by Piyush Mathur

A fiery LinkedIn discussion has erupted over a Berlin-based online board game publisher’s (Karma Games) decision to request volunteer translators for their latest game expansion. The debate, initiated on September 5 by Antoine Prono, a freelance translator, has gained significant attention, shining a light on the ethics of recruiting unpaid translators for commercial projects.

Apparently referring to the publisher’s online form mentioned in its request, Prono noted in his original post that Karma Games is seeking ‘passionate volunteers’ to handle both the translation and graphic design of the game’s expansion—fishing for people skilled at InDesign as it expects ‘a full laid out translation and not a plain text’ from them. Criticizing the company for refusing to hire professional translators instead, he also called out Karma Games' decision to offer a free game box and name credits as compensation.

Prono’s post hit a nerve, resonating with many professionals, especially those in the translation and game/software localization industries.

In just over two days, the post received over 320 reactions and 48 comments, with translators and industry professionals quickly voicing their concerns.

Stressing the ‘commercial intent’ of Karma Games behind the project for which it had sought volunteers, Lucile Danilov, a game localization specialist, considered it fair if people were calling it out for ‘exploiting people's labor.’ Danilov’s position was echoed by many in the thread. Lisa-Marie B., a project manager and professional translator with expertise in software localization, averred that Karma Games won’t get the quality required for its project.

However, Karma Games' Chief Executive Officer, Juma Al-JouJou, entered the discussion to point out that his corporation is a small publisher with limited funds. He attempted to downplay the controversy by framing the request as an opportunity for those passionate about online games—and insisting that Karma Games is a very small player in the industry (implying that it cannot depend entirely on paid employees).

Al-JouJou fails to curb the criticism—never mind a couple of exceptions

Al-JouJou’s reasoning did little to quell the growing discontent, though. Danilov, for example, highlighted—via a screenshot she posted—the fact that Karma Games’ Clans of Caledonia Standard had been crowdfunded to the tune of USD 400, 000 in 2017 already—and it had been a very successful game.

‘Volunteerism is for the vulnerable, not for greedy, already bloated tech bros. If you are itching to volunteer so much, go to a nearby homeless (excuse me, houseless) shelter or food bank to help out.’

— Elena Chang, Los Angeles-based Korean expert

The critical tone continued with Florian Niggemeier, a video game localization specialist, whose experience spans over a decade. Niggemeier reacted bluntly, exclaiming, ‘What the f'in F. Just no.’

A somewhat reconciliatory comment, however, came from Ruben Dario Muñoz Delgado, a junior product manager, who noted that such an opportunity could be appealing for inexperienced translators looking to build a portfolio (a thought shared by Presley Lynch, a copywriter). Delgado acknowledged, though, that this was not an ideal or fair solution. The issue of fair compensation became a recurring theme throughout the discussion.

Debra Scott, an English coach, underscored the absurdity of unpaid work by writing, ‘Hey, I could use a volunteer dentist, a volunteer gardener, a volunteer travel agent, a volunteer house painter…WHAT??’ Greg Glazer, a chartered linguist, emphasized the ethical implications, noting that while community-driven efforts are not unusual in open-source tech projects, commercial ventures like Karma Games should not expect free labor. Mark Skinner, a 2D games artist, added that if a company cannot afford professional services, they should either not pursue the project or work until they can afford it. Elena Chang, a Los Angeles-based Korean expert, minced no words in stating that ‘Volunteerism is for the vulnerable, not for greedy, already bloated tech bros. If you are itching to volunteer so much, go to a nearby homeless (excuse me, houseless) shelter or food bank to help out.’

In a bit of a contrast, Mert Özel, a Turkish game localization specialist, managed to inject a bit of humour into the conversation—by cryptically remarking on the irony of Karma Games’ name versus the negative coverage they were now receiving (or what they were themselves doing).

Others, such as Konstantin Angourias, a communications strategist, took a similarly critical tone, with Angourias noting that after Karma Games' approach, ‘you won't see me buying anything from you if you don’t pay for professional services.’

Concluding remarks

The backlash against Karma Games highlights an ongoing tension in the creative and localization industries, where underpayment—or outright lack of payment—is a frequent issue; even credits are every so often not given or improperly attributed. Nor is this restricted to translators.

In June 2022, for example, the Switzerland-based Uni Global Union published a survey indicating that more than 66 percent of developers globally believed that they were underpaid. In July this year, Game Developer, the US-based industry magazine, reported on Nintendo’s long-standing issue of miscrediting external translators. Over the course of the interim years, there have been several reports highlighting the toxic work culture that pervades the online gaming industry generally.

The strong reactions from seasoned professionals on LinkedIn to Karma Games’ call for volunteer translators underline the broader message that passion for a project should not be exploited as an excuse to deny fair compensation. As the debate around Karma Games continues, this LinkedIn thread stands as a public reminder that, regardless of industry, commercial work must be paid for, and expertise should never be taken for granted.

The reported LinkedIn chain of discussion can be accessed here (though you may be required to be registered on LinkedIn to be able to go through it).
Lucile Danilov’s position was somewhat misrepresented in a previous version of this report; it was corrected on September 15, 2024 at the kind intervention of Danilov.

Piyush Mathur, Ph. D., is the author of the book Technological Forms and Ecological Communication: A Theoretical Heuristic (Lexington Books, 2017).