Localise names without losing their role
Carry a name’s function, relationships and clues into another language rather than translating an isolated string.
The job of the name travels with it
A descriptive name may also function as a landmark, a shortened dialogue form or a clue supported by an illustration. Translating each occurrence independently can break those relationships even when each sentence is fluent. Explain the function before asking for a replacement string.
For a fictional tavern, consider its sign, the spoken short form and a recurring lantern together. The name does not prove an actual historical custom. It performs specific jobs inside a story. Those jobs can be documented without forcing a rigid word-for-word solution, leaving the translator more useful freedom.
Keep, transfer or redesign deliberately
There is no single treatment suited to every name. A short call name may stay unchanged. A descriptive place name may be transferred by meaning. A pun may need another construction that performs the same task. Choose a strategy by name type and record justified exceptions rather than mixing approaches at random.
A context entry should include the principal form, pronunciation considerations, fictional meaning and a sample occurrence. Add whether the name is spoken, printed into a graphic or used in a puzzle. If letters in the name contribute to a solution, the translator must see that relationship. A decorative sign and a puzzle-bearing phrase require different freedom.
Test a small connected scene
A child calls the tavern simply the light. Its full sign includes the light image, and an extinguished lantern later becomes a clue. Give the translator all three occurrences together. A literal sign translation may sound stiff while another distribution of the image preserves the connection more naturally.
Identify graphics with embedded text early. A later change is more expensive when the name has been baked into an image or recorded performance. Keep names editable where possible. Where a fixed presentation is necessary, include it in the localisation record along with subtitle and voice references.
Do not infer cultural accuracy from sound
A generated syllable sequence does not establish a real linguistic origin or appropriateness for a particular community. Separate freely invented forms from names for which the project claims authentic usage. The latter need appropriate sources and qualified review. A short note about the intended status prevents misunderstandings later in the team.
Request feedback on the actual scene, not merely a list. Tone, implications and accidental meanings can depend on who speaks and why. Record the affected spelling, context and suggested alternative. General statements such as international sounding are not a reliable review, and an available domain says little about how a word is understood elsewhere.
Exercise: follow one name through a sequence
Use stable internal identifiers while allowing visible names to differ between language versions. Keep earlier forms with a status rather than overwriting them without explanation. This makes it possible to locate dialogue, images and search terms that still need revision after a naming decision changes.
Read a complete small sequence in the target language: map, objective, dialogue and inventory entry. Check that the same relationships remain recognisable, that the short form still works and that the text fits the display. A successful localisation preserves the role of the name even when its letters change.