The Real Reasons You Should Be Translating Video

The COVID-19 pandemic and the need for physical distance have ensured that virtual and hybrid models of learning, working, and gathering will stick around in 2022. As industries all over the globe realize the benefits of a virtual world, translated video content is a key component in reaching global audiences and making a hybrid environment work.

In order to create successfully localized video content, digital accessibility is paramount. Localization refers to the process of creating content that specifically caters to certain geographic markets – for example, providing video translation and subtitles.  Our globalized world means that we all depend on digital technologies, and it’s more important than ever to create accessible content for an international audience. 

Let’s go over the top business benefits of video translation for your organization.

Digital accessibility

As mentioned, digital accessibility is the number one reason you should translate video content. The benefits of accessibility are almost endless, but the most pertinent allow organizations to avoid legal action and create a more inclusive environment.  Since more than 5% of the world’s population lives with hearing loss, translations and subtitles are crucial to making your content accessible, searchable, and engaging to a global audience.

But with over 7,000 languages spoken worldwide, it can be hard to prioritize which languages content gets translated into. While we recommend thinking about the location of your audience AND your business operations, it’s also worth considering which languages have the highest potential for reaching international audiences. 

According to Backlinko, India and Russia are some of the top countries surfing YouTube, with the former accumulating over 225 million annual users! This would indicate that languages spoken in these countries have the potential to connect with a large, pre-existing audience. Along those lines, trends in our own 2021 translation requests tell us that some of the most in-demand languages for video translation are:

• Spanish
• French
• Japanese
• German
• Portuguese

Improved SEO and exposure

When you cater to global audiences, you unlock access to users all over the world and uncover the potential of translated content. Considering 89% of YouTube viewers are from outside of the United States, appealing to non-English speakers practically ensures a substantial improvement in search engine optimization (SEO) and audience exposure.

Since computers can’t watch videos in the same way humans can, the transcripts created during the subtitling/translation process become a key component for search engines to index text data. Attaching text-based formats to video content has the potential to increase rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs), expose new users to your content, and all-around optimize your video. 

Versatile viewing experience

According to Digiday, “as much as 85% of video views happen with the sound off” and auto-playing videos on silent is now common practice among social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter. From a user experience standpoint, the ability to toggle subtitles on/off gives viewers significantly more flexibility when watching. 

For example, in situations where the use of audio may be unavailable or inappropriate – like the library, the gym, or on public transportation – transcripts and subtitles allow users to understand your content without the need for audio. 

International localization

Localization refers to the idea of “adapting content, products, and services“ to individual local markets. People tend to buy from and support companies that speak their language (literally!), and putting in the effort to make relatable content can truly benefit your business. By creating accessible localized content, your organization unlocks worldwide audiences and successfully optimized video content.