Localization Specialist - Italian

Who We Are

At 2K, we create some of the most iconic and culture-shaping video games in entertainment, including NBA® 2K, one of the top-selling franchises in the world, and legendary titles like BioShock®, Borderlands®, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization®, andXCOM®, as well as fan favorites WWE® 2K, TopSpin®, and PGA TOUR® 2K. We build unforgettable experiences by pushing the boundaries of creativity, authenticity and innovation across every genre.

Our portfolio is brought to life by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber, Gearbox, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab create world-class experiences across platforms.

But what truly powers 2K is our people.

We believe the best ideas come from teams that feel empowered, supported, and inspired. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace where people are encouraged to come as they are and do their best work.

About The Role

As part of 2K’s Global Loc 2.0 strategy, the Content Localization (CLOC) team is expanding its in-house language capabilities to support scalable, culturally authentic, and high-quality localized content across our portfolio. We are looking for a Linguistic Specialist II to contribute to the execution and refinement of content localization workflows for your native language.

This is a mid-level individual contributor role ideal for an experienced translator or language specialist who has mastered foundational localization tasks and is ready to take on broader responsibilities. You’ll work across in-game content, UI, VO, and marketing assets—solving language problems, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and supporting consistency and cultural quality.

What We Need

• Linguistic Strategy & Quality Ownership
  • Own the localization strategy, quality bar, and final sign-off for Italian content across all 2K titles.
  • Develop, maintain, and enforce glossaries, style guides, and cultural content policies for the Italian 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 Italian 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 Italian age rating requirements and visual/language compliance.
  • Advise on the selection of suitable, legible fonts for the target Italian, 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 Italian content.
  • Recommend and help implement process improvements that improve quality, reduce error rates, or optimize turnaround time for Italian localization.
  • Participate in Global Loc 2.0 initiatives, working with senior leadership to shape evolving localization standards, practices, and tooling.

What You’ll Do

• 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 Italian 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.

What Will Make You A Great Fit

• Professional localization experience in games, tech, or entertainment
• Native fluency in Italian, 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 Italian culture, media, and the Italian-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

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.

 
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