Tips and Tricks for Video Localization

We are living in an era where technology has completely taken over our day-to-day tasks. If there is one thing that technology has strengthened the most, it is communication. Communication is the key in every aspect of our life, and that includes the way we do business. Communication through multilingual videos is efficient and convenient for both the producer who wants to convey their messages and the viewer can efficiently obtain knowledge from it. Visual communication, especially through multilingual videos, tends to attract a wider audience which in turn can promote your ideas or your product launch to a large number of people from around the world. Video communication is a strong channel that helps establishing your brand globally.

There are certain factors to keep in mind when planning to record and post a video for promotional purposes. The most important question to answer is what is the purpose of your video? Secondly, how will you structure the tone and script of your video? If there are multiple topics being covered in the video, you need to jot down the order and the format of the topics. Who is your target audience? Your product does not have to be for everyone; there is only a certain fraction of people who will be interested. Therefore, you need to understand the level and requirements of your audience in order to create content that specifically interests them. Furthermore, you need to make sure you post or release your video at the time where the engagement of the audience with you or your product would be the maximum. You need to work out how long the video will take over the platform. If there are multiple videos to be released, you must know how to tackle all of their sharing time periods. Another factor that impacts largely on the video and your message, it is the point of recording. You must understand what mood your message requires in order to impact the people and make them aware of it. This is the fundamental factor that contributes to your video and, in turn, your message.

Once all this is decided upon, you then need to understand the features and limitations of several video services.

There are certain procedures and features which, when added to the video, can make it more efficient and accessible to people around the world. Some of them are described below:

Video Translation There have been many recent enhancements in the channels of communications throughout the world, and advancements in video communication are no exception. Now, by posting your videos on international platforms like YouTube, you are able to reach out to the entire world. The globalization of your message through video localization runs the risk of being ignored because of the language barrier. Hence, audio video translation of your videos into different languages is a must. There are various vendors that provide video translation services according to your targeted audience and the expansion of your business. The basic and most important point is that the translated version must be as attractive as the original and must be able to convey the same message within the same format. There are certain guidelines to follow in order to apply audio video translation.

However, it is not always possible for you to know if you are going to need the translation process in the future. For small startups or beginners, it is difficult to predict when your businesses will expand internationally. But if you do know it beforehand, you have a great advantage in store. With some planning in place, you will not have to record or produce the video again in a different language; you can just recreate the same video by translating it into a different language. This way, you save on video production costs while still preserving your message and, in many cases, optimizing it. The best practice when devising your video is to consult a company like Braahmam who provides translation and subtitling services and video translation services.

The crucial thing to consider is to think global first and then local. Create content and add surroundings, colors, themes, images, and graphics in such a manner that it stays appropriate for people from a different cultural or religious background. You must use images or taglines, which will not offend any of the targeted audience. If you consider brochures, it is easier to alter and recreate them into new ones, but when it comes to a filmed video, it can be a very different matter.

Video subtitling

When a video is subtitled, the viewer is able to listen to the original tone and language, while reading and understanding the subtitled language which is usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. The viewer can still read the facial expressions of the on-screen actors and will be able to hear the inflections of the narrator. This technique provides the viewers with a more authentic experience of your product.

The subtitles are required to be in sync with both the audio and the video and must be kept at least within certain limits of length in order for the viewer to be able to absorb and understand the words of the narrator as well as the non-verbal information being communicated. During the translations in certain languages, the full translation might be longer and impossible to fit into the short time period of a particular part of the video. In such cases, the translators have to improvise and be creative and must remember not to compromise or alter the key message in the video. The main advantage of inducing subtitles in the video is that it reduces the production cost of the video. It does not require voice talents or recording audio in studios. There is no further need for recording engineers.

Voice-Over

A voice over is a re-recording of the original audio using a translation of the original script. The viewer watches the original video while listening to the content in their own language. The important thing here is to synchronize as much as possible the translated script with the original one to make sure that it fits when applying it to the video. The translations done here also require adaptations depending upon the factor like original and translated language, and the complexity of the video. It should also be kept in mind whether or not the voice over recording needs to be in sync with the video content. There are different types of voice-overs. The ‘Down and Under’ which is also known as ‘UN style’ is a type of voice over where the voice of the original speaker is played at a lower level in the background. The translated voice-over recording is clearly audible to the viewers while the original voice is still perceptible. This method is used in magazine-style programs which have only one speaker. Instructional videos often use the ‘phrase sync’ voice over method, in which the translated script is carefully synced with the original voice. The timings and content are matched accordingly in both voices. With this method, the original narrator is not heard. Their voice is completely silenced and only the new translated voice-over is heard. Background sound effects like musical elements or themes, however, are the exceptions, as they can be mixed in with the voice over.

Tags : Video translation services , Translation and subtitling services