Official EN to PT-BR localization case study for No Backup, an indie tactical horror game with FPS/bodycam presentation, mission-driven progression, UI-heavy systems, and in-game radio/dialogue communication.
This project involved the full PT-BR translation and review of in-game text for No Backup, with special attention to clarity, consistency, and natural Brazilian Portuguese phrasing.
The work covered both direct translation and contextual adaptation, always preserving the original meaning while improving readability and tone for PT-BR players.
- PT-BR localization
- Linguistic review and revision
- UI and mission text adaptation
- Dialogue adaptation for natural Brazilian Portuguese
- Terminology consistency review
- Context-based rewriting when direct translation sounded unnatural
The localization work included:
- UI text
- mission names and objectives
- area names
- collectible/item names
- system messages
- menu/settings text
- warning prompts
- in-game dialogue and radio voice lines
- Poedit
- manual terminology review
- contextual revision pass
- style consistency adjustments
The PT-BR version was developed with the following goals:
- keep UI text clear and readable
- preserve the tactical horror tone of the game
- make dialogue sound natural in Brazilian Portuguese
- avoid robotic or overly literal phrasing
- adapt ambiguous English structures into clearer PT-BR
- maintain consistency across gameplay, menus, and dialogue
Some of the main localization challenges in this project included:
- ambiguous singular/plural phrasing in English
- adapting dialogue for both solo and co-op interpretation
- preserving intentional spacing in UI strings
- maintaining short and functional menu text
- balancing tactical/military tone with natural PT-BR dialogue
- translating vague strings with little or no context until later review
The localization aimed for:
- natural Brazilian Portuguese
- concise UI wording
- mission text with clear operational tone
- dialogue adapted to sound believable for Brazilian players
- selective regionalization when needed, without changing narrative intent
Some internal translation materials and source text are not reproduced here directly in full, in order to respect project delivery context and presentation boundaries.
This repository documents the localization work as a professional case study and portfolio entry.
PT-BR localization by Arthur A Stefanini.
- Translation: completed
- Review: completed
- Delivered to developer: yes
- Public release details: to be expanded after/alongside the game’s public release