Yet, in order to reach the largest possible audience, you’ll need to translate your video content into multiple languages.

What Is Video Translation?

Simply put, video translation is the process of rendering the content of a video into another language. In some instances, this means translating the audio to closely match the original.

In other instances, the audio (and sometimes visual) elements undergo a process known as localization. This process is key to video translation. It involves adapting the content to a specific locale or market. Examples of video localization include altering cultural references in the dialog and modifying images to make them more relevant and culturally appropriate.

While you can translate any type of video, the most common video translation projects include:

• eLearning courses
• Marketing and advertising, and
• Entertainment

What is Involved in Video Translation?

Regardless of the type of video, translation involves the same series of steps. To make the process easier to visualize, we’ll use an eLearning course as an example. In this scenario, let’s say you created the video with Vyond and hired a language service provider (LSP) to translate the content.

1. Download the video(s): The video translation begins with downloading the video(s) from Vyond Studio and export the MP4 file(s) to your language service provider (LSP).
2. Script transcription: If a transcription of the audio script is not available, the LSP will start by transcribing all of the spoken dialog and saving it in a document.
3. Translation, revision, and proofreading: subject-matter experts then translate the transcribed script, revise it, and proofread it.
4. Translated script approval: If you request it, your translation agency will send you a translated script for review, allowing you to make any changes to the translation before proceeding with the next step in the process.
5. Script recording/subtitling: Once you approve the script, voiceover recording talent will record the translated script and/or subtitlers will prepare the subtitles. Voiceover is narration that plays over the video, while subtitles are written translations of the dialog. The method(s) you choose will depend on the content, audience, budget, and timeline.
6. Sync audio and text with video: Next, the LSP will import the audio files and/or add subtitles in a separate layer through the video hosting platform. The team will then sync up the audio and/or subtitles to the images within the video.
7. Translated video validation: Linguists will translate other aspects of the video such as on-screen graphics and text. Then the quality assurance (QA) team will review the entire video for translation accuracy, clarity, timing, and format alignment.
8. Delivery of the video: The LSP will send you the final translated and validated video.

The time it takes to complete the process depends on several factors, including the size and complexity of the project and the target language(s) needed. Given that it can take weeks or longer, we recommend contacting an LSP as soon as you know that video translation is something you are going to need. This will help you to minimize any delays in making your multilingual videos available to your target audiences.

The Benefits of Video Translation

However costly and time-consuming the process may be, you may be asking yourself whether or not translating your video is something you actually need to undertake. Well, if your objective is to connect with global audiences, the answer is a resounding yes! That’s because over 70% of people prefer to have content available in their native language.

By translating video content, you will:

• Make it accessible to a wider audience.
• Ensure your message is communicated accurately
• Increase ROI in international markets.
• Increase your organic reach, improve SEO, and increase engagement.

These are just some of the external business benefits of video translation. When used internally, video translation can help you train multilingual workforces, which improves efficiency, promotes inclusion, and helps with employee retention.

Should you Use a Language Service Provider for Video Translation?

Now, you may have looked into free or inexpensive options such as Google Translate or YouTube translation apps. However, if you wish to display your content in a professional way, we strongly recommend doing the proper research to find a reputable LSP with experience in video translation. Tools that say they can do video translation may not give your project the professional look and feel that you require. LSPs, on the other hand, can provide guidance on:

• Translation and localization
• Cultural awareness
• Methods of video translation (subtitling or voiceover)
• Images, graphics, and other non-audio content

Additionally, LSPs possess the technology and have developed workflow and quality control measures to ensure the final product meets industry standards. By working with professionals, you’ll produce videos that captivate your target audience—no matter their language or location.

Ready to start your next video translation project? Let us know how we can help!

Other Related Articles

Interpro’s Video Translation Services
Ultimate Guide to Video Translation
How To Make Your Videos More Accessible with Subtitle Translation

The post The Quick and Dirty Guide to Video Translation: Tips and Best Practices appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Although it is a visual medium, video almost always has an audio component, whether it’s  dialogue between people on screen, narrative voice-overs, or informative graphics. So if your company isn’t translating their videos, they are missing out on a major opportunity: the ability to effectively reach target audiences on a global scale.

Why should companies translate their video content?

Statistics show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from businesses and brands that they support. Not only is it what people want to see, but it is effective at converting customers. Nearly 88% of marketers are satisfied with the return on investment of their video marketing efforts, making it one of the most successful forms of marketing.

On the other hand, if the content is presented in a language unfamiliar to the audience, the impact is lessened significantly. For companies looking to cement their global presence and increase brand awareness, accurately translating video content is key.

Common Sense Advisory surveyed web consumers and found that 72.4% of consumers are more likely to buy a product with information in their own language. Similarly, over half of the polled group said that the ability to obtain information in their own language was more important than price. Another survey showed that 42% of consumers say that they will never purchase products or services in a language they do not understand.

When it comes to selling your goods and services, the language in which you communicate with your audience is crucial. Limiting languages limits your earning potential.

Videos for Internal Use

Not only can video be used for outreach and marketing, but it is a beneficial tool for organizations internally. Employee on-boarding, company news and updates, and training can all be done effectively through video presentations.

Since video has been proven to increase retention, learning, and engagement, it is the perfect medium for delivering complex instructions and training. It’s also easily scalable, meaning you can share vital information with one team as easily as you can share it with the entire company.

It’s imperative for international companies and organizations to put effort into making this material accessible to all employees. By providing welcoming and training materials in their native language, you create an inclusive environment where everyone is set up to succeed. Promoting language equity through accurate localization of videos enhances employee morale and knowledge retention in the short and long term.

What is video translation?

You may be wondering what video translation will look like for your content. There are actually several different types of video translation services available to companies who wish to reach a larger audience.

Subtitle Translation

We’ve all watched clips containing translated subtitles at one point or another. This is where the video and audio play as-is in the source language with a translated text overlay.

In some cases, subtitling is a perfectly suitable method of translation. In other instances, subtitles can distract audiences who are trying to pay attention to visual instruction and read concurrently. This often makes other options like voice-over translation a better choice, but a video’s exact needs vary from project to project. There are also numerous avenues to execute subtitle translation. A popular method is to utilize time-coded SRT or VTT files, which enable a user to turn subtitles on or off as needed. This can also be helpful for English captioning, which will assist with ADA compliance.

A more permanent solution is to burn subtitles into the video. This does not allow for on/off capabilities; however it is a video subtitling method that can be beneficial if your organization knows that the localized video will be viewed by a specific demographic. This is oftentimes referred to as ‘Open Captions.’

Voice-over Translation

With this approach, translation companies go above and beyond simply translating the material onscreen. Voice-over translation gives your audience the opportunity to hear videos in their native language. This is regarded by many as the most optimal solution for video translation projects for a variety of reasons, when budgets allow for it.

Unlike subtitled video translation, linguists and directors can ensure that important factors, such as tone and pace, are successfully communicated with voice-over. Deploying professionally-recorded native-speaking talent, the voice-over technique stands out over other methods by creating an authentic final product that feels as if it were created specifically for the target audience.

Localization

Beyond basic video translation services, it is also important to consider localization for your videos. Localization ensures that everything from on-screen text, graphics and logos, to colors and numbers, translate appropriately across borders, and that cultural nuances are taken into consideration.

How does video translation work?

Done correctly, video translation is much more complex than copying lines into an online translator, and pasting the results onto an existing video. Professional translation services go through a multi-step process to ensure accuracy, clarity, and authenticity, so that the target audience feels as if the video was made specifically for them.

To give you an idea of the process, we’ve broken down voice-over translation into 7 steps:

1. Script transcription: The process begins by transcribing the entire video narrative into a written document.
2. Translation, editing, and proofreading: Once a video is transcribed, it is ready to be translated. Subject-matter experts will translate the material, meaning that no matter the topic, you can expect the highest degree of accuracy. After the source material is translated, it will be proofread and edited.
3. Translated script approval: The translated script is sent back to the client for review, notes, and approval. Having a subject matter expert involved is advisable during every phase of a localization process.
4. Script recording: After the translated script has been approved, it is then recorded in a studio setting with professional native-speaking voice talent. A director will help ensure that the speaker accurately conveys tone and other cues to match the source video.
5. Sync audio and text with video: Once the audio has been recorded, it’s time to sync it up to the images within the video. This step is important, as mismatched audio and visuals can create a confusing experience for the viewer. Languages will always change in length after translation from English, and timing is critical to ensure an accurate deliverable.
6. Translated video validation: Other aspects of video, such as on-screen graphics and text will also be translated into the target language. After all translation is complete, it will be reviewed once more for accuracy, clarity, and format alignment. This final validation should be done by a professional linguist.
7. Deliver target language video: The final video is delivered to the client, ready to be viewed by new audiences across the globe.

Professional translation companies have the capability of utilizing a variety of authoring and editing tools to provide consistency and quality across your video library.

Conclusion

It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words; however, a video is worth at least 1.8 million according to one marketing study. With each minute of video being worth so much, you want to be sure that the information is accurately and authentically conveyed to your audience. Video translation is just one of the many ways your business can achieve success in the international marketplace.

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