In the following interview with ttvnews, Nick Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer of GoPhrazy, explains the importance of employing cultural sensitivity and language expertise when localizing content, to ensure productions can engage viewers in a culturally sensitive way across any platform, medium and device.
Through the streaming revolution, and the proliferation of platforms and services, audiovisual content has been able to surpass geographical boundaries and travel more extensively than ever before. And in this global journey, content localization has become more important than ever, to ensure local audiences can connect with the titles in their own language.
While translation and subtitling can help bridge this gap, there are many other elements at play, because cultures and values differ between countries, and it goes well beyond the language they speak.
That’s where GoPhrazy comes in, standing as one of the fastest-growing media localization service providers in the world, with a unique culture-first approach to localization that makes them different from others in their field.
“GoPhrazy was founded to address the critically under-served need for cultural adaptation in media localization: a realization that emerged from years of witnessing extraordinary content lose its impact across languages due to cultural disconnects”, Nick Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer of GoPhrazy, began in dialogue with ttvnews.
“Time and again, we saw how lack of cultural awareness diluted storytelling, diminished audience engagement, and sometimes even led to content being blocked altogether”, he explained. “The turning point came during two projects: one where an Arabic distributor requested replacing the word “God” with “King” for religious sensitivity; and another where a local provider refused to stream The Red Riding Hood animated fairytale, deemed too violent for children despite its global familiarity”.
More than just another element to consider when it comes to localizing content, these examples show how culture “must be the primary lens through which the entire process is viewed”, the CEO explained.
From this insight, GoPhrazy was born as the only culture-first language service provider for entertainment media. “Unlike others who merely factor in cultural nuances, we begin every localization project with a deep dive into local culture and adapt content from the ground up. We apply various cultural markers to assess cultural risks and ensure localization consistency”.
“This unique approach allows our clients to avoid costly cultural missteps, safeguard their brand and company reputation, while ensuring authentic viewer experiences in the cultural context”, the CEO emphasized.
In sum, GoPhrazy delivers authentic viewer experiences in another language by providing cultural adaptation for audiovisual content through a culture-first approach on dubbing and subtitling.
To this end, the company uses various technologies depending on the project and the project goals. “We have integrated the most advanced AI technologies into our media localization workflows. The list is dynamic as the advancement of AI tools and technology is at an extraordinary pace”, he explained.
GoPhrazy specializes in entertainment media localization -TV series, films, YouTube videos- both live action and animation; and operates globally, providing content localization services for the entertainment industry in 150+ languages, covering all content language needs under one roof.
Aware of how fast the industry is evolving, GoPhrazy is always looking to expand its capabilities even more. “The present focus is on constantly improving our internal processes, including AI technology adoption and integration. Our hybrid, culture-first approach on localization combines AI with human expertise and QA to ensure an authentic, superior viewer experience for audiovisual content in another language”.
“If you want to convey the authentic viewer experience in another language, consider the importance of local culture in how your content is perceived by the local audience”, he concluded.
