For a very long time now, videos have been a crucial element in the marketing and advertising efforts of any commercial establishment. It is the easiest and most effective way to connect to the target market within just a few minutes. Recently, many companies have been taking steps towards building a video localization strategy in order to maximize the effectiveness of their videos. If you are not yet familiar with this concept, it’s about time to learn about it and use it to further improve your business.
What Is Video Localization?
Video localization is a new trend that companies everywhere are trying in order to reach a much wider audience from different regions around the world. Before you jump in and start building a video localization strategy on your own, you first need to be familiar with the basic concepts and tools used in the process. Subtitling, translating and dubbing, for instance, are some of the core methods involved in building a video localization strategy so you should know the differences between them.
Steps in Building a Video Localization Strategy
There are actually several ways of building a video localization strategy. Here, we will take you through a basic process that you can follow so that you can end up with a successful operation.
First, you need to find a company that really understands the importance of localization.
Identify Your Goals
Before you dive into the process, you should first identify the reason why you are building a video localization strategy in the first place. Do you want to introduce your product or service to prospective clients in a new country? Do you want to communicate better with your global partners and clients?
Determine the Languages Used in the Target Region
If you are building a video localization strategy for a particular country or region, it is easy to single out the language that you would want to use for your translation or subtitling project. For instance, if you want to address a Spanish-speaking audience, then you should specifically be looking for a professional who is a native Spanish speaker or with a similar fluency level. You should also consider the dialects spoken in the country that you are targeting. If the population of the target market speaking the native dialects is significant, then it would be worth building a video localization strategy in specific dialects as well.
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Decide on the Method of Video Localization to Use
As mentioned, there are a few different methods that you can use for localizing your video content to any country or region. The three main options are subtitles, dubbing and voiceovers.
With subtitles, you will keep the original audio in the video but add translated text on the bottom of the display that the viewers can read in their native language. It is a very economical way of communicating with your target audience, although it can distract viewers away from the video content, and may not necessarily be effective for slow readers.
With dubbing, you will replace the original audio with a new one that is spoken in the language of your target audience. It is a considerably more expensive process but more convenient for the viewer.
With voiceovers, there is no need to sync the audio with talking people on video so it is a much simpler process than dubbing. Voiceovers are recommended for videos of travel companies or other content that are visually intensive.
Each of these methods has its own benefits and unique features so you have to decide carefully as to which one of them you should use.
Choose Qualified Professionals to Do the Job
If you really have no clue about building a video localization strategy, there is no reason to fret because you can always hire professionals to handle the job for you. In fact, there is now a very fast growing number of professional video localization companies that you can find online. Circle Translations is one of these companies that are very good at what they do, and that can truly help you connect with a global audience for a very reasonable cost.
If you do decide to entrust the job to a professional, there are a few important things that you have to consider before you make your choice.
With dubbing, you will replace the original audio with a new one that is spoken in the language of your target audience.
Effective Localization Methods
First, you need to find a company that really understands the importance of localization. They must have a number of tried and tested localization techniques that will make your video look like it was made specifically for the region and is not just an obvious translation.
Of course, it is also important to choose a company that delivers on the standard requirements of video translation like accuracy, cost, expertise, turnaround time and so on. If you are successful in building a video localization strategy, it will only be a matter of time before you reach the global audience that you are looking for, and the international success of your business will soon follow.
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