Same on my side. I currently don't buy the digital content because it is unclear whether I have to buy it all over again after a translation of the content is made available.
Same with me. I would love to have my players and whole campaign here on dndbeyond, especially with the new Charactersheets, but they just speak german, or at least the hasle to translate everything on the fly is too much.
i think the most important part would be to include the metric system, this is a real problem for users that are not used to the imperial system
this takes effect from the character definitions like highness or weight, to thinks like the range of a spell or weapon .. so … this is a critical part ..
i think the best way would be to let the user decide what system he wants, maybe in the account or character settings ….
Would be really cool to have the compendium translated in german. The localized books are available for purchase so a deal with WotC would be really nice.
If the purchase would need to be bound to a language it would be cool if there would be a possibility to change the language for the currently purchased compendium books at the date the book is published in the translated language. I think this change will then be accepted by more players and would not result in a felling of unfairness.
I think the best option would be to allow each user a free "trade-in" their EN version of the content here for the equivalent localized one during a window following the release of the localized content.
This is always dependant on a successfully deal being made between Curse and the localized version publisher (WotC I think have very little say on the matter), and if done properly would also need an increase in manpower on Curse's side, necessary to face the customer support needs of the new language.
Due to the above, it could be a while... For those struggling with the imperial system (which IS dumb as a rock as a measurement system) for height, distances and areas, always remember the easy way is to triple and divide by 10 for feet (30 feet is roughly 9 meters) and inches are at a 2,5cm for 1inch. Can't really help much on weight, as I have never understood it myself, so when needed I use a converter (you can get a conversion by simply typing "pounds to kg" in Google and you get a modifiable embedded one in the result page).
EDIT: not intended as a solution, just a workaround while we wait ;)
I think I explained this somewhere else previously, but can't find that post, so.... this is what I believe to be the case, based on previous experience. Please note that this is entirely my own take on the situation, not information supplied from Curse staff.
It's going to take time, because there is a tangle of licensing and contracts involved.
We know that each of the non-English editions is produced by a 3rd party company, who produce the book under license.
This is sort of the same as buying a Player's Handbook on D&D Beyond, you purchase from a 3rd party and then a license fee is paid to Wizards of the Coast - you buy (for example) the German version of the Player's Handbook and you're not buying it off WotC, you're buying it off the 3rd party company and they then pay a license fee to WotC from that.
The 3rd party company has invested time and effort into the translation and are making money from the hardback books they sell.
I strongly expect that part of the contract/license they have with WotC says that WotC aren't allowed to license another company to provide translations in the same language - it makes sense, you don't want to do all that work and then find that another company has done the same thing and are selling their book €5 cheaper.
So, to get the translated text, D&D Beyond needs to license the product from the 3rd party.
However, experience of such contracts tells me that there's almost certainly a clause in the existing contract that says the 3rd party company aren't allowed to "sub let" their license. Pretty standard stuff.
So, any licensing needs to be done through Wizards of the Coast and involves at minimum, Curse, WotC, and the 3rd party. Oh, plus any contract/legal people to make sure that anything agreed doesn't breach existing contracts (or to alter existing contracts).
If I understood correctly, the different languages are licensed to different 3rd party companies. Makes sense for different countries - they'll better understand the language and more importantly distribution within their own country.
So now you need multiple 3rd party companies at the table to agree the new contracts that route back through the existing licensing.
That's going to take some time and could get horribly stuck if any one of the companies involved doesn't want to do it.
When that's finally worked through, you can also see why each of those non-English versions needs to be a separate purchase, as the license fee needs to pay the 3rd party company. Worse, it could end up being a different price to the English language version, though I strongly expect that everyone involved will do what they can to ensure the prices are the same.
Would trade-ins be an option? I don't know - it would likely mean Curse taking a financial hit for each product traded back in, as they already paid the license fee to WotC for it. This could possibly be solved around the contract negotiating table, sure, but I don't know if it would be.
Like I say, I don't work for Curse, so I may be way off base here, and this is just my own guess on the situation from publically released information and my own knowledge of licensing.
Because there was no official response I wanted to bring up the topic once more.
I love the layout an functionality of DNDBeyond, and I purchased the legendary bundle. I can play the game in English with most of my friends, but for playing with my family it would be great to have the books in German.
When that's finally worked through, you can also see why each of those non-English versions needs to be a separate purchase, as the license fee needs to pay the 3rd party company. Worse, it could end up being a different price to the English language version, though I strongly expect that everyone involved will do what they can to ensure the prices are the same.
Any news about the translation for D&D Beyond? (especially german^^)
And about that the non-English versions need to be a separate purchase?
Thank you for everyone's thoughts, hopes, and dreams communicated on this thread over the last few years. Know that I've read them all and I appreciate everyone here.
I come baring good news. We're starting to take more tangible steps to providing language translations on D&D Beyond. There's a lot that we need to figure out and a lot that we want to do. With everything we do, we want to understand first, and then act quickly in stages to learn even more.
More announcements will be coming but, in the meantime, I've created a master thread for feedback on language translations and a survey that will help us prioritize different features and translations. Please pour your heart out on that thread and fill out the survey as best you can. Feel free to get your friends and family to also fill out that survey. You might have to help them because it's in English; sorry.
Know that, even though it's been a long time, we hear you, we feel your pain, and we're here to help.
+1 for spanish! that will be a nice feature and a show of inclusion
Same on my side. I currently don't buy the digital content because it is unclear whether I have to buy it all over again after a translation of the content is made available.
+1
If D&D Beyond would offer German material I would happily use it as my main source for everything D&D. Until then it's books only at the table.
Same with me. I would love to have my players and whole campaign here on dndbeyond, especially with the new Charactersheets, but they just speak german, or at least the hasle to translate everything on the fly is too much.
+1 for Spanish
i think the most important part would be to include the metric system, this is a real problem for users that are not used to the imperial system
this takes effect from the character definitions like highness or weight, to thinks like the range of a spell or weapon .. so … this is a critical part ..
i think the best way would be to let the user decide what system he wants, maybe in the account or character settings ….
+ 1 for french
+ for metric system
Would be really cool to have the compendium translated in german. The localized books are available for purchase so a deal with WotC would be really nice.
If the purchase would need to be bound to a language it would be cool if there would be a possibility to change the language for the currently purchased compendium books at the date the book is published in the translated language. I think this change will then be accepted by more players and would not result in a felling of unfairness.
Greetings from Germany.
I think the best option would be to allow each user a free "trade-in" their EN version of the content here for the equivalent localized one during a window following the release of the localized content.
This is always dependant on a successfully deal being made between Curse and the localized version publisher (WotC I think have very little say on the matter), and if done properly would also need an increase in manpower on Curse's side, necessary to face the customer support needs of the new language.
Due to the above, it could be a while... For those struggling with the imperial system (which IS dumb as a rock as a measurement system) for height, distances and areas, always remember the easy way is to triple and divide by 10 for feet (30 feet is roughly 9 meters) and inches are at a 2,5cm for 1inch. Can't really help much on weight, as I have never understood it myself, so when needed I use a converter (you can get a conversion by simply typing "pounds to kg" in Google and you get a modifiable embedded one in the result page).
EDIT: not intended as a solution, just a workaround while we wait ;)
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
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D&D Beyond FoundersI think I explained this somewhere else previously, but can't find that post, so.... this is what I believe to be the case, based on previous experience. Please note that this is entirely my own take on the situation, not information supplied from Curse staff.
It's going to take time, because there is a tangle of licensing and contracts involved.
We know that each of the non-English editions is produced by a 3rd party company, who produce the book under license.
This is sort of the same as buying a Player's Handbook on D&D Beyond, you purchase from a 3rd party and then a license fee is paid to Wizards of the Coast - you buy (for example) the German version of the Player's Handbook and you're not buying it off WotC, you're buying it off the 3rd party company and they then pay a license fee to WotC from that.
The 3rd party company has invested time and effort into the translation and are making money from the hardback books they sell.
I strongly expect that part of the contract/license they have with WotC says that WotC aren't allowed to license another company to provide translations in the same language - it makes sense, you don't want to do all that work and then find that another company has done the same thing and are selling their book €5 cheaper.
So, to get the translated text, D&D Beyond needs to license the product from the 3rd party.
However, experience of such contracts tells me that there's almost certainly a clause in the existing contract that says the 3rd party company aren't allowed to "sub let" their license. Pretty standard stuff.
So, any licensing needs to be done through Wizards of the Coast and involves at minimum, Curse, WotC, and the 3rd party. Oh, plus any contract/legal people to make sure that anything agreed doesn't breach existing contracts (or to alter existing contracts).
If I understood correctly, the different languages are licensed to different 3rd party companies. Makes sense for different countries - they'll better understand the language and more importantly distribution within their own country.
So now you need multiple 3rd party companies at the table to agree the new contracts that route back through the existing licensing.
That's going to take some time and could get horribly stuck if any one of the companies involved doesn't want to do it.
When that's finally worked through, you can also see why each of those non-English versions needs to be a separate purchase, as the license fee needs to pay the 3rd party company. Worse, it could end up being a different price to the English language version, though I strongly expect that everyone involved will do what they can to ensure the prices are the same.
Would trade-ins be an option? I don't know - it would likely mean Curse taking a financial hit for each product traded back in, as they already paid the license fee to WotC for it. This could possibly be solved around the contract negotiating table, sure, but I don't know if it would be.
Like I say, I don't work for Curse, so I may be way off base here, and this is just my own guess on the situation from publically released information and my own knowledge of licensing.
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
That would be amazing
Because there was no official response I wanted to bring up the topic once more.
I love the layout an functionality of DNDBeyond, and I purchased the legendary bundle. I can play the game in English with most of my friends, but for playing with my family it would be great to have the books in German.
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D&D Beyond FoundersI've just merged several threads, to make this discussion easier to track.
My take on the situation from a few months back is further up the page.
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
I would like to know that too.
Any news about the translation for D&D Beyond? (especially german^^)
And about that the non-English versions need to be a separate purchase?
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AlumniHello everyone on this thread,
Thank you for everyone's thoughts, hopes, and dreams communicated on this thread over the last few years. Know that I've read them all and I appreciate everyone here.
I come baring good news. We're starting to take more tangible steps to providing language translations on D&D Beyond. There's a lot that we need to figure out and a lot that we want to do. With everything we do, we want to understand first, and then act quickly in stages to learn even more.
More announcements will be coming but, in the meantime, I've created a master thread for feedback on language translations and a survey that will help us prioritize different features and translations. Please pour your heart out on that thread and fill out the survey as best you can. Feel free to get your friends and family to also fill out that survey. You might have to help them because it's in English; sorry.
Know that, even though it's been a long time, we hear you, we feel your pain, and we're here to help.
I have translated and made CS with both English and German. but it is only in print!