Expand your video hits with multilingual captions and subtitles

Video has become a popular marketing tool. No longer is it just the big-budget companies that can afford to produce enticing promotional videos. Today, many companies have in-house production teams complete with editing software. Over 50% of businesses that use video say it is a real challenge to promote the content they produce.

So, how many of those businesses have considered the major benefits of video translation?

Why should you consider video translation?

From the point of reaching as many customers as you can, you should aim to make your videos accessible in other languages. Thanks to the rapid growth of the Internet, there are now millions of customers around the globe waiting to receive your message.

The good news is that you don’t need a massive budget to consider using a translation agency. Two simple alternatives to a fully translated video are:

• Subtitle translation – subtitles help your viewers understand what is being said in the video when words aren’t easy to make out or when viewers may not understand the language or accent.
• Caption translation – caption text is typically used to identify the speakers in the video and display the spoken dialogue in the original language. Captions offer descriptive information that help viewers who are either hard of hearing or even deaf, to understand what is going on in the video.

What languages should you have captions translated into?

Naturally, the major benefit of video translation is just how wide a reach you will enjoy. So, which languages should you consider translating into? Firstly, consider these factors:

• Think about your content – is it pertinent to certain countries or cultures?
• If your content is relevant to specific cultures or countries, use a translation agency to accurately translate it into those languages.
• Consider the demographics – which are the top locations viewing your channel? If there are non-English speaking countries on your list, consider subtitle and caption translation into those languages to increase your global reach.

Another way to choose which languages to have your videos translated into is to take a look at which countries outside of the United States garner the most YouTube views. While English speaking countries like Canada and the UK make the list of top 10 non-U.S. countries, the other countries on the list can give you good insight into languages you should consider for translation. The countries are:

• Germany
• Russia
• India
• Mexico
• France
• Japan
• South Korea
• Brazil

Whether you would like to have your entire video translated into one or more languages, or would prefer subtitle translation or just caption translation, a reputable and reliable translation agency will ensure your videos are accurately translated on time, within budget, and while conveying your message the way it is intended to the target audience.

Video translation key take-aways

While subtitles and captions are key for your marketing video strategies, if you want to take your video channel global, those alone may not be enough. Remember that a good majority of YouTube views are from non-English speaking countries. By translating your business’s videos into targeted languages, you can boost the amount of views your videos get, while also increasing retention, watch time, and even your search rankings.

Translation of videos was a huge translation trend in 2016 and is set to continue soaring in 2017. In fact, it’s set to represent nearly 75% of overall internet traffic. Don’t let your business be left behind!