Hi all! I’m PouchSurfer, Translation Manager at Null Signal Games. Like many of you, I’ve been absolutely buzzing with excitement as Elevation preview season unfolds. The Design and Development teams have cooked up a banger of a set—one that’ll make it a whole lot easier to say goodbye to the staple cards we’re rotating out. Meanwhile, the Narrative and Visual teams have crafted a stunning new world, full of fresh faces and clever callbacks to old favorites.
Today, I’m thrilled to shine a spotlight on another group of contributors who help bring this game to life around the globe: our incredible Translation teams. And yes—if you came here for spoilers, don’t worry. A gift awaits you below, in the language of your choosing[limitations apply]. But first, a little context.
NSG has already surpassed Fantasy Flight Games in the number of languages Netrunner is officially available in. We’re actively translating the game into Catalan, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish—with Korean on the horizon! My job is to support our teams of passionate, skilled translators who generously volunteer their time to bring the game we love to their local communities.
Translating a game as precise and as full of flavor as Netrunner is no easy feat. Every card has to function identically in every language, which means we work closely with the Rules team to get things exactly right. But that’s only half the challenge. To stay true to the world of Netrunner—the voice, the mood, the vibe—we also collaborate with the Narrative team. Thanks to this close-knit teamwork, our translators can sift through a thicket of literal meanings and emerge with the version that best captures both the mechanics and the atmosphere of the game.
And speaking of thickets…
Semak-samun
Jinteki Ice: Barrier – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
The Runner cannot break the printed subroutine on this ice except using a fracter.
End the run unless the Runner suffers 3 net damage.
The silence of the forest is the surest sign of danger.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Gel: Barrera – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
Li Runner no pot trencar subrutines impreses a aquest gel excepte fent servir un fractor.
Atura la incursió a menys que li Runner reba 3 punts de dany de xarxa.
El silenci del bosc és la senyal més clara de perill.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Glace: Barrière – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
Lae Runner ne peut pas neutraliser la routine imprimée sur cette glace sauf en utilisant un fragmenteur.
Arrêtez le piratage à moins que lae Runner ne subisse 3 dégâts réseau.
Le silence de la forêt est le plus certain des signes de danger.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Ice: Barriere – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
Die Runnerin kann aufgedruckte Subroutinen auf diesem Ice nur brechen, indem sie einen Fracter verwendet.
Beende den Run, falls die Runnerin nicht 3 Netzschaden erleidet.
Stille im Wald ist das sicherste Zeichen für Gefahr.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Ice: Barrier – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
La Runner può infrangere le subroutine stampate su questo ICE solo usando un fracter.
Termina l’incursione a meno che la Runner non subisca 3 danni di rete.
Il silenzio della foresta è il segnale più evidente di pericolo.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Lód: Bariera – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
Runner nie może łamać poleceń tego lodu, o ile nie używa fraktera.
Zakończ włam, o ile Runner nie odniesie 3 obrażeń sieciowych.
Cisza w lesie to najpewniejsza oznaka niebezpieczeństwa.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
灌木丛
Jinteki 防火墙: 屏障 – 杀伤
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
潜袭者不能以使用分解模块以外其他方式破解本防火墙上的印刷子进程。
终止本次潜袭，除非潜袭者受到3点网域伤害。
林寂最是凶兆。
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Semak-samun
Jinteki Hielo: Barrera – AP
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
Le Runner no puede romper la subrutina impresa en este hielo excepto usando un fractor.
Termina la incursión si le Runner no recibe 3 puntos de daño de red.
El silencio del bosque es la mayor señal de peligro.
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
幽暗叢林
Jinteki 防火牆: 屏障 – 殺傷
Rez cost: 3 – Strength: 3 – Influence cost: 1
除非使用分解模組，潛襲者不能破解本防火牆所印的子進程。
除非潛襲者承受3點網路傷害，終止潛襲。
樹林中的寂靜無疑是危險的警訊。
Illustrated by Scott Uminga
Introducing Semak-samun: a piece of ice as tangled and tenacious as jungle undergrowth, and just as tricky to clear once it takes root. Without the proper tools, your only way through is to take a few scratches. With Cleaver banned, Jinteki’s latest is ready to give Runners some serious headaches.
Semak-samun is a good example of a card that was relatively straightforward to translate, though it still called for some interpretation. Iterations of its rules text appear throughout previous cards; with a few adjustments, we could tap into the translation memory to stay consistent with earlier wording.
The name, on the other hand, sparked more debate. Some teams chose to retain the original Malay, while others preferred a localized translation. Semak-samun, suggested by our cultural consultant Rin, is a compound word, meaning “wild undergrowth.” But dig a little deeper beneath the canopy: the two components, when split, mean “check, examine” (semak) and “bandits” (samun or penyamun). Put them together, and you get “check for bandits”: a fittingly sly name for ice meant to stop ill-intentioned intruders.
We hope you enjoy getting stuck into the undergrowth of Elevation—in whichever language you prefer!
Join us in Kota Kalimantan when Elevation releases on April 24th 2025!
