About the studio

The small studio for carrying games across

Nightjar Ferry is a Boca Raton desk of native writers and linguists who translate indie games and apps into Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and German. We keep the crew small so every release gets read by the same careful eyes, start to landing.

You’re welcome to ask us anything before you commit. We’d rather answer a question on Tuesday than untangle a misunderstanding at launch.

Tell us about your release Read the house rules
Boca Raton, FL A translator's desk at dusk with an annotated script, a handheld console and a lamp
Plate III — the desk on Stradella Drive

How the ferry came to run

Built for the night shift of every launch

The nightjar flies at dusk, when everyone else has gone in. Localization is much the same: it tends to be the last job before a release, done after the rest of the team has stopped for the evening.

We started the studio so that last job would stop being a scramble. Nightjar Ferry is where a finished build arrives and leaves again in four languages, with someone attentive at the helm.

  1. The problem

    Translations that never met the game

    Too often, a spreadsheet of strings came back polished but untried. Then the button overflowed, the placeholder broke, and the innkeeper turned polite.

  2. The fix

    Play it before we hand it back

    We made in-context QA part of every crossing, not an add-on. A linguist taps through your build with a bug sheet before a single file returns to you.

  3. The price

    One fee, named up front

    Developers told us hourly meters made them hesitate to ask for fixes. So we quote the whole release as one fee, and the asking stays easy.

  4. Today

    Four languages, one steady desk

    Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and German, written by natives and read by a second pair of eyes. Reached by phone or email, Monday to Friday, Eastern time.

Curious how your release would sail? Send us the details.

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Who’s aboard

Four roles, every release

Every crossing has the same four seats filled. Here’s who sits in each, and what they’ll quietly take care of for you.

First draftThe native writer

Writes it as a local would say it

One writer per language drafts your script and strings after a tone sheet is agreed with you. Humor, formality and the way your characters address one another are settled before the first line.

Second pair of eyesThe reader

Reads every line again

A second native checks the draft against your source and your glossary, catching what a single writer’s ear would miss.

Plays the buildThe linguist

Tests the words where players will see them

Clipped text, wrong gender, hard-coded strings, a date format that reads backward: found on screen, logged on a bug sheet, and fixed.

Your contactThe studio desk

Answers the phone and keeps the schedule

The desk quotes, schedules, and keeps your glossary current across releases. You always know who has your files and when they’ll be back.

The house rules

Four promises we keep at the desk

Signed & kept Index cards with words in four languages beside a brass compass and route map

  1. Ask before we assume

    If a line is ambiguous, we write to you instead of guessing. A short question now is cheaper than a patch later.

  2. No raw machine output

    Terminology tools keep your glossary consistent. Every delivered line has been written or edited by a person.

  3. Your build stays private

    We sign your NDA before files move, and unreleased builds live on one encrypted drive.

  4. Quote it once, then keep to it

    The fee we name is the fee on the invoice. If scope grows, we say so in writing before any extra work begins.

Prefer to hear a human voice? We’re glad to talk it through.

Mon–Thu 9:30am–5pm · Fri to 1pm
Ring (689) 205-7292

Come by, or write

The studio door is on Stradella Drive

We meet clients by appointment, and most work happens by email and video. If you’re local and would like to sit down with a coffee and a build, we’ll set the kettle on.

Arrange a visit

Details

Address
5734 Stradella Dr
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Telephone
(689) 205-7292
Email
info@nightjarferry.com
Mon–Thu
9:30am–5pm
Friday
9:30am–1pm
Sat–Sun
Closed
Show me the way to the desk