I believe they've mentioned the possibility of everyone getting a 'conversion token' for all purchased content. Basically you'd be able to 'return' your english version and get a free version in the language you want, but only once
French DM here (seems DnDbeyond is way more popular here than I thought). I have no problem using (and understanding) DnDbeyond. I mainly DM'd 3 groups, and played in a 4th one (all of which with DnDbeyond and my shared rules). Most of the players understood quite well their characters and everything, but some of them did not. Google translate was sometimes used, it's not great but it works.
My biggest problem (as many others) is immersion: when I'm asking someone to make a skill roll, either I say the french name (not breaking immersion) at the risk they can't find the skill in their sheet (because the sheet is in english), or I say it in english and it's super weird. Same for the other way around, with players that are not at ease translating on the fly, they will use the english word instead of the french one, breaking immersion. So, my priority would be translation of character sheets, beginning with skills and other kind of needed keywords (proficiency, str/dex/etc, hp...), then equipment + tools + languages and backgrounds, then class features (and conditions maybe?), and lastly (in the character sheet) by spells. I guess once this is over, all the character creation process will be covered.
I think people use beyond for the digital tools, especially foreigners (because otherwise, the translated hardcover is better, since it's in the wanted language), that's why I'm not interested in a translation of the compendium, and would rather see a partial translation in favor of the tools.
It's not like DnDBeyond is starting right now, so I don't expect probable buyers to be here without knowing at least a little bit of english. I must be honest, I'm Italian but I bought all the physical english manuals (and the digital contents here) since a) I can understand and speak it and b) it was much cheaper than buying the localized versions in my country.
Having said that, I master games for my young kids and their friends, too, and I can see the Players Handbook compendium in Italian could be a big thing, while helping them through the passage of learning english using the other campaign books. I don't think I'd buy the translated DM or Monsters' guide, though, but I was born in the 70s so I grew up with english content and I think I would hate the translated monsters' names :-)
The PHB is a really good idea. One question: if I bought it, since I already have access to the English one, would I have the possibility of cherry-picking it through the menus or would I lose the english one? To repeat myself it would be for my kids and friends, not for me as I don't want to abandon the english one. Moreover, it could be a great idea to have just the PHB in multiple languages as entry point for a wider audience.
The PHB is a really good idea. One question: if I bought it, since I already have access to the English one, would I have the possibility of cherry-picking it through the menus or would I lose the english one? To repeat myself it would be for my kids and friends, not for me as I don't want to abandon the english one. Moreover, it could be a great idea to have just the PHB in multiple languages as entry point for a wider audience.
Yes, that is what I hope as well. Dynamic switching of languages is what I'm looking for. I definitely don't want to give up my English sources.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Fatti non foste a viver come bruti ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza
I'm a DM from Argentina (South-America) who thanks to DnDBeyond could introduce my group to DnD, without this web it would've been impossible to convince my friends to start out-of-nothing to calculate and decide all the things you need when creating a Character. Even now that all the players can consider themselves quite experienced, they could never even think of playing without DnDBeyond, it's a must-have of the session like Dices and Minis.
I personally love languages (Besides Spanish and English, I also speak portuguese and french) so I don't have any problem at all using the web or reading the things in English, but my players don't have that level of understanding. To put it in numbers, on a group of 8 regular players only 2 of them can read properly the web (And sometimes I have to help). The solution we found is to use the Google/Chrome Instant Web Translation tool, but as you can imagine the results are far from optimal: more than once I have to explain the players the text they're trying to read or clarify certain "grey areas" not so clear when translated. Not to mention the times where the text is not coherent at all, or the problem with the search/filter tools which work very strangely with the translator (Trying to add a Health Potion/Poción de Curación to the inventory can be a real pain in the a**).
The solution I finally found is partial and tiresome, but is the only one I could think of: Translating by my own as Homebrew Private Content. I already added to my homebrew the Spells, Races, Subclasses and Backgrounds of the Player's Spanish Handbook and I'm starting to do the same with some other content. The web is still in English/Google Translated, but now my players now that certain things are in Spanish, and have a verified translation.
As some other people said the first thing to add should be the Translated Interface (For example words like Login, Character Sheet, Spell, Search, etc.). That shouldn't be very difficult, I'm pretty sure others users like me could even help with it in some way. I understand content translation could be much more complicated because of the Rights involved, but translating the interface would be a good start. In fact, I think it could even help DnDBeyond to estimate how much "worthy" a certain language content could be based on the users of that language interface.
Thanks to everyone who makes this site because it's an incredible tool, thanks to Critical Role (And Sam Riegel XD) who introduced DnDBeyond to me. Keep the hard work, and remember we're in the Internet era and users can also help (and a lot).
I am running a campaign in french and even if most of my players can speak englaish pretty well, some have more problems especially with spells/abilities descriptions and rules.
We still use DNDbeyond because you guys rock to help us DM and players concentrate on the narrative while you take care of the calculus, which is huge!
I would love to see a french translation so my players can easily follow the rules and develop roleplaye more easily. I understand that there must be massive legal issues with the different editor responsible for the different languages but I'm sure that with time you'll find a way.
So, just wanted to add to the flow with this message but I know you guys are working hard and you keep on delivering amazing content, so no bad feelings on my part, quite the opposite.
So keep up the good work and let us know if we can help in any way.
I have a small complaint: I already brought the player's manual in English from D&D Beyond and I am very happy with it.
Now that the Italian translation has been published I'd be interested in acquiring it, however I think it would be fair to let those who already purchased the English version to get the translated one with AT LEAST a good discount.
I am comfortable with using the English version, but having the names of a few things translated in my native language might help also the other players of my party to use a univocal name for spells and other game-related concepts, but I'm unwilling to pay the full price for something I already have.
Edit: if you are looking for content-translators from English to Italian I would gladly collaborate with you for no charge. I love you, guys.
@Ghaladh, while I love discounts as everybody else, I presume(*) the italian translation has been licensed and acquired from the people that did it for the local italian market, so having it (largely) discounted is probably out of the question.
(*) they have the compendium only, not the other DNDB content.
Are you thinking about (in the future) to also translate other features in the site? Like making possible to create Character Sheets in different languages (like italian for this instance).
I'm Italian and I have no problem with using this site in english, but i'd like to play with my italian friends dnd, and using dnd beyond is really handy when trying to introduce new players to the game. Especially when creating characters with the character sheets here.
@Ghaladh, while I love discounts as everybody else, I presume(*) the italian translation has been licensed and acquired from the people that did it for the local italian market, so having it (largely) discounted is probably out of the question.
It doesn't really matter. If the non-english speakers have to buy the english version* and on full price the translated version, this won't be a success story. I can only imagine a small group of people who are willing to pay twice (mostly three-times because I guess the most Players/DMs have already paid for the physical books in one language).
* As long as only parts are translated you will always need the full version in english to not have your content scattered all over the place.
I believe the Italian version is fully translated. The problem is that it came out just recently and I already had to buy the English version in order to play the 5th edition earlier. I didn't know the Italian version was being prepared, otherwise I would have taken my time.
Well, it's nobody's fault. I guess I'll stick to the English one until I have some cash to throw in.
I believe the Italian version is fully translated.
Yes, the handbook is fully translated. All the other Beyond content is not, e.g.: tooltips (they state so). That's why I presume they licensed it from the official Italian translator.
Hi, Chilean newbie DM here, my english isn't so bad but when I'm trying to read flavor text and translating it to Spanish on the fly, sometimes it gets a little weird, I would definitely buy Spanish books here.
Spanish DM-Player here. We have 2 separate groups of campaign, we have our books in Spanish, most of us speak english in different levels of fluently.
DnD Beyond is amazing and conveniente...but we don't use it since it's in english, that's it.
That's roughly almost 10 people that could use DnDB and benefit from it. It's quick, it's cheap, and it's clean.
But that's almost 10 people that don't and won't give money to it because of the annoyance to not have it in the same language we are used to play in. Sometimes the master gets lost in spells translations, or some adjectives or terms that are in english that just slows our game "looking for whatever that means" in Google or Wordreference. In Spain the games company that has de D&D rights (Edge Entertainment) has said more than once that they would be super thrilled to work with you guys. After all, that means more sales to them, too.
Basically someone has to move first, and most companies around the world that hold the diverse language rights of D&D agree that should be Wizards of The Coast the one who approach them and reach an agreement or deal of some sort.
I am from Germany and just started a second group as a DM with players who have problems with the English language. My first group is proficient with the English language. So we use DND Beyond for the first group and translated content from Ulysses for both groups. It would be helpful if both groups could use DND Beyond.
If you need help for the translations or implementation of German content, I would be glad to assist you. I work in IT and have a degree as a foreign language correspondent in English (and Spanish).
Hi, any plans to publish a translated version of the character sheets in the next future (including spells etc)? I am interested in the Italian version. Thanks! Giorgio
They've said that the scope of the translation currently is just compendium content and no interactive or listing content, such as the character builder. Also, they're going to follow WotCs lead on how stuff is translated, so things will only be translated to metric if WotC localises to metric in that language.
Also, they're going to follow WotCs lead on how stuff is translated, so things will only be translated to metric if WotC localises to metric in that language.
The Italian version is metric and I'm assuming the other European translations are as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Fatti non foste a viver come bruti ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza
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I'd pay right now for that :)
French DM here (seems DnDbeyond is way more popular here than I thought).
I have no problem using (and understanding) DnDbeyond. I mainly DM'd 3 groups, and played in a 4th one (all of which with DnDbeyond and my shared rules).
Most of the players understood quite well their characters and everything, but some of them did not. Google translate was sometimes used, it's not great but it works.
My biggest problem (as many others) is immersion: when I'm asking someone to make a skill roll, either I say the french name (not breaking immersion) at the risk they can't find the skill in their sheet (because the sheet is in english), or I say it in english and it's super weird. Same for the other way around, with players that are not at ease translating on the fly, they will use the english word instead of the french one, breaking immersion.
So, my priority would be translation of character sheets, beginning with skills and other kind of needed keywords (proficiency, str/dex/etc, hp...), then equipment + tools + languages and backgrounds, then class features (and conditions maybe?), and lastly (in the character sheet) by spells.
I guess once this is over, all the character creation process will be covered.
I think people use beyond for the digital tools, especially foreigners (because otherwise, the translated hardcover is better, since it's in the wanted language), that's why I'm not interested in a translation of the compendium, and would rather see a partial translation in favor of the tools.
My homebrew feat for thrown weapons, feat to help DMs extend Sorcerer's spells known list, and my homebrew combo monk subclass (diablo inspired)!
It's not like DnDBeyond is starting right now, so I don't expect probable buyers to be here without knowing at least a little bit of english. I must be honest, I'm Italian but I bought all the physical english manuals (and the digital contents here) since a) I can understand and speak it and b) it was much cheaper than buying the localized versions in my country.
Having said that, I master games for my young kids and their friends, too, and I can see the Players Handbook compendium in Italian could be a big thing, while helping them through the passage of learning english using the other campaign books. I don't think I'd buy the translated DM or Monsters' guide, though, but I was born in the 70s so I grew up with english content and I think I would hate the translated monsters' names :-)
The PHB is a really good idea. One question: if I bought it, since I already have access to the English one, would I have the possibility of cherry-picking it through the menus or would I lose the english one? To repeat myself it would be for my kids and friends, not for me as I don't want to abandon the english one. Moreover, it could be a great idea to have just the PHB in multiple languages as entry point for a wider audience.
Yes, that is what I hope as well. Dynamic switching of languages is what I'm looking for. I definitely don't want to give up my English sources.
Fatti non foste a viver come bruti ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza
Hi everyone,
I'm a DM from Argentina (South-America) who thanks to DnDBeyond could introduce my group to DnD, without this web it would've been impossible to convince my friends to start out-of-nothing to calculate and decide all the things you need when creating a Character. Even now that all the players can consider themselves quite experienced, they could never even think of playing without DnDBeyond, it's a must-have of the session like Dices and Minis.
I personally love languages (Besides Spanish and English, I also speak portuguese and french) so I don't have any problem at all using the web or reading the things in English, but my players don't have that level of understanding. To put it in numbers, on a group of 8 regular players only 2 of them can read properly the web (And sometimes I have to help). The solution we found is to use the Google/Chrome Instant Web Translation tool, but as you can imagine the results are far from optimal: more than once I have to explain the players the text they're trying to read or clarify certain "grey areas" not so clear when translated. Not to mention the times where the text is not coherent at all, or the problem with the search/filter tools which work very strangely with the translator (Trying to add a Health Potion/Poción de Curación to the inventory can be a real pain in the a**).
The solution I finally found is partial and tiresome, but is the only one I could think of: Translating by my own as Homebrew Private Content. I already added to my homebrew the Spells, Races, Subclasses and Backgrounds of the Player's Spanish Handbook and I'm starting to do the same with some other content. The web is still in English/Google Translated, but now my players now that certain things are in Spanish, and have a verified translation.
As some other people said the first thing to add should be the Translated Interface (For example words like Login, Character Sheet, Spell, Search, etc.). That shouldn't be very difficult, I'm pretty sure others users like me could even help with it in some way. I understand content translation could be much more complicated because of the Rights involved, but translating the interface would be a good start. In fact, I think it could even help DnDBeyond to estimate how much "worthy" a certain language content could be based on the users of that language interface.
Thanks to everyone who makes this site because it's an incredible tool, thanks to Critical Role (And Sam Riegel XD) who introduced DnDBeyond to me. Keep the hard work, and remember we're in the Internet era and users can also help (and a lot).
Swiss, French speaking DM here,
I am running a campaign in french and even if most of my players can speak englaish pretty well, some have more problems especially with spells/abilities descriptions and rules.
We still use DNDbeyond because you guys rock to help us DM and players concentrate on the narrative while you take care of the calculus, which is huge!
I would love to see a french translation so my players can easily follow the rules and develop roleplaye more easily. I understand that there must be massive legal issues with the different editor responsible for the different languages but I'm sure that with time you'll find a way.
So, just wanted to add to the flow with this message but I know you guys are working hard and you keep on delivering amazing content, so no bad feelings on my part, quite the opposite.
So keep up the good work and let us know if we can help in any way.
I have a small complaint: I already brought the player's manual in English from D&D Beyond and I am very happy with it.
Now that the Italian translation has been published I'd be interested in acquiring it, however I think it would be fair to let those who already purchased the English version to get the translated one with AT LEAST a good discount.
I am comfortable with using the English version, but having the names of a few things translated in my native language might help also the other players of my party to use a univocal name for spells and other game-related concepts, but I'm unwilling to pay the full price for something I already have.
Edit: if you are looking for content-translators from English to Italian I would gladly collaborate with you for no charge. I love you, guys.
@Ghaladh, while I love discounts as everybody else, I presume(*) the italian translation has been licensed and acquired from the people that did it for the local italian market, so having it (largely) discounted is probably out of the question.
(*) they have the compendium only, not the other DNDB content.
Are you thinking about (in the future) to also translate other features in the site?
Like making possible to create Character Sheets in different languages (like italian for this instance).
I'm Italian and I have no problem with using this site in english, but i'd like to play with my italian friends dnd, and using dnd beyond is really handy when trying to introduce new players to the game. Especially when creating characters with the character sheets here.
It doesn't really matter. If the non-english speakers have to buy the english version* and on full price the translated version, this won't be a success story. I can only imagine a small group of people who are willing to pay twice (mostly three-times because I guess the most Players/DMs have already paid for the physical books in one language).
* As long as only parts are translated you will always need the full version in english to not have your content scattered all over the place.
I believe the Italian version is fully translated. The problem is that it came out just recently and I already had to buy the English version in order to play the 5th edition earlier. I didn't know the Italian version was being prepared, otherwise I would have taken my time.
Well, it's nobody's fault. I guess I'll stick to the English one until I have some cash to throw in.
Yes, the handbook is fully translated. All the other Beyond content is not, e.g.: tooltips (they state so). That's why I presume they licensed it from the official Italian translator.
Question, if I buy now the monster manual and at some point there will be a german version of it, will it be possible to change the version to german?
Hi, Chilean newbie DM here, my english isn't so bad but when I'm trying to read flavor text and translating it to Spanish on the fly, sometimes it gets a little weird, I would definitely buy Spanish books here.
Spanish DM-Player here.
We have 2 separate groups of campaign, we have our books in Spanish, most of us speak english in different levels of fluently.
DnD Beyond is amazing and conveniente...but we don't use it since it's in english, that's it.
That's roughly almost 10 people that could use DnDB and benefit from it. It's quick, it's cheap, and it's clean.
But that's almost 10 people that don't and won't give money to it because of the annoyance to not have it in the same language we are used to play in. Sometimes the master gets lost in spells translations, or some adjectives or terms that are in english that just slows our game "looking for whatever that means" in Google or Wordreference.
In Spain the games company that has de D&D rights (Edge Entertainment) has said more than once that they would be super thrilled to work with you guys. After all, that means more sales to them, too.
Basically someone has to move first, and most companies around the world that hold the diverse language rights of D&D agree that should be Wizards of The Coast the one who approach them and reach an agreement or deal of some sort.
I am from Germany and just started a second group as a DM with players who have problems with the English language. My first group is proficient with the English language. So we use DND Beyond for the first group and translated content from Ulysses for both groups. It would be helpful if both groups could use DND Beyond.
If you need help for the translations or implementation of German content, I would be glad to assist you. I work in IT and have a degree as a foreign language correspondent in English (and Spanish).
Hi, any plans to publish a translated version of the character sheets in the next future (including spells etc)? I am interested in the Italian version. Thanks! Giorgio
A translation of the character sheet with a conversion from feet to meters would be great.
They've said that the scope of the translation currently is just compendium content and no interactive or listing content, such as the character builder. Also, they're going to follow WotCs lead on how stuff is translated, so things will only be translated to metric if WotC localises to metric in that language.
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
The Italian version is metric and I'm assuming the other European translations are as well.
Fatti non foste a viver come bruti ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza