Translation patch
From PHWiki
A patch which changes the language of a game. Most common are Japanese to English translations, closely followed by English to other European language translations.
Translating from Japanese takes a considerable amount of work, the original text has to be located in the ROM. The text font has to be changed to display roman characters instead of Japanese. The Japanese text is then replaced with a translated version, taking into account the limitations on the number of characters, etc. Many graphics in the game may also need to be changed. Translating takes multiple skills and is often taken on by a group of people. Progress is often slow, many handheld translations have never been completed.
A translation patch is a file that is usually in .ips or .ppf format. Translation patches are created through ROM Hacking, where a user will use A Hex Editor and ASM to change the contents of the original ROM and produce a patch with the information of what to change. Creating a translation patch is very difficult as a person needs to know how to hack, translate and make everything work.
These days translations are usually done by small groups of people consisting of two or three people. One person would be assigned to translate, the other to hack and the other for anythig else that may be needed.
