I started off writing these lines with a casual, haphazard urge - it was more of a personal shout-out to remind myself that Ollang is the place that made me say “home sweet home” after some months of absence. Suddenly, the writing began growing like a snowball, bright, white and shiny with a promise that it will never melt or get dirty but grow bigger, stronger and whiter. I felt that my colleagues should read this, our translators should read…all Ollangers should… wait, all people who know Ollang or who want to see themselves as a part of our community should read this and know us better. I do hope I could, at least partially, reflect Ollang’s true identity in the following lines.
If you are a small team who is setting off on the path with ambitious goals, you constantly ask yourself what shapes, even better disrupts, the ecosystem you dwell in. Ollang started off its story to have a strong say in the digital media, and it strives to create a more ‘liberating’ ecosystem by bringing content to different geographies and languages - thanks to subtitles and dubbing.
We are a business which puts humans at the center. As yet, numbers and statistics draw our path to come up with well-timed estimates and viable solutions. For people.
Here are a couple of numbers that shed light on our direction:
We see three important trends that continue shaping the media:
How did all these guide us to (re)frame our path and develop solutions powered by the joint forces of artificial intelligence and human mind? What is the biggest major frustration in the content production industry today? We’d say it is the need to create large-volume, high-quality subtitles and dubbing for content at scale and faster as well as address the lack of AI-powered dubbing solutions that make the most natural, human-like voices possible.
That is the primary reason why Ollang has built itself as an end-to-end solution provider operating across a wide range of industries including broadcasting, publishing, video streaming, e-learning and creator economy. We offer AI-powered subtitling, dubbing and closed-captioning solutions, fuelled by human prowess. In most cases, we leverage the potential and power of technology; however, in some cases, depending on the needs and specific circumstances of the projects, we turn to more conventional solutions such as using human voice-overs and dubbing. This optionality and flexibility provide us with ample space to maneuver and customize our solutions.
Applying a well-rounded localization strategy which skillfully puts video captioning, dubbing and subtitling into practice is the most effective way to provide global audiences with engaging content. In other words, you have to speak with your audience in their own language and locality to satisfy their primary expectation from digital consumption: To be able to identify with what they watch or listen.
Media corporations and content creators that recognize the importance of establishing an emotional connection between their messages and their audience enter our brave new world and make the most of augmented intelligence to reach global audiences with fast, affordable and accurate subtitles, closed captions and dubbing services.
Ollang positions itself within a large community -large enough to expand to the whole world- because this is the only way that makes it possible to bring our mindset to life: think locally to reach global heights. The business we do everyday for our partners is an important part of this endeavor. However, if it were not our close-knit and vibrant community of translators, we would not be able to achieve even one percent of what we have achieved so far. Just as it is within every aspect of our lives, we come across challenges and obstacles in the business world too. However, as Ebru Yıldırım, the co-founder of Ollang, says if you trust your team and if your team knows that they are cared for and recognized for who they are and for the contribution they make, then no obstacle is insurmountable. Truer words have never been spoken.
If Ollang exists today, because its team exists. Who is Ollang’s team? The Brain Team and Translator’s League are two strong muscles of the company that grows together. They are like hive minds - brains within brains who learn from one another. As of writing this article, almost 30 people comprise Ollang's Brain Team. We are going through a fast growth and so happy to see new team members joining us. As excited as we are, we do not let this joy distract us from our purpose when it comes to the culture of the company: preserving the innovative spirit of the core team that founded Ollang, and driving, propelling, and nourishing it with new people who become a part of us. Our doors are open to anyone who promises to stay true to Ollang’s long-life passion and show a willingness to always stretch themselves by hunting for fresh learning opportunities.
It is not easy to try to put in an article a full picture of what turns a company into a living organism. However, if your goal is to be a global company in every sense of the word, be it with the business function you operate in, be it the kind of working culture you have, you must be able to make a welcoming room for anyone who will walk together with you towards success, regardless of their location, gender, language or culture. Remote and hybrid working models are the right way of achieving to be a global company as it removes borders, time and spatial boundaries. Of course, you must put effective mechanisms in place to make these models work. So far, it has been a well-earned tick mark in our to-do list and we are determined to protect this rightful achievement.
How does Ollang make learning accessible and reachable to those who are eager to learn and fuel their potential by discovering their unexplored skills? Our answer would be Localization School. It is our first full-fledged attempt that pairs a seasoned line-up of linguists and instructors with the ease of learning at your own pace. Take “Become an AI Dubber at Ollang.” It is a great way for successful and skilled translators to become AI dubbers upon completing the course.
Also, we are inviting all learner enthusiasts and content owners to discover Ollang’s insightful universe. OBlog your space to get insights on unlocking global growth and stay updated about the developments in localization and content creation space. Achievement stories written by an ever-growing trust and strong partnerships find voice on our pages. We proudly bring insightful content and highlighted picks every month in our newsletters. Your place is already reserved in the community.
The last words have always been the most important and memorable to me; and it was my wish to crown this article with words from some of our people. Huge thanks to all of those who shared their thoughts and made it possible to create a valuable testimonial page on our website. Now, let’s give the floor to them. Hear Ollang from Ollangers themselves.
P.S. Furkan Hızır, our star graphic designer, listened to my never-ending worries about using images that would reflect Ollang’s world, and designed the visual materials I used throughout the article. Big thanks to his creative mind!
