When Sarah Müller first got her hands on Lemmings on her father's bulky 386 PC, she had no idea it would one day lead to a nearly two-decade-long career in the games industry. "It wasn’t something I had planned; it just kind of happened," she says. What started as casual gaming during her school years evolved into volunteering as a game operator for OGame, and eventually led her to a student job at Gameforge while studying in Karlsruhe. Fast forward 19 years, and she’s still with the company. In her role as Head of Localization it’s her job to make sure game content is localized efficiently and with high quality results.
Müller’s journey didn’t begin with a laser focus on game development or design. She grew up in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, working at her family's restaurant during her teenage years. “Service was always part of my life,” she reflects. Multitasking, reading people, and keeping an eye on the big picture – skills she honed in hospitality – have proven invaluable in her leadership role. Initially, Müller intended to become a teacher, enrolling in math and physics education at university. “I was good at those subjects. It seemed like a natural path,” she says. But life had other plans. When she heard Gameforge was hiring working students, she applied – and found a new direction. She has become Head of Localization without having any job training in language or translation.
“I’ve always been more interested in math and science, so I’m not exactly a great translator myself. But that’s not really necessary in my role as Head of Localization.” - Sarah Müller
In her experience, the job requires a completely different set of skills. As Head of Localization, Müller oversees a team responsible for ensuring that Gameforge’s global portfolio of games, along with all related marketing and in-game content, is translated accurately and on time. Localization isn’t just about language; it’s about context, culture, and consistency across formats, from raw text to graphical assets.
