Localization fails at the script stage, not the translation stage.
The short version
Localization fails at the script stage, not the translation stage. This guide skips the theory and keeps what has worked across hundreds of shipped campaigns.
Points worth stealing
- Decide per market: subtitles, voice swap, or full cultural rewrite
- Flag idioms and humor during scripting — they are localization debt
- Keep text-on-screen editable; baked-in titles cost triple to fix
- Cast regional voices early; availability drives timelines
- Test the cold open with native speakers before animation locks
What we measured
4 — languages shipped in one sprint when scripts were written localization-first.
One last thing
Write every line as if it will be translated — because the good ones will be.
Planning a video? Start with a free strategy call — we map the story before the pixels.
