In today’s competitive market, it’s easy to fall into the trap of relying on auto-generated video translation. It seems simple enough, right? YouTube will handle it for me, or if not, I’ll turn to my trusty friend Google to find a solution. However, for those who have tried an auto-generated video translation service, you know all too well how it fails to deliver the accuracy customers expect from a reputable business.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. Video translation is a complex process best left to professionals. It requires an entire team of video, audio, and language experts to produce footage suitable for a multilingual audience. In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process of video translation, helping you understand the benefits and why you need professional support:
Hire A Professional Translator
There’s no avoiding this one. The first thing you should do for any video translation project is to get a team of professionals on your side. You’ll need a team skilled in translating content from English to French, Spanish, German, and back to English. Every language you’re translating to will bring unique challenges, so you’ll need experts specialising in all areas of translation. Don’t attempt to do everything yourself. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, and you will fail.
You might know a friend or family member who speaks multiple languages. They have skills and can help you at a fraction of the price. This may sound like a no-brainer; however, it can lead to omitted, altered, or embellished words. While they are eager to help, it doesn’t always result in a professional product. An inadequate or incomplete translation can be worse than no translation at all, as it will portray your business as unreliable, unprofessional, and unable to generate income from international customers. That’s not a winning sales pitch!
As with any other profession, the more experienced the professional, the more accurate the results will be. Professional translation companies invest in their business the same way you do in yours. Their employees have access to translation software, maintain consistency in terminology, and build glossaries.
They will have access to industry-leading training and resources provided by their employer. After all, if you want to be the best in the business, it only makes sense to offer the best resources to your staff to ensure they always strive to provide comprehensive services. With offices in Italy, the UK, and Germany, Intrawelt is synonymous with excellence in professional translation and interpreting. Having a dedicated translation company on your side will give you the confidence to grow your company internationally.
Choose Your Format
Next, you need to decide how you’re going to translate your videos – voiceover, subtitles, transcript, or a combination of these.
#1. Subtitles: The benefit of subtitles in the cinema is that they don’t interfere with the actors’ performances. Nothing needs to be recreated. It’s a natural, fitting way to maintain the authenticity of the video. Nothing obstructs the viewing experience. People can watch your video while reading the subtitles, without having to return to transcribe at a later date.
#2. Transcripts: Transcripts are also growing in popularity as companies worldwide realise the immense benefit they provide when it comes to ranking in search engines. If you’re going to invest in video translation, it makes sense to do so in a way that benefits your online visibility. Helping Google find, crawl, and rank your video transcripts will increase traffic to your site, expanding your global reach.
But won’t that be considered duplicate content? As it stands, Google does not penalise websites for content duplicated in different languages, probably for this very reason. It’s not sneaky; it’s essential for successful translation. As a result, your website will have more pages, more keyword variations, and links. This all equates to greater authority for your business. Furthermore, it will be easier to rank for keywords, as competition in some languages is non-existent.
Some people may prefer to read, not watch, your content. Having a video transcript gives them the ability to return when they have time to read through your content in detail, without needing to increase the volume.
#3. Voiceover: Similar to subtitles, a voiceover allows your audience to enjoy your content in real-time. There’s no need to watch now and transcribe later. By using voiceover translation, you gain confidence with your audience as they can immerse themselves in your content without having to keep up with words on a screen. With certain online material, words can move quickly on the screen as they need to follow the natural flow of the visuals, so your audience may have difficulty catching all the information.
Another consideration? Other languages may be longer than English, requiring more space to fit the text, which could lead to broken text and multiple frames needed. With voiceover translation, however, you offer a relaxed viewing experience where people can watch their favourite videos in their native language without interruption.
Benefits of Professional Video Translation:
- Your brand will stand out from the crowd. There’s no better way to reach multiple markets in one video than through translation. Most competitors will produce a video, optimise it, and hit ‘publish’ without a second thought. Through video translation, you tap into many markets the competition hasn’t even considered – it’s almost unfair!
- It’s excellent for your online presence. As mentioned earlier, you can reap the benefits of optimised content with a text translation.
- Increase your audience reach. The multilingual options on Facebook and YouTube open up a world (see what we did there?) of opportunities for brands. If you only publish English-speaking videos, you exclude 60% of the market. In recent years, more international users have visited these platforms in search of engaging content. If you’re not visible, you’re missing out.
