Do companies really need multimedia localization? Should the content of your corporate videos get translated, or, be more precise, localized? And why?

The answer to the first two questions is a big Yes. As for the third question, let’s just start with what statistics may have to say. Figures matter!

According to lots of authoritative surveys, more than 50 percent of consumers would like to see more video content from the brands they support. More importantly, over 70% of those consumers prefer to buy a product that has information in their own language. Nothing strange. Language is their identity!

Moreover, and more interesting, over half of the polled consumers in one reliable survey said that getting information in their own language was more important, for them, than the product’s price. Interesting? Okay, take this. Another study has quoted more than 40 percent of consumers as saying they wouldn’t buy products with information published in a language they do not understand!

Therefore, businesses seeking to increase brand awareness on a global scale should not only use video marketing techniques, but they also have to outsource professional video localization services. You need to do what customers want, don’t you?!

So, what on earth is this localization service?

What is Video Localization?

The answer is simple. If a smart business wishes to share a video with a new audience, they have to ensure that it’s adapted to the language, norms, beliefs, values (let’s call it culture?) of this specific new audience.

When a video is localized (which is more than a translation) from English into, say, Russian, this means that changes will be made to the audio. The text will be translated, the speaker will be dubbed, and the music will be edited. Also, changes will be made to the video ─ with the translation of the on-screen text, changing the playback speed of the episodes, and many more things.

Multimedia localization, therefore, covers a wide diversity of your business’ content, including video advertisements, client testimonials, corporate tutorials, corporate interviews, corporate & product presentations, corporate event recaps, Vlogs, as well as product reviews and demos.

But what about the purpose or the goal? Simply, businesses invest in localizing their videos to see an increase in their revenues at the end of the day!

However, when it comes to video localization service, people usually wonder about the so-called “source clip”. What is it?

What is the Source Clip?

There’s no doubt that the video source file comprises many components, including a voiceover track, the musical accompaniment, graphic files, screenshots, logos, three-dimensional models, animations, the movement paths of all objects, and many other components.

When we localize a video with the source files, the contents of the video could be stored in several projects. One project, for instance, may only include the original graphics, while another project contains only the three-dimension elements. A third project may have the animation elements, with the fourth project containing the music and sound effects. All components might be edited and combined in a fifth project. All five projects are required for localization.

However, it so happens that we might localize a video without the source files. But in these cases, the final quality usually depends on the specific clip and on the changes you’re planning to make.

That said, it’s time to have an idea about the various types of video localization. Let’s dive deeper. 

Types of Video Localization

So, you’ve decided to take your video across borders so that it may get consumed by multilingual and multicultural audiences in overseas markets. There are several types of video localization services available. Let’s have a look.

First – Subtitling

When it comes to the subtitling service, your audience will see people speaking in their language. This is done with text on the bottom of the screen translated and optimized for cultural references.

Subtitling is a rigorous process of adapting the video dialogues to a written code taking into consideration a number of parameters, including the rhythm of speech, space limits, and many more. Overall, subtitles are great for companies on a tight budget.

To create subtitles, you usually follow these steps

1.   Transcribing video text to convert the audio content into a printed text.
2.   Translating the text, noting that you may sometimes need to cut the translation a bit to enable viewers to read the text accompanying a particular episode.
3.   Synchronizing the translation with the video clip. This step is essential to get each phrase in the subtitles to match the “native” voiceover or a corresponding action on the screen. It’s done by breaking the translation into fragments, each consisting of 5-15 words. Then each piece is assigned a time code (the time when each sentence appears and disappears).

Second – Voiceover 

Voice-over, or V.O., is good for videos that do not focus on people speaking to one another. It’s usually used as a narration device, a shorthand tool for commercials, or as a comedic effect in TV, movies, and short viral videos.

It’s a technique where a voice is read from a script, recorded for off-screen use, and is usually spoken by a specialist voice talent. This gives voice-over an advantage over other methods because it delivers an authentic final product that feels as if it were created for the target audience.

Third – Dubbing: 

Audiences usually favor listening to the dialogue in their own language, and this is where Dubbing comes in. Though relatively pricier, dubbing is in high demand as it’s easier for viewers to take in without confusion or distraction.

In Dubbing, you just add new dialogue or other sounds to the soundtrack of the video or movie that has already been shot. 

Why Contentech?

Since 1994, Contentech localization provider has been passionately delivering premium multimedia localization services that empower the US and global brands to bridge the gap between their products and overseas clients, thus providing access to lucrative new markets across the globe.

As an ISO 17100 certified company, you are guaranteed best practice delivery and can have complete confidence in the quality of our video localization services.

In addition to our impressive track record of fast turnaround time, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to take your urgent multimedia localization projects.

Contact us today for a free quote.