Connect With And Influence International Audiences
The average adult watches over five hours of TV and video content each day. We’re surrounded by visual, interactive, and immersive content that we access on multiple devices, wherever we are in the world. Multimedia localization can be the most effective (and entertaining) way to connect with and influence international audiences.
Localizing audio, video, ads, animations, and eLearning materials to suit local tastes, languages, and cultures is an integral part of any global business strategy. Adapting the audio and visual elements can make brands and businesses more accessible and create the right emotional connection with global customers.
Multimedia is all about the language of your target audience. Therefore, anything part of the User Experience needs to be localized. This means everything a user might see or hear, including audio, video, images, sounds, subtitles, on-screen text, and the documents linked to the video. There are several key areas and skills in multimedia localization.
Video And Audio Localization
If you speak to the man in the language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
- Nelson Mandela
A carefully executed video strategy can increase your conversion rates by over 80% , but it takes more than just creating compelling videos to achieve this [1]. The importance of video doesn’t mean audio is any less critical. Studies show that poor audio quality has a negative impact on how viewers perceive your video, even when the video quality is of the highest quality [2].
Script Transcription And Translation
If you’re working with video, transcription is often the first step in your localization process. You need to transcribe the video verbatim and then translate it. Once the translation is in place, a native speaker needs to have a look at it and make the necessary changes to ensure current language and cultural references.
Subtitling And On-Screen Text (OST)
The use of subtitles is increasing when considering targeting multilingual audiences with video content. This can be a cost-effective way to do this. Subtitles and closed captions display the text on the screen in the local language for easy understanding. You can increase the effectiveness of the subtitles by avoiding literal translations and adapting your subtitles to the language and culture of your target audience. OST works to recreate graphics and overlay text, often found in training materials.
Voice-Over And Dubbing
Voice-over refers to spoken text in audio-visual media, whereas dubbing refers to recording new voices in a different language. If you’re on a tight budget or have less time, you can opt for voice-overs. However, dubbing serves you better if you want an enriching experience for your users.
Importance Of Localization In Global eLearning
If you’re looking to educate global audiences, training and course materials and videos need to be available in more than one language. eLearning materials are often videos, animations, and interactive quizzes. This can make localization complex, as juggling voice-over, subtitling, and graphics can require specialist localization engineering.
Importance Of Good Localization Engineering
Localization engineering involves planning and executing a workflow for exporting, translating, and reintegrating content and metadata for websites, eLearning modules, multimedia content, or software applications. A localization engineer ensures your team follows the correct process, uses the apt translation tools, and has the localization best practices in place before starting the translation process. Localization engineers form a bridge between product, localization, and engineering, so the translation process always goes smoothly. Sound localization engineering saves time and costs down the line.
Concluding Thoughts
The rapid expansion and consumption of multimedia content underscores its vital role in global communications and business strategy. Today's audiences demand not only engaging but also culturally and linguistically tailored content. This need has catapulted multimedia localization to the forefront of global business practices.
Multimedia localization bridges the gap between cultures, enhances audience engagement, and drives business growth. Companies that invest in high-quality multimedia localization position themselves to successfully navigate the complexities of the global market. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the ability to communicate effectively across cultures through localized content will be a key differentiator for successful global businesses.
References:
[1] How Videos Can Increase Your Conversion Rate
[2] Why Audio is More Important Than Video Image Quality
Originally published at www.welocalize.com.
