Localization Language Lead, Russian

2K; Madrid; Presencial; EUR 65.000 - 95.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

2K Games is seeking a Game Localization Lead to own the linguistic direction for Russian content across our global title portfolio. You will work with developers, producers, QA, and publishing to ensure language quality meets player expectations and platform standards, shaping voice, tone, and cultural resonance.

This role is an individual contributor within Content Localization, requiring native Russian, advanced English, and a track record in game localization.

Formación

• Native fluency in Russian with mastery of tone, grammar, and regional nuance.
• Advanced English fluency (written and spoken) for global collaboration.
• Proven localization experience in games, tech, or entertainment.
• Experience leading VO casting, scripts, and linguistic QA processes.
• Ability to supervise junior linguists and manage external vendors.
• Strong collaboration across localization, production, and QA teams.

Responsabilidades

• Own localization strategy and final sign-off for Russian content across all titles.
• Develop and enforce glossaries, style guides, and cultural content policies.
• Serve as primary advisor for cultural risk mitigation and stakeholder communication.
• Lead VO casting, script reviews, and linguistic direction in production.
• Audit in-development builds for tone, consistency, and cultural relevance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure global alignment and regulatory compliance.

Conocimientos

Russian fluency

English fluency

Localization leadership

VO direction

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentorship

Attention to detail

Educación

Bachelor's degree in translation/linguistics/media

Herramientas

CAT tools

Translation memory

XLOC

JIRA

CMS

Descripción del empleo

Who We Are

Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K’s portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, and HB Studios. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us! 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment.

Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of our growing library of critically‑acclaimed franchises such as NBA 2K, Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Darkness, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, WWE 2K, and XCOM.

At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work! We are dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and want our community of candidates to reflect this commitment. We encourage all qualified applicants to explore our global positions. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take‑Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

What We Need

As part of our Global Loc 2.0 evolution, 2K is deepening its investment in language‑specific leadership to improve the voice, cultural authenticity, and overall quality of our localized content. We are seeking a Game Localization Lead to own the linguistic direction and execution strategy for all Russian content across 2K’s game portfolio.

This is an individual contributor role within the Content Localization (CLOC) team. You’ll serve as the key Russian language authority, working with minimal supervision across complex projects. You’ll apply deep linguistic and cultural expertise while partnering with developers, producers, QA, and publishing stakeholders to ensure language quality meets player expectations and platform‑holder standards.

As a Game Localization Lead, you will directly shape how our players in Russian‑speaking regions experience our games. You’ll own language strategy, guide voice and tone across titles, and play a key role in 2K’s broader effort to deliver best‑in‑class localized content through a modern, embedded, and scalable localization model.

What You’ll Do

Linguistic Strategy & Quality Ownership

• Own the localization strategy, quality bar, and final sign‑off for Russian content across all 2K titles.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce glossaries, style guides, and cultural content policies for the Russian market.
• Act as the primary advisor for cultural risk mitigation, proactively identifying regional sensitivities and communicating potential brand impacts to relevant stakeholders.
• Issue Escalation & Bug Triage: Serve as the main linguistic escalation point for tone disputes or QA challenges, and partner closely with the LQA team to investigate, triage, and resolve complex linguistic bugs.

Core Localization

• Review and edit localized content (in‑game text, UI, scripts, VO) for tone, clarity, fluency, and cultural relevance.
• Regularly review in‑development and near‑final builds to audit for tone, consistency, and cultural resonance.
• Lead VO casting, script review, and direct creative sessions during Russian voiceover production.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Compliance

• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams—localization producers, embedded LQA, marketing, publishing, and dev—to guide language decisions and ensure global alignment.
• Work alongside the Age Rating team, game studios, and content owners to ensure localized content strictly adheres to Russian age rating requirements and visual/language compliance.
• Advise on the selection of suitable, legible fonts for the target Russian, collaborating with technical and UI stakeholders to ensure any font‑rendering or display issues are resolved in a timely manner.

Leadership, Mentorship, & Continuous Improvement

• Supervise and provide feedback to entry‑ and mid‑level linguists or vendors working on Russian content.
• Recommend and help implement process improvements that improve quality, reduce error rates, or optimize turnaround time for Russian localization.
• Participate in Global Loc 2.0 initiatives, working with senior leadership to shape evolving localization standards, practices, and tooling.

What Will Make You A Great Fit

• Professional localization experience in games, tech, or entertainment.
• Native fluency in Russian, with demonstrated mastery of tone, grammar, and regional nuance.
• Advanced English fluency (written and spoken); capable of representing language decisions across global teams.
• Maintain a deep, current understanding of the regional gaming landscape, pop culture zeitgeist, and evolving localization methodologies.
• Demonstrate a deep‑rooted passion for the video game industry, paired with comprehensive knowledge of major gaming IPs, genres, and player culture.
• Proven ability to work independently on complex language projects, exercising judgment and creativity in ambiguous or conflicting situations.
• Strong working knowledge of platform‑holder guidelines, naming conventions, and brand alignment principles.
• Comfortable overseeing or mentoring junior linguists and freelance vendors.
• Familiarity with localization tools (e.g., CAT tools, translation memory systems, XLOC, JIRA, CMS).
• Deep understanding of Russian culture, media, and the Arabic‑speaking gaming audience.
• Experience with VO scripting, dubbing production, and linguistic performance direction is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree in translation, linguistics, media, or related field preferred.

Core Competencies

• Behavioral
  • A profound, innate understanding of the target market's cultural zeitgeist, allowing the individual to naturally flag sensitivities and adapt content for maximum regional resonance.
  • The tact and authoritative presence required to successfully act as the main escalation point for complex linguistic disputes, resolving QA challenges and tone disagreements while maintaining strong team relationships.
  • A highly detail‑oriented mindset essential for successfully auditing in‑development builds, spotting minute tone inconsistencies, and catching nuanced visual or linguistic compliance errors.
• Technical
  • Exceptional proficiency in reviewing, editing, and polishing highly complex, multi‑format content (UI, scripts, marketing) while strictly enforcing comprehensive glossaries and style guides.
  • Specialized technical and creative expertise required to successfully lead VO casting, conduct rigorous script reviews, and directly manage live creative sessions during voiceover production.
  • The technical capability to actively troubleshoot and advise on UI rendering, specifically regarding the selection and implementation of legible, aesthetically suitable fonts for the target language..
• Leadership
  • The absolute accountability and leadership confidence to own the overarching localization strategy, quality bar, and final sign‑off for all assigned titles.
  • A strong dedication to elevating the regional team by actively supervising, coaching, and providing actionable feedback to entry‑ and mid‑level linguists and external vendors.
  • The ability to seamlessly lead collaborative efforts across diverse disciplines (LQA, Production, Marketing, Dev), ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on language decisions and bug triage.
• Strategic Influence/Business Acumen
  • The strategic foresight to act as a trusted advisor on cultural risk mitigation, effectively communicating the business and brand impact of regional sensitivities to senior stakeholders.
  • Strong business understanding of regional legal and regulatory frameworks, ensuring all localized content strictly adheres to required age ratings and visual/language compliance standards.
  • A forward‑looking, strategic mindset focused on actively contributing to global initiatives (like Global Loc 2.0), driving systemic improvements that reduce error rates and optimize turnaround times across the department.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee; other tasks and duties may be assigned or reassigned as needed.

2K complies with the labor regulations established under Spanish employment law (Estatuto de los Trabajadores) and all applicable European Union employment and data protection standards. Personal data collected during the recruitment and employment process will be handled in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Spanish data protection laws.

We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and fostering an inclusive environment across all aspects of employment, regardless of gender, nationality, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic under Spanish and EU legislation.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.