Localization Case Study: Adapting Audio Fiction for a Global Audience

With a fast-growing audience of over 130 million global users, Pocket FM needed a localization partner who could deliver on scale, creativity, and regional nuance. 

The challenge was both vast and detailed: tens of thousands of pages of Chinese audio fiction—including genres such as romance, fantasy, thriller, and drama—had to be adapted for an English-speaking audience while retaining the emotional impact, narrative pace, and character voice that made the originals so popular. 

What set this project apart was the balance required between faithful translation and creative adaptation. It wasn’t enough to mirror the plotline—each line needed to be reimagined to suit American storytelling conventions and idiomatic expressions, all while preserving the heart of the stories. 

Understanding the complexity, VEQTA assembled a dedicated, purpose-built team of native English and Chinese linguists, editors, and narrative consultants—all experienced in transcreation, screenwriting, and audio script development. The team worked collaboratively to ensure not only linguistic accuracy but also narrative continuity, tone, and emotional resonance throughout the content. 

Scope of Work 

• Language Pair Translated: Simplified Chinese to English 
  
• Words Translated: Tens of thousands of pages across multiple fiction series 
  
• Content Types: Serialized audio fiction scripts, character dialogue, episode titles, and summaries 
  
• Turnaround: Delivered in phases with rolling deadlines to meet publishing schedules and performance benchmarks 

Key Methodology 

A core element of VEQTA’s localization strategy was the development of a comprehensive bilingual glossary tailored specifically to each fiction series. This glossary was meticulously categorized into sections—character names, locations, events, fictional organizations, abilities and concepts, and unique story-specific items—to ensure consistency and contextual accuracy across the vast volume of content. 

In addition to terminology management, VEQTA implemented a rigorous content flagging system to identify and isolate sections that may contain R-rated material, such as depictions of violence or sexual content. These flagged sections were then reviewed for compliance with platform standards and audience expectations in the target market. 

Deep narrative interpretation also played a vital role. VEQTA’s editorial team—comprising subject matter experts well-versed in Chinese storytelling conventions—worked closely with Pocket FM to provide context and clarity for elements such as online slang, idiomatic phrasing, and intertextual references. These insights helped the client understand key storytelling devices, recurring archetypes, and popular allusions found throughout the original material, allowing the final adaptations to remain both faithful and relatable. 

By integrating linguistic precision with editorial insight, VEQTA ensured that the spirit of the original stories was not lost in translation, while delivering content that resonated naturally with Western audiences. 

Outcome
 

VEQTA’s tailored localization workflow allowed Pocket FM to bring its signature Chinese audio stories to English-speaking audiences in a way that felt natural, immersive, and emotionally authentic. The final content read as though it had been originally conceived in English—while still honoring the distinctive narrative voice of the source material. 

This collaboration marked a significant milestone in cross-border audio storytelling. By enabling Pocket FM to scale its global content strategy with confidence and nuance, VEQTA reinforced the transformative power of well-executed localization.