The web is full of information under one roof. Therefore, it is pivotal for businesses to create content that is understandable by the international audience.
While the global audience speaks multiple languages, only 17% of the world population speaks English, which is why localisation is essential. Moreover, with the localisation of global media, videos have become the prime tool to hook international viewers as they involve a human’s visionary and auditory senses, which help them associate the information better.
In the hyper-connected world, translating and localising video content is like hitting the right chord. You can fetch more leads by implementing localisation and reaching maximum viewers with different linguistic backgrounds.
According to Hubspot’s report on animated video statistics, 94% of people watch explainer videos to understand the product or brand better. 84% of the watchers decided to purchase the videos. So, translating and localising video content is highly beneficial to reach worldwide audiences. Here’s a rundown of best practices to localise and translate your video content for the foreign viewer
Consider cultural sensitivities
The cultural references and norms are different for different countries and regions. Engaging and grammatically correct video content for one country can be disappointing or inappropriate for other countries. Avoid any bias, controversial slang, and terminologies of cultural references that may trigger the sentiments of a particular demographic. Pay heed to cultural sensitivities by educating yourself about the native language of local users.
Identify The Mediums of Your Video
Choosing a suitable medium for your video content is necessary to reach viewers worldwide. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and Vimeo are the platforms that highly promote videos for brand awareness. You need to pick a relevant online platform to publish the video and stand out amidst the plethora of video content. There are numerous videos online which are left unseen by viewers. Therefore, creating a robust social media strategy to engage potential customers and fetch conversions is crucial.
Use Professional Services for Translation and Localisation
Languages are a form of art. You must assign translating videos to someone with the education, training, and skills necessary to create captivating content. It is a smart option to hire a subtitling expert or a professional translation and localisation agency to have absolute control over the quality of your content. Opting for human translation services is most appropriate for authentic and quality content. Expert video translators have an excellent grasp of the languages, translation technologies, accurate tonality, quality voice-over translation, and captions; saving time and money.
Subtitling or Voiceover for Video Translation
As the target is international audiences, you can select between subtitling or voice-over for translating video content. The choices of subtitling or voice-over may vary according to the viewers, their languages, habits, and cultural differences.
Often people may want to avoid listening to the audio, so subtitles are more convenient for the videos. Adding subtitles to the video improves the comprehension ability of viewers.
For the voice-over, the best approach is to consider colloquial norms and hire a skilled native speaker. The native voice-over artists have relatable tone and accurate translation that helps to build an instant and impactful connection with the viewers.
Tailor Your Speech
The translation process takes place by considering the original video content. The target language may have more text than the source language, so it is vital to provide a meticulously tailored transcript. Therefore, adding closed captions to your video content is paramount as it allows viewers to read transcripts in synchronisation with the audio. Poorly-positioned closed captions may hamper translation efforts and deliver a perplexing video-viewing experience video.
Avoid Using On-Screen Titles
On-screen titles appear on the video; they can be introductory or explanatory as per the video content. It can perplex viewers to read too much on-screen text if there are subtitles and on-screen titles in the video. Therefore, only add on-screen titles at the bottom of the screen so that viewers can read both on-screen titles and subtitles if provided. A de-cluttered screen helps audiences get a clear message and keeps distractions away.
Leave Room For Subtitles
Let there be sufficient time and space for subtitles in the video. Subtitles are essential for user engagement, user experience, and video comprehension. Ensure to leave enough room below your content for subtitles. Keep the background colour stagnant and check the consistency of the subtitles.
Localise and Translate Visuals and Other Graphics
Consider localising visuals and graphics to influence your potential audiences positively. Visuals play a vital role in engaging viewers as they deliver a clear and crisp message. Localising visuals in video content is about going beyond translation – it includes adopting appropriate fonts, colours, designs, and layouts to connect with users from different regions and cultures.
Include Metadata for Translation
Metadata is a core factor that boosts views on your video and leverages search engine results. So, ensure translation and localisation of metadata content by including local keywords. Depending on the platforms you choose to publish the video, make it a point to localise descriptions, tags, hyperlinks and titles for every language.
Reuse and Preserve Audio Narration Scripts
One of the easier ways to reach a wider audience is to reuse or re-purpose the existing content. Creating a video demands time and money, but you can simplify the entire process by turning blog content into a video script. You can also preserve audio narration scripts and later re-purpose the same to create video content. Make a point to involve the required elements to cover the script’s message while creating a video. You can also modify the content by inserting local terms, statistical proof, and a call to action at the end.
In the era of surging video content, it is paramount to upscale your video marketing strategy. Hence, select whether you want translation or localisation per your company’s services and requirements. Opting for a combination of both for video content is one of the best strategies to implement if it fits your business model.
Conclusion
Translating and localising is more complicated than it seems, so tactfully choose an agency that provides a one-stop solution for translation and localisation services. Translate By Humans is here with dedicated project managers to simplify the translation and localisation processes and provide immaculate execution of video content localisation. We have native speakers with 5+ years of experience and certified linguists who cater for accurate translation services in a trice.
By considering the tips in this guide, leverage your success by connecting with your target audience globally to grow your business exponentially.
