Overlay automatic subtitle translation

[Inqui999]

Quite a few games are only available in a single language. For some, this is a foreign language that they don't master well enough, if at all. Game developers also seem to lack the resources to integrate multilanguage.

In a foreign language game with subtitles, I can use a camera translation software to have the cell phone translate the text relatively well.


Wouldn't it be possible for the Steam client to offer such a translation service where the video Game stream is captured, scanned for subtitles and overlaid with translated text? In other words, without the detour with the cell phone camera.

[Ettanin]

Steam is not Google and Google API access is pricy.

https://cloud.google.com/translate/pricing

this should give you an insight how expensive it will be if millions of customers use it.

Then there are licensing reasons. The devs/publishers likely won't subscribe to the idea of PR loss due to shoddy automated translations.

[Gwarsbane]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

Quite a few games are only available in a single language. For some, this is a foreign language that they don't master well enough, if at all. Game developers also seem to lack the resources to integrate multilanguage.

In a foreign language game with subtitles, I can use a camera translation software to have the cell phone translate the text relatively well.


Wouldn't it be possible for the Steam client to offer such a translation service where the video Game stream is captured, scanned for subtitles and overlaid with translated text? In other words, without the detour with the cell phone camera.

Its up to the developer/publisher/IP owner of the game to include subtitles, which can be very expensive if you want them done properly. Since Valve does not own 99.99% or more of the games on Steam they can't legally do something like this without the permission of the developers/publishers/IP owners of the game.

Valve doesn't know whats going on in the game, it doesn't know whats being said in text or by voice. All Valve knows is the game is running... and thats it.

Also as mentioned, if the translations are bad, it will make the game look bad, and they will sell less and the developers will also get a bad rep too and that will just get Valve sued.



So again, if you want translations in games, go ask the developer/publisher/IP owner.

[Inqui999]

YouTube can use voice recognition to generate live subtitles and translate them at the same time. A lot of crazy things are possible today with this AI stuff. The fact that the translation quality won't always be perfect should be bearable.


But my suggestion is limited to pure subtitles where the final rendered image is used in real time for text recognition and translation and not some internal data from deep in the game code or pre-generated external data.

Steam might have some market power to enforce rights to the real-time translation of subtitles. Bad subtitles increase the pressure to integrate better ones.

Be that as it may, this forum area is for ideas, thoughts... whether and how this is realized, if there is any will at all, is up to the technicians and operators and, for my part, also to the lawyers and finances. In my naivety, I see no problem in simply buying up and integrating an appropriate machine translation company if they already have the money to build their own hand-held game console with development, construction and distribution. Where some game developers also go to extra effort to make the game compatible with the Steam Deck.

[Mad Scientist]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

YouTube can use voice recognition to generate live subtitles and translate them at the same time. A lot of crazy things are possible today with this AI stuff. The fact that the translation quality won't always be perfect should be bearable.

Guess who owns youtube? Google. So of course they will freely use such expensive things for themselves for free, but everyone else has to pay if they're not google-owned.

Steam doesn't need to be an "Everything client", you can wait for an unofficial language/translation subtitle mod, or you can ask the Developer. Do note games tend to list what languages they do or do not support on the Store Page, if it doesn't have a check mark for the part you want, probably best to not buy it if or until it has that if that's something you want.

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

But my suggestion is limited to pure subtitles where the final rendered image is used in real time for text recognition and translation and not some internal data from deep in the game code or pre-generated external data.

Ask the Developer, or a modding community for that game to consider making it, if it's a mod-friendly game.

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

Steam might have some market power to enforce rights to the real-time translation of subtitles. Bad subtitles increase the pressure to integrate better ones.

Devs generally don't want things that add expenses to their projects and it's generally considered disrespectful to request Developers do something they can just deem unreasonable as an expense. Why buy something then demand forced translation if knowing the language isn't supported or not looking for it the language is supported before purchasing?

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

Be that as it may, this forum area is for ideas, thoughts... whether and how this is realized, if there is any will at all, is up to the technicians and operators and, for my part, also to the lawyers and finances. In my naivety, I see no problem in simply buying up and integrating an appropriate machine translation company if they already have the money to build their own hand-held game console with development, construction and distribution. Where some game developers also go to extra effort to make the game compatible with the Steam Deck.

Why should Valve pay to translate other peoples products? That is literally not their product.

[Inqui999]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Mad Scientist:

Why should Valve pay to translate other peoples products? That is literally not their product.

Why should Valve do the distribution and marketing for computer games from other game developer companies?

I don't want a discussion, especially since I have no influence on the realization. It's just an idea suggestion and to show what is technically possible today. Native English speakers naturally see no point in such simultaneous translation. Like our friend Bill back then, who said that nobody needs more than 640kb RAM.

[Yzal]

Ursprungligen skrivet av Inqui999:

Ursprungligen skrivet av Mad Scientist:

Why should Valve pay to translate other peoples products? That is literally not their product.

Why should Valve do the distribution and marketing for computer games from other game developer companies?

I dunno, maybe because they are a store so they get money out of selling games?

I don't want a discussion,

This is a forum, they are for discussion.