Exclusive Interview with Michal Shinitzky, Managing Director at Pangea Localization Services

Our colleague, Szaló Réka talked to Michal Shinitzky. With extensive marketing knowledge in her field, Michal brought her experience and professionalism to Pangea as managing director. Pangea, established in 2015, is a translation, localization and content service targeting online gaming, trading and cryptocurrency companies.With expertise in translation, localization and content, Michal has had over 15 years’ experience in various senior positions at some of the world’s largest online gaming companies.

Thank you very much for being available for this interview. First I would like to ask you to shortly introduce yourself.

 Shinitzky: Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I’m Michal, the Managing Director of Pangea Localization Services. I’m based in Cyprus but I’m originally from Israel. After years of working in the online gaming industry in various senior positions, I took matters into my own hands by launching Pangea in 2015. It’s been a fun ride ever since.

Pangea Localization Services is a translation, localization and content service provider offering a complete package of translation services in a wide range of languages, but it is also specialized in gaming-related content. Will you please tell us more about your company and why did you choose gaming?

 Shinitzky: Well, I’ve had over 15 years’ experience working at some of the world’s largest gaming companies like 888 and PokerStars. Not only am I considerably knowledgeable about this industry but it’s where I’m most familiar and comfortable. It’s one of the industries we target because I know what works, and what businesses in that field need in terms of content.

The company has been recently awarded with the “Rising Star Award” and the “Great User Experience Award”. We congratulate you for this great appreciation and achievement! What do these awards mean to you and your colleagues and will they affect the future of the company?

 Shinitzky: Thank you! We were very proud to have received these rewards by FinancesOnline. It feels great to have our services recognized and honored like that. I think it has encouraged and motivated us to work even harder. We’re now aiming to win even more by different reviewers – it’s sort of becoming an addiction (laughs). As our first official awards, they will definitely go down in Pangea’s history books.

Let us turn back now to the presentation of the company. Please tell us more about the services you offer and which are the languages that you can provide services in?

 Shinitzky: Pangea offers translation and localization services in over 40 languages including French, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. We also provide copywriting services like article writing, blog posts, marketing material or web content. SEO services are also a major part of our business and blog management is, too. Other than content, we also provide localized graphic design.

What can you tell us about the projects you have worked on so far, and the difficulties and successes you have experienced?

 Shinitzky: One of our greatest and most unique qualities is being able to deliver projects quickly and in short notice – this is very rare in the translation industry and we’re one of the very few who do it. This may be a challenge for us at times but we always make the client happy in the end. One of our major strengths is our project managers who are extremely dedicated to their clients. We also have a strong team of translators who use the most modern and helpful technology. Our unique translation process works like a waterfall – we translate, proofread and deliver it all as fast as possible whilst maintaining quality.

Accuracy and professionalism are key values regarding translations and content writing. How can these be achieved? What are the most important factors and values that Pangea Localization Services considers important?

 Shinitzky: Quality and accuracy are the core essence of our brand. We ensure these values by hiring only qualified, professional and native linguists. Our translators and writers are also experts in their fields – they’ve got an extensive background in iGaming, trading or ICOs. This way, we provide an end-result that’s accurate, makes sense and uses the right terminology for the specific industry and market. Every translation performed at Pangea also gets proofread and reviewed by a second linguist. Products get QA treatment upon request to make sure that the content is of 100% quality with zero errors.

What is your opinion about the language gambling industry uses? Are there major problems, mistakes, which should not be used anymore?

 Shinitzky: Our linguists know the ins and outs of the gaming industry. They know how to communicate this field in any language. Our translators and writers make sure not to confuse certain words with other meanings. For example “push” in poker has a totally different meaning to its literal term. We know when to translate a word or phrase or when to keep the original term in English. There are many who would rush to translate a word when, really, the lingo or term should remain in its original language. At Pangea, we keep our translations authentic. We want the result to sound natural.

What upcoming events is the company focusing on nowadays and how prepared is the company for these events?

 Shinitzky: Our next venture is attending the ICE Totally Gaming expo in London. This is where our main target clients will be so we’re looking forward to being there and meeting many potentials. We’ll also be attending the London Affiliate Conference where more iGaming operators will be present. We’re always ready for these events. Our team always has a booth and company brochures and leaflets to give out.

Please, tell us more about the future plans of Pangea Localization Services.

 Shinitzky: Just like we help clients go global, I want Pangea to go global. Our ultimate goal is to continue growing as the leading translation and content service for the iGaming, online trading and ICO industry. We want to open more companies around the world and build a client-base globally.

Who is your favorite actor or actress?

 Shinitzky: Meryl Streep

Where would you travel the most in Central Europe?

 Shinitzky: Germany

What does success mean to you?

 Shinitzky: Success for me is when our reputation is known around the world. I’ll know that I’m truly successful when people start recommending Pangea for translation above all others. I want Pangea to be the first translation service that comes to mind.