Marketing is that mix between art, creativity, and science that promotes and distributes content about a company to users looking for its services.
Digitalizing services and companies and slowly crossing the once global barriers of commerce, the internet has connected service and good providers worldwide with customers worldwide.
This has made it necessary for companies to be understood and promoted in different markets because oftentimes the assets created for one market, donÄt work as well for others. Creating content, in fact, takes time, data, and a lot of refining.
The Facts
Translating a video is a complex process. There are many steps to take and mistakes can be costly. Every part of your project requires careful planning and, with high stakes, expert help is highly recommendable.
Am I making it sound worse than it really is? Hear me out.
Video translation can mean many different things. The first you might imagine is the translation of the voice in the video into a different language, a voiceover. Still, video translation can go further than this and become the translation of subtitles as well as the translation of image content and writing in the video.
This last choice allows you to have a truly localized video, which will convey your message in the best of ways and you ought to make sure there isn’t any imagery that will result in an offense to the culture you are localizing in.
What are the steps to localizing your video?
The steps vary according to the type of project you put in place, however, generally, the first step is to get the script of the video, which can be done through a transcription service or by watching the video and writing down what you hear. Once you have the script, you need to find translators who are familiar with both languages (the original language of the audio and the target language).
The translators you choose should also have experience in subtitling videos or doing voiceovers so that they know how to translate the dialogue without adding too much information on top of it. Once you have language professionals at your service, it’s time for them to work their magic! They will start by translating each line in order, then they will go back and check for any errors or inconsistencies that may have occurred.
After this has happened, you will need to add the subtitles or the translated audio to your video and then your content will be ready.
If you want to take things one step further, which is advisable in case your video had a lot of budget behind it and has a big target objective, it would be better to send the translator the source file to the video or any images it was made out of. The translator will then be able to analyze and localize every aspect of the video into the target culture or market. This option, it goes without saying, requires a different type of budget even though it yields the best results by far.
How to really overcome the challenges?
The help of an expert able to manage your project could be the right solution if you’re not into testing or DIY. While sometimes you can afford to go by trial and error, other times you may simply want to take advantage of experts who have already been through the process multiple times and know the ins and the outs.
Companies like Langpros can help you in your video localization journey, advising you about the best solution for your needs and taking the headaches out of your project.
