If you create video content for either digital marketing, entertainment, eLearning, or more, you know that the most important thing is to grab the attention of your target audience. The online platform is full of options. If you fail to capture their attention, your consumers bounce at a very fast rate to your competitors. Moreover, the best way to make them stick to the end and come back for more is to make them feel valued. And, that is where video translation comes in. The internet has opened up the business world to a global audience that comprises people who speak different languages. Providing video content in a language that your target audience understands goes a long way in making your customers feel like they belong. Read on to learn more about how you can start transforming your existing video content to cater to a global audience.

Importance of video translation

One of the secrets of business success is speaking the languages of your clients. Likewise, if you are to see your video content succeed, transforming it into the languages of your target audience is your sure bet. This comes with several benefits that include:

• Expanding your market reach – When your video content is in several different languages, you are increasing the number of people who can consume it
• Giving you a competitive edge – Where your competitors stick to one language, adding more languages to your video content can position you at the top
• Improving your SEO efforts – Translating video content focusing on popular keywords can put you at the top of foreign language search engines
• Increasing consumer engagement – Most people prefer consuming content in a language that they understand. They are more likely to resonate with the message better when it is in their preferred language 

Where to start

Transforming your video content starts by translating the video transcript. But, before you do that, ensure that the original transcript is done well and without any errors. If you miss spotting mistakes at this stage, they are likely to be carried over to the translated script and even to the final work. In addition, pay close attention to the voice and context of your video. You want the translated video to be as compelling as well as sound as the original one. 

Ways to transform the content of your existing video content

There are several ways that you can transform your video content into different languages to make it accessible to your target audiences. Here are 2 main ways you can do this:

Subtitling

This involves translating the dialogue in the video by including text in a different language at the bottom of the screen. Besides enabling people who speak a different language to understand the content, it also makes it possible for people to watch your video in a noisy environment or with the sound off.

Dubbing

In this process, the language of the audio is replaced with a different language. Here, the translator puts into consideration the tone, emotions, accents, dialect, and more for the video to sound as native as possible in the target language. Timing is also important for the actors in the video to appear as the ones speaking the language. Dubbing is mostly used in the entertainment industry and has the advantage of making the audience feel like the video was made for them rather than being translated as an afterthought.

Voice over

This involves recording voiceovers for videos that don’t involve people talking to each other such as documentaries.

Localizing your video content

Most people often use translation and localization interchangeably. However, while translating involves changing content from one language to another, localization involves ensuring that the final product is in the right context for the target audience. This involves taking into account cultural beliefs and nuances to ensure that you don’t end up with a video that will rub off the wrong way to your audience. To achieve this successfully, you might be required to change some visuals or rewrite part of the screen.

On top of translating your video content, consider localizing the videos to make sure that they resonate better with your audience, and to avoid trending for the wrong reasons.

Working with experts

Going through the above, you can agree that it is not an easy task. If your video content is to be translated successfully, there is no room for errors as they can be costly. In addition, writing scripts and hiring translators can be confusing and costly. For this reason, it is important to work with experts. A good translation service company has the resources needed to complete any translation project successfully and effectively. Working closely with one can ensure high-quality transformation of your videos.

Conclusion

Transforming your video content gives you an opportunity to expand your reach and cater to a global audience. It is also important in improving engagement and retention. However, for you to achieve this, you need to ensure that it is done properly. Hopefully, you can get some valuable insights above to help you execute your video content transformation project successfully.