Case Studies

Case Studies

Real stories of translation gone wrong — and how 43 AI agents change the outcome.

Domestic · Korea

Entertainment

Why Your Webtoon Sounds Wrong Abroad — and How to Fix It

When Korean character voices collapse in translation, readers notice immediately. Here's the structural reason MT fails for webtoons — and what actually works.

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Gaming

Why Your Korean Indie Game Isn't Selling on Steam — and What Localization Actually Does

Steam shows localized pages get 4.5x more wishlists. But bad localization earns 1-star reviews. Here's how to get the ROI without the backlash.

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E-commerce

Why Your K-Fashion Brand Is Getting Return-Bombed Abroad — and What Your Product Copy Is Missing

54% of German online shoppers returned items in 2024. For Korean fashion brands selling abroad, most returns trace back to product listings that don't match buyer expectations. Here's what to fix.

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SaaS

Why Your Korean SaaS Isn't Converting in Japan — It's Not the Product

66% of B2B buyers prefer to buy in their native language. In Japan, that preference comes with specific register expectations that most localization misses entirely.

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Publishing

Why Your Research Paper Gets Desk-Rejected Before Anyone Reads It

Studies show 7% of papers are rejected solely for poor English. In high-impact journals, 70% of submissions are desk-rejected. Here's what academic English actually requires — and where translation falls short.

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Pharma / Regulatory

Why Translation Quality in FDA and EMA Submissions Is Not a Language Problem

30–37% of FDA submissions receive a Complete Response Letter. Translation errors in regulatory documents don't just delay approval — they trigger full review cycles worth months and tens of millions. Here's what regulatory translation actually requires.

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Global

Gaming

The China Localization Decision for Indie Games — What the Data Says and What It Doesn't

Chinese players are roughly 28% of active Steam users. Localized pages get 4.5x more wishlists. But the quality bar for Chinese localization is set by players who will tell you immediately when it's wrong.

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E-commerce

Why Your Amazon Germany Listings Are Generating Returns — What German Buyers Need That Your Listing Isn't Providing

54% of German online shoppers returned items in 2024. Germany has Europe's highest e-commerce return rates — and most returns trace to product listings that don't meet German buyer expectations.

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SaaS

The Terminology Silo Problem in Multi-Market SaaS — Why Your Users in Different Countries Are Learning Different Products

When your SaaS product uses different translated terms for the same feature across markets, users can't share knowledge, support costs multiply, and churn accelerates. Here's the structural fix.

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Media

How Subtitle Quality Affects Your YouTube Growth — What the Data Shows and What Creators Miss

Captions increase views by 12–13%. Manually uploaded subtitle tracks drive +37% non-English views. But bad subtitles do measurable damage. Here's how to use subtitle translation as a growth lever.

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Pharma / Regulatory

Translating Drug Information into 24 EU Languages — What EMA's Requirements Actually Mean in Practice

EMA marketing authorization requires patient-facing materials in all 24 EU official languages. The translation isn't the hard part — the readability requirement is. Here's what that means for your submission.

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Legal

When a Mistranslated Contract Becomes a Billion-Dollar Problem — What Legal Translation Actually Requires

Occidental Petroleum lost $1.77B over a contract dispute that turned on a single term. Toyota settled a $5M suit over a translation error. Legal translation isn't about language — it's about legal concepts that don't translate across jurisdictions.

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Finance

When Your Brand Message Means the Opposite in Another Language — The Translation Problem Marketing Gets Wrong

HSBC spent $10M rebranding after their tagline was mistranslated across markets. Brand language fails in translation not because of bad translators, but because brand meaning is cultural, not linguistic.

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Gaming

When Localization Changes Who a Character Is — What Genshin Impact's Translation Controversies Reveal

Genshin Impact players have documented cases where English localization significantly altered character personalities from the Chinese source. Here's why character voice is the hardest problem in game localization — and how to approach it.

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Education

Why EdTech Localization Is Different From Other Translation — and What Affects Learning Outcomes

Learners studying in their native language outperform those studying in a second language. EdTech platforms that translate content without adapting it for local learning context fail to close this gap. Here's what localization for learning actually requires.

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Fintech

Why Fintech Localization Is a Regulatory Compliance Problem, Not a Translation Problem

Financial regulators in every market require specific disclosure language. Translating your terms of service and product disclosures without regulatory review doesn't just create bad UX — it creates compliance exposure. Here's what regulated fintech translation requires.

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Language Services

How Language Service Providers Are Surviving the AI Translation Era — and What's Actually Changing

AI translation hasn't eliminated the need for language professionals — it has restructured what clients will pay for and what humans need to provide. Here's what the transition actually looks like for LSPs navigating this shift.

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