Working as a freelance translator requires proactivity to keep up with rates, market research and new technologies. In this episode of Open World, we hear from Federica Lusardi who shares her experience finding her way as an Italian translator in London, from freelance to in-house at Square Enix. She chats about best practices for translating visual novels, marketing campaigns, and how to expand languages for indie games.

Federica Lusardi began working in the video game industry when she moved to London in 2011 for her MA in audiovisual translation. After working briefly as a language tester for Sega and after translating her first game for Codemasters as a freelancer, she worked at Pole to Win as an in-house translator and team supervisor. She joined Square Enix in 2016, where she currently works as an Italian translator and editor. Her work encompasses translation for video games and marketing campaigns, such as Life Is Strange 2, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game and Professor Layton vs. Phoenix freight ace attorney.