogether in this text. But the most essential shall be mentioned: crashes, freezer and blocker.

Crash

As the name indicates the system simply crashes at a certain point of the game.

Freezer

The same here with the name. The system simply freezes at a certain point of the game.

Blocker

One is caught in a certain situation or menu in the game, might be able to go some steps forward or back, but can’t escape the situation as something was simply not considered during the programming. The program runs consistently stable but the player is given no other choice but to turn off the system.

All bugs of this category have a high priority and must be fixed before the release. Even if those bugs don’t have a lot to do with language they will also be reported by linguistic testers as they hinder the tester to proceed with the testing. However the linguistic testers priority is to check all the game texts.

The following bugs are the most important ones:

Incorrect string,

translation or

incorrect formatting.

Are the translations placed correctly in the game? Are there any misspelt words? Were some texts forgotten or are there some place holders or even the texts in original language at some spots?

Formatting mistakes are being given a lower priority. An example would be that a text is being displayed correctly in a text box however shown squeezed as it is simply too long.

Also it has to be checked if at certain spots the right symbol or letter graphics are being showed. Testers ‘biggest pleasure’ regarding this is the Nintendo Wii at the moment. Because all menus have to be checked three times. Why? The Wii has three different joy-pad interfaces. The old Gamecube joypads, the Wii-mote together with the Nunchuck or the classic controller. So every menu has to be checked that the associated button graphics are being displayed correctly depending on which input device is being used. And of course graphics do also have to be checked regarding their system affiliation. Nintendo wouldn’t be flattered at all if the menu in one Wii game were to say: ‘Press the X-button to proceed or the O-button to cancel’. Also a certain text might be very readable on a high resolution Play Station 3 or Xbox 360 version. The PAL or NTSC resolution of the Wii might only show a blurry line. This is where the so called cross-check goes into play. After extensive testing the bugs are checked at the end of the day if they can be transferred to other plattforms or language versions. Most of the time blockers can be reported for all versions as it is inevitably a mistake which happened when programming a situation, which is to say that it will be the same in all versions. It becomes more complex with freezers or crashes. Does the system freeze because the code is insufficiently adapted to its system or because of the fact that a mistake was made when programming the base frame? Was a line only translated incorrectly in the German version or did someone make a mistake when compiling the script and all versions show the wrong string at a certain spot?

Why does one test a language’s menus during the development stage at all? Wouldn’t it be more simple to finalise the game first and to check everything at the end? One might think so, however, there are situations which can be explained in one language with only one word but might devour three lines in another. It won’t happen that a wider text box is programmed for only one language version. Either the text box will be enlarged for all language versions or one will try to shorten the text in that version in which the text is too long. So errors do occur which require code changes. Hardly possible with a finished game. Also it happens that some menus change after the localisation or menus or areas are added subsequently. Most of the times these translations are done by the linguistic testers and not by the localisation agencies any more.

How does it go on with the reported bugs now? Most developers use an encrypted online database to monitor the development progress of their products. Its advantage is that the progress can be checked from anywhere in the world. This is how the developers may sit in Canada for instance whereas the testing studio might be located in Japan. The development team now has the bug report and starts with the corrections. As soon as the bug is being wiped or the programmers think they have cured the error the ball is being passed back to the testing team. Because even if the bug is described in detail it is not always plain to see if a bug was really fixed. So when the testers then received the list of the fixed bugs they are checked if they are completely eliminated. If there isn’t any recognised change or the tester declares the alteration is insufficient the bug remains in the database or is enhanced with a more detailed description. This procedure is continued until the last bug is being fixed.

What atmosphere prevails in such a company? At first glance, somewhat deterrent might be the fact that you don’t have access to any area without an RFID chip key card. Also every tester has her or his own locker as any kind of data carrier has to stay outside the office. That is valid for mobile phones as well as for mp3-players. Cameras are an absolute no go. And communication with the outside world? The office place of the video game tester is one of the rare ones which copes without a phone. Emails can only be sent by the administrator authorised mail addresses. And who was hoping to gain further recreation during breaks by checking out XXX-web pages will be grievously disappointed. Even here only admin authorised pages can be viewed. Damn it! … In other words it is quite difficult to smuggle the testing game onto the internet or outside the office.

And what kind of working atmosphere prevails? Tester are young folks, rarely over 30. Who would like to keep up her or his second language(s) an passant rejoices to receive a free conversation course with this job. The Italian girls are wondering in their language about Berlusconi’s latest achievements, the guy behind me almost walked Spanish on me, and to my left someone is cursing in French. In other words we are weird folks. But we like it to be weird.

What qualifications does one need for such a job? Of course good native language skills. Because you will have to pass a ten page (!) long test at the job interview at the least. All bugs are being reported in English. Thus you should have good English skills as well. The job interview will be in English. As in every office job, good office software skills are required. And last but not least you should know how to hold a joy-pad correctly of course. The introduction to the database is quickly learned. Graphic or video editing programme knowledge is a plus but can also be conveyed within the first working week.

What salary/wage can one expect for such a job in Japan? It can vary depending on the region of course. It shouldn’t be below 1.300 yen per hour. In general wages fall around 1.500 yen per hour. Testing happens full time in a 40 hour working week, with a high volume of work even on Saturdays and Sundays!

Who now feels like getting such a job and would like to link it with a work and travel/working holiday stay in Japan should check out following links:

http://www.uniconpro.co.jp/de/recruit.html

http://www.enzyme.org/index.php?id=75&L=1

Special thanks to: Hubertus Neidhart from Webspace Provider Network for excellent web page hosting services; Lilith Pendzich, Germany; Brandon Lamb, U.S.A.;

Continue reading »]]> Woho, I’m an alien. I’m a legal alien I’m a German man in Japan…

To be honest I didn’t find a way to get my foreigner’s registration card without having a permanent address here in Japan. However Jim and Heath were nice enough to use their address to get myself registered. It is once again one of these situations in which I am asking myself how I am supposed to give all this back to the couchsurfing community? Because Jim and Heath asked me if I’d like to do it this way. I did not even ask for it.

It’s Friday, Friday, fun, fun, party, party…

I once again face the challenge of finding my new host’s station. After straying around again my desperate look must have caught the attention of a slightly drunk owner of a recycling company. He is just on his way back home from his work party and once again someone is not only explaining the way to me, but is also guiding me to the right station. However we end up at two wrong stations along the way. Well, this is not his fault. It’s the alcohol’s fault.

I need a Hiro!!!

Hiro is my new host. He works at Japan’s telephone network. I asked him to stay for two nights in his flat. But it will only be one. Why? Originally he wanted to go to an Onsen (hot springs) hotel together with a friend of his and stay there for a night. But since his friend had to call it off a new “victim” had to be found. And this “victim” is me. “It is okay, Simon, you are invited. Of course you don’t have to pay for the hotel!” Slowly Japan is becoming creepy to me. If it goes on this way I will be promoted to a Yakuza boss (Japanese Mafia) after all.

Actually I’m welcomed by Hiro like a Yakuza boss. In his Lexus limousine with integrated TV-Set he’s taking me to a restaurant and of course there’s no chance to pay for the bill by myself! I like the restaurant’s concept. Every table is equipped with a grill in its middle. And the buffet is loaded with bite-sized cuts of meat for everyone to take.

But all this is of course not enough for the Yakuza boss so I’m getting invited to the public bath. This is deeply rooted into Japanese culture. I think it can be compared to the Roman bath culture. The Japanese people enjoy their baths naked and separated by gender. Often it’s mothers with their daughters and fathers with their sons. But even if I didn’t bring my family with me I’m still being granted access :)

Hey, what is the girl doing here in our department? And she’s dressed that’s not fair! She works here. Wait a minute. That gives me an idea. Perhaps the baths here are also offering  jobs for males in the girls section. Hmm…

No matter where you look at you’ll see the man’s best unit everywhere. Many of us might have stumbled over the penis map that recently has been rife on the internet. I wonder how those who have compiled this map took their measurements. Did they really measure the size on about 1.000 People of all their countries each to get a representative result? How did Japan do once again?

Oh… I see. Hm, well yes… Well I didn’t take any measurements personally and really don’t have any interest in doing so here, but well according to sense of proportion I can at least confirm the result for this bath here. Well, … *giggle* I don’t really want to brag but … he he… Okay. I’m going to stop it right here. Because of all of those wonderful things that happened to me here so far I really haven’t earned the right to poke fun. As the saying goes: It’s not about size it’s about the technique. And here the Japanese people are far more advanced than we are. How if not because of this would Japan have made it to one of the largest industrial countries of the world? There! And even in the public baths Japanese people can’t wave the high tech. As there is one bath in which you sit down between two electric diodes. I wonder if this is supposed to be relaxing or something for masochists…

Sometimes it does not even have to be complex technique. It all starts over with such small things like lining up in a queue/line.

queueing with IQ / A line for the Metro line

It works at every platform, every escalator everywhere! Juvenile scrambling as we know it from our western countries is to be sought in vain here. And even in the metro Japanese people don’t have to prove constantly that they can shout the loudest in their cell phones – as many stupid/silly Germans do all the time. Making a phone call in the Metro is prohibited. Epic!

Saturday.

On our way to Kinugawa

Hiro and me packed the car. We’re heading off for Kinugawa to the Onsen hotel. It’s about 100 km (62 miles) north of Tokyo. Fukushima is only 165 km (102 miles) away from there.

During a short break Hiro shows me a 100 Yen shop which are very popular in Japan.

100 Yen Shop

Eyecandy

Our hotel rooms smell like hay. “That’s the Tatami mats on the floor”, Hiro explains to me. When entering the room I’m thinking to myself: “Well done but the guys forgot to put beds into the room.” After a little while Hiro tells me that the beds are being made while you are eating in the restaurant.

Hayhotel

Hotel with history

View from our room

mad mattresses

Fact! When coming back from the Restaurant, two mattresses like entities are lying on the Tatami floor. And this is how I’m spending the first night of my life in Japan in a hotel without a bed. A sacred duty of every hotel room: to have a water heater and of course different sorts of tea. Hiro is pouring me a cup. Hm… I don’t know how they did it but the tea tastes exactly like the floor smells like. Like hay :)

Cool Kimonos

Please don’t get me wrong here. I’m not complaining and don’t want to sound arrogant. I had the best weekend so far in Japan thanks to Hiro! It was simply awesome! Thank you Hiro! For everything!

Also very interesting are the signs on the way back. The in Japan omnipresent raccoon dog tanuki. Ohh how cuuute!

Tanuki

Umbrella savety requirement

And even the fact that umbrellas are required on the highway/motorway seems a bit strange to me.

How may I imagine that? Maybe like on the photo?

Pan Tau in Japan. Photo by Hiroyuki Ochiai

So that I can’t get lost in Tokoy’s metro system once again Hiro is taking me to my next host by car on Sunday straight to one of Saitama‘s outskirts, Kawagoe. Brandon, a 23 year old American who has already lived in Japan for two years and will return in November. He’s showing me very interesting videos he made about Japan. After a late meeting we have an impromptu dinner and it turns out that Hiro is not only a very kind person but also an adept cook.

Brandon also works as an English teacher. But he has no problems leaving his flat to me while he’s heading out for work on Monday. However I’m also heading off for the city soon as I have to register for my work and travel stay at Shibuya city hall to get my