According to research, by 2020, over 85% of businesses will be using video to engage new customers, connect with their audience, and educate about their offerings. In 2016, that number was less than 61%.
Did you know that 83% of businesses that use video (including online video) as part of their strategy say it leads to more sales? Video marketing is very effective. That's why you'll find it everywhere on the internet: corporate websites, blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
We have been in the video localization business for over 15 years now. Every week we receive many similar questions from potential clients about video translation and the ins and outs of the localization process.
If you are thinking about translating your corporate videos, or if you are wondering about the benefits, ROI, and costs associated with creating subtitles and voice-over, you will find the following information very useful. These are the most important points to consider based on our expert knowledge before you start working on video translations.
The way we consume content, acquire knowledge, work, and store data has changed dramatically in recent years. In 2020 alone, the pandemic showed the importance of remote work, distance learning, and online shopping.
Video is not just a source of entertainment anymore. Has it ever been just this, if you think about it?
Businesses are creating more and more videos. Online stores are using video to showcase products to customers who can not get into stores. The education sector is exploding with training webinars and courses. Video is an important tool for driving sales and increasing brand awareness around the world. So how?
Before we get into the benefits of translating video, let us look at useful terms to better understand the video localization process.
This is a process of creating videos in a different language (or language version). This can be done by:
- the creation of text translations for the content of the video;
- the translation and creation of subtitles in foreign languages;
- the translation and creation of content for voiceover or dubbing in foreign languages;
- the creation of localized language versions for subtitles;
- proofreading and quality assurance of the content.
The process must be strategically planned and has its costs. Video localization requires a minimum team of a project coordinator, video translator(s) working in their native languages, and video creator. If dubbing or synchronization is required, the team needs voice actors and sound engineers. This can be done in-house or with the help of specialized localization agencies.
Of course, you can try on your own and/or use services like Google Translate. Beware, though. We are talking about high-visibility content here. If your video subtitles or voice-over will be bad just because you used some shady online video translator, it's better not to do it at all. You can make a good first impression only once. Then the game is over. And people remember such flops for a long time.
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Transcription is the process of converting the audio from a video to text to generate or translate subtitles or captions.
Transcription of video can be done by:
- Manual transcription, in which human translators transcribe video clips one by one as they are played back; or
- Automatic transcription, which uses speech recognition technology to identify audio recordings and translate them into text
This last method is becoming very popular recently as the automatic transcription apps have become very accurate and require little human intervention, which means quicker turnaround times. It's critical in the process that traditionally takes a lot of time and needs a lot of attention (for example with handling time codes, so that they are not corrupt or removed).
Transcript is the first step in the video localization process that enables all parties involved to work on the same content format. For this reason, it's a critical one. Still, many people like to save on that or take shortcuts, which usually has repercussions down the road. Professional output requires professional workflow. Hence, beware of people telling you it's just "a few simple steps". It's not that easy. Otherwise, you wouldn't need professionals to assist you.
Voiceover is a special technique where a voice is used in a recording but is not part of the visual story.
It can be used in a commercial for a product, where the voiceover reads a predefined text that emphasizes the visual message. It is often used to read the local language version over the original soundtrack of the movie in movie theaters or on television. This can be done by one person for the entire video.
Dubbing is a technique that can sometimes be mixed with voice-over. The difference is that dubbing is performed by more than one person.
Each character in the commercial or television production that appears on screen has its own voice actor, who records the audio tracks in advance. The audio tracks are then mixed by sound engineers and lip-synced by video producers to give the impression that the video was recorded in the local language, when in fact it was localized from foreign content.
Subtitles are the texts that appear at the bottom of the video and translate the audio language into another language. They are intended for people who do not understand the original language. They are synchronized with the language.
Subtitles do not include other audio descriptions, e.g.: [heavy rain sound] if the audio track contains a picture accompanied by a certain sound effect, e.g. heavy rain sound. In some English-speaking countries, they are also called subtitles.
The most popular format of subtitles is SRT or VTT. This format is localization-friendly and is supported by all programs and services, including such online video giants as YouTube Studio. If you work on your subtitles outside Studio, it's easy to download and upload them to YT (just like the whole video file) and then edit them to your liking if you don't have more advanced video editing software like Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro or tools that you can use in your web browser like Veed. You have many file storing options here for your video, audio files, SRT files, and any other media files and important digital assets, for example, Dropbox.
The best part about subtitling is that it makes products and services accessible to all people in all countries around the globe. Translated subtitles are a must nowadays as your audience simply expects you to talk to them in their language.
Captions are also the texts that appear at the bottom of the video. However, unlike subtitles, closed captions are intended for people who cannot hear the sound of the video. They contain descriptions of sound effects such as [heavy rain], [footsteps], or [loud scream from the other room].
Interestingly, we learn that subtitles are mandatory in the U.S. due to accessibility laws and regulations if we want to tap into the American market.
Related content: Video Translation Errors: from Subtitling to Voiceover
The above definitions are critical for:
- determine the scope of the project;
- calculate the cost of the video localization process; and;
- estimate the time frame in which the project will be completed.
Perhaps for some markets it is not necessary to create synchronized video and subtitles are perfectly sufficient? Or when expanding to the US, subtitles will be mandatory, even if we did not plan to include them in the corporate videos. Maybe for legal reasons, we need to add disclaimers to the video in the local languages embedded in the videos themselves, be it Spanish, French, Arabic (remember that you start writing and reading from the right side in this one), Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Greek or any other language you can think of.
Now that we know what the process of video localization is, we can move on to its many benefits:
We know from research that 87% of businesses say that videos have increased traffic to their website. Google search now displays a separate results tab just for video content and suggests the best video answers to search queries on the first page of search results.
YouTube has become a source of tremendous traffic for businesses and has become one of the most popular search engines for attracting new visitors to the site. In the words of Lisa Lubin, an award-winning video consultant:
The amount of information contained in a single image can be described in 3 pages. The feeling, the colors, and the message are perceived immediately. It's a known fact that people are more engaged when they watch a video and tend to watch it longer. They also like to share it. Videos inform and entertain people and, good or bad, most people today would rather watch a video than read a page of text.
Translating videos into new languages means more customers from around the world will come to our website. It also makes the content more relevant.
From the latest video statistics, 81% of companies say that the time spent on the website is higher when a video is included on the landing page. This is according to the results of the video hosting platform Wistia: the average time spent on pages with video is 7 minutes and 21 seconds. The average dwell time on pages without video is 2 minutes and 48 seconds.
Potential customers get to know the brand. Thank you to videos, visitors recognize the brand and messages faster. They also remember the company longer.
While we are on the subject, here's another important reason why investing in the localized video can be a good move:
Nearly 70% of customers say they prefer watching explainer videos to contacting customer service.
Reducing the number of customer service calls, especially for seemingly repetitive issues, is the Holy Grail of any company working hard to create a great customer experience. If we can do that with video translated into different languages to accommodate users from different countries, why not? Create localized video demos, explainer videos, step-by-step tutorials, onboarding videos, and on-demand webinars. What are the obvious benefits of this type of content?
If that's not enough to convince you, trust other business owners: 43% of them say that adding video has reduced the number of calls to customer service.
Customers act on impulse and buy products and services thanks to visible, highlighted calls to action in the video. In addition, customers who visit websites and watch long, detailed video instructions are more likely to buy the products and services.
According to research, 84% of people say they were convinced to make a purchase after watching a brand's video.
On the other hand, let us repeat the beginning of this article: 83% of companies that use videos as part of their strategy say that it leads to more sales. Video marketing is very effective and the numbers confirm this on both sides: on the customers' side and the companies' side. So why not use localized videos to sell more in foreign markets?
According to Verizon Media, 80% of customers are more likely to watch a full brand video if the video includes subtitles. And subtitles are the most basic video localization technique. Did you know that the most common way people watch video is usually without sound?
Half of the users want subtitles because they are not willing to play the sound out loud. They are either in a quiet place, do not have headphones handy, are watching videos while commuting or waiting in line, or simply do not want everyone to know what they are watching. In which industries is closed captioning most expected?
Since most users who watch videos on mute are neither deaf nor hard of hearing, it is interesting to see that voice-over and dubbing are less important than subtitles and captions. The cost of the latter is significantly lower.
Related content: 6 Objections You May Have With Training Material Translation
If you are convinced to include localized videos or subtitles on your corporate website, the question now is: should you do it in-house or outsource the whole process to a localization agency? The answer is: it all depends on your strategy, budget, timeframe, access to resources and tools, and manpower - just like any other project. You can do great things on a budget and you may fail with the best video translator working for you.
If you can do it, and your team is made up of fast learners who can research and create content quickly, there's no reason your company can not complete a video localization process on its own in a reasonable amount of time. However, if you value time and want to bring on board an experienced team of linguists, you are not alone: many companies use a mix of in-house and agency work to get the localized content they expect faster. There are some techniques and tips that will speed up your decision-making process:
Video can take your marketing to the next level. Now, that you have a better understanding of how the video localization process is structured, you can make the best decision for your business. Armed with this knowledge, you can go and grow!
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