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Portuguese Game Text, English Terminal: Why Keep the Output Literal?

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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Translate the game’s instructions and interface into Portuguese, but leave terminal output in English when those instructions ask players to find or match exact text. That keeps the clue and the text on screen consistent: a Portuguese instruction can tell players to look for “Up 2 seconds” while the terminal still prints those exact English words.

Why leave the terminal in English?

In this game’s described approach, the terminal output is part of the material players must inspect. If an instruction quotes a phrase the terminal prints, translating that phrase as well could make the instruction point to text that is no longer present. Keeping the output literal preserves the match; Portuguese can explain what to do around it.

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This is a design choice for a game whose instructions refer to specific terminal text, not a rule that every game terminal should remain English. If players need to understand commands or logs without relying on translated guidance, translating the output may be more useful. The deciding question is whether the exact displayed wording is itself part of the task.

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How can players follow Portuguese instructions alongside English output?

Keep quoted terminal text visibly distinct from the translated instruction. For example, a Portuguese instruction can direct the player to find the line “Up 2 seconds,” preserving that phrase exactly as it appears in the terminal. The surrounding explanation supplies the context; the quoted text supplies the literal match.

  • Do not translate, change capitalization, or alter punctuation in a phrase players must locate exactly.
  • Make clear when an English phrase is terminal output rather than ordinary Portuguese prose.
  • Check that any commands players must enter are still executable as shown; translating instructions does not automatically mean commands should be translated.

The available account establishes the instruction/output matching rationale, but does not document the game’s full implementation or other terminal mechanics.

Which Portuguese locale should a game target?

“Portuguese” does not identify a single localization target. The IGDA Game Localization SIG guide lists Brazilian Portuguese (ptBR) and European/Iberian Portuguese (ptPT) separately. The specific target used by the game described here is not confirmed, so it should not be inferred from the language name alone.

A project should decide which locale it supports and communicate that choice clearly. If it supports both, treat them as distinct targets and review the translations in their intended contexts rather than assuming one set of Portuguese text covers both.

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What does localization involve beyond translating strings?

The IGDA Game Localization SIG defines localization as “the process of creating a product suited to a specific locale.” Its Best Practices for Game Localization guide, second draft, dated February 1, 2012, describes localization as a broader workflow that includes preparing resources, integrating them into an internationalized build, testing, editing, and fixing issues. The guide is useful for these general principles, though it is an older document.

That distinction matters for terminal games: the translated instructions and interface can be localizable resources, while terminal output that must match a quoted clue can remain literal. Keeping translatable resources separate from code and using suitable character encoding are among the IGDA guide’s general recommendations.

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How should translated game text be tested?

Test the intended locale in the actual game context. Review whether translations fit their interface areas, whether all intended strings are translated, and whether the fonts render the characters players need. A useful workflow separates language-quality checks from the specific check that literal terminal phrases still match the instructions.

Godot’s official 4.x documentation on internationalizing games describes pseudolocalization as a way to expose issues such as untranslated strings, text that does not fit, and some font-coverage gaps. It is a general workflow option, not evidence that this game uses Godot. Pseudolocalization also does not establish that terminal-output wording is semantically correct or still matches a clue; verify those exact strings directly.

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Godot also recommends allowing players to change the in-game language, since language preference and translation quality can differ between players. That is general guidance, not a feature confirmed for this game.

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