Allow me to introduce myself: I am Florian, the creative force behind this website and the services offered here.
In today’s world, I believe it’s more important than ever to foster human connections. Since there’s no distinct boundary between my private self and the professional translator (who wears sweatpants as work attire anyway), I’d like to share a bit or two about myself to give you an idea of the person who will be crafting the German version of your game.
I was born in a small town in Western Germany in the spring of 1984. Believe me, growing up in the '90s was an adventure in itself.
I consider myself lucky to have spent my childhood and early youth reading Mickey Mouse comics, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, and The Warlock of Firetop Mountain; surviving adventures in pen-and-paper role-playing games like Shadowrun and Das Schwarze Auge (a renowned German TTRPG); playing Maniac Mansion, Mystic Quest, Secret of Mana, the unforgettable Final Fantasy VII and other video games on my father’s computer and my own Game Boy, Super Nintendo, and PlayStation; building and painting Revell and Tamiya plastic models as well as miniature armies for the various board games and tabletops I was interested in at the time (Battletech, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000); watching anime gems like Nadia—The Secret of Blue Water on German television; immersing myself in all things history.
Looking back, I was, in many ways, a prototype nerd. Yet, most of the things mentioned above shaped my life and what I do today in one way or the other. Many are also still beloved hobbies of mine.
After completing school and professional IT training, I studied contemporary history, auxiliary science of history, and philosophy at WWU in Münster. My focus was on social history, the history of political movements, and military history. In 2012, armed with my newly minted degree, I began my career in the gaming industry as an in-house translator at British tabletop giant Games Workshop, coming full circle in the best way possible.
Since I ventured into freelancing in 2015, I've been dedicated exclusively to localizing video games.
When I'm not working on the German version of your game, you'll find me building and painting models and miniatures of all sizes, putting together LEGO sets, creating art on canvas, devouring books, and gaming (the last three titles I played extensively were Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon Quest XI, and Baldur’s Gate 3). Oh, and I also like hiking, cats, tattoos, aggressive hardcore punk, old-fashioned board games, and vegan food.
But there's more to me than hobbies and a deep love for gaming. I'm a vocal advocate for #TranslatorsInTheCredits and better working conditions in the industry in general. Building a strong portfolio and being able to speak about the projects you have worked on is critical for a successful career. Better overall conditions would and should enable people to make a decent living off their work in a multi-billion dollar industry. Without burning them out, that is.