You already know how it is: Video content is taking on an increasingly prominent role in corporate communication, product presentation, marketing, customer interaction and pretty much everything else involved in running a business. In fact, video content has become a fundamental part of the globalisation process that many companies are engaged in, aiming to reach a broader international audience with a view to expanding their market share. Once you have decided to go down the video path, there initially appear to be a host of different ways to compose the content. Some companies are fortunate enough to be able to prepare 100% visual content without any problems. Others supplement their video images with voice-overs, subtitles or on-screen text to clarify the underlying message.
If you choose to use written elements in your video, you first need to decide whether to prepare your texts in your domestic market’s language, or in a broader, more international language – which in many cases will mean English.
Another key issue arises if you decide to screen your video internationally. A video that works well in one country is not automatically guaranteed to achieve the same success at international level. Are you going to stick to a lingua franca, or prepare multiple language versions? Once again, you need to take context into account – as well as elements such as your deadline and budget, which depend on how many markets you plan to target.
By the way, on the subject of the budget ... If you have already invested a tidy sum in producing a high-quality, eye-catching video (which you have, right?), it would be a real shame to downplay the importance of a professional translation. A machine translation of dubious quality can quickly deflect attention away from your otherwise ultra-professional video. And if that is the case, then all the money you pumped into your video production is as good as wasted.
So if you do decide to prepare multiple language variations of your video content, professional video translation has a key role to play in adapting the content to different markets and cultural contexts, ensuring that your company’s message will be seen, heard and understood as intended.
What types of video would benefit from professional translation?
If your video is destined for a professional audience, then regardless of the subject matter and type, it will pretty much always require professional translation to ensure the best result. Some of the key types of video for companies are:
- Advertising videos and campaigns: Advertising films need to be captivating and convincing. Every sentence, every word, every nuance counts. A professional translator will ensure that the message is not simply translated word for word, but culturally adapted to resonate with the local target audience.
- Training and educational videos: If training material is to be effective, it must be clear and straightforward. In this context, a professional translation will ensure that the teaching messages are maintained and that the content is pedagogically robust in multiple languages.
- Product presentations and demos: When a new product is to be presented, it is essential that its functions and benefits are communicated accurately and convincingly. A skilled translator will help to highlight the unique properties of the product in a manner that appeals to international customers.
- Company presentations and profiling: The history, mission and vision of a company are crucial to its brand identity. A professional translation will ensure that your definition of the essence and values of your company remains intact across languages and cultures.
User case, Kamstrup A/S:
subtitles and on-screen texts in 11 languages
Would you like a practical example of how translation and/or localisation of your video content can be handled? Here’s what we did for our customer, Kamstrup A/S.
Kamstrup develops and manufactures intelligent measuring solutions and services for supply utilities, property administrators and other companies all over the world that need reliable consumer data in order to reduce waste and to optimise their production and distribution of clean water and energy. Kamstrup actively uses videos in its communication and marketing – when presenting new products and solutions, for instance. As an example, let us look at Kamstrup’s flowIQ 4200, the biggest intelligent water meter that the company has developed and manufactured to date. For the presentation and marketing of this water meter, Kamstrup has produced a promo-video that is to be screened on several of Kamstrup’s markets. In this context, Kamstrup asked to have the video subtitles and on-screen texts translated into 11 languages. The company also wanted to produce a new voice-over track in one of the 11 languages.
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For this project – which encompassed more than “just” translation – Kamstrup’s fixed team of project managers at World Translation called on the in-house graphic department and the team’s regular partner for voice-overs and dubbing. The project manager was the anchor man for the project and the only contact Kamstrup needed to stay up-to-date during the process. The in-house graphic department was responsible for implementing the subtitles (in .srt format) and on-screen texts correctly in all 11 languages, making sure that they aligned with the video time codes and the message in the voice-over track. In addition, this department was tasked with incorporating the new voice-over from our voice-over partner. Once all the work had been completed, World Translation delivered a set of finalised videos ready to run on the relevant platforms.
Three good reasons to commission a professional translator for the work
It probably won’t come as a great surprise to learn that we believe there are many good reasons to involve a professional translation provider in your process if you want to be sure of a professional outcome in all the languages you need. But let’s keep it short and sweet; here are the three best reasons to prioritise a professional translator for your video content:
By investing in professional video translation, you can ensure that your company’s video content is ready for release to a global audience and carries the right message, presented with the requisite cultural finesse and accuracy.
“But ... can’t we just use AI?”
All kinds of options are already available for translating your video content automatically, and we can well understand how tempting this may sound. Hand on heart, we already use AI solutions for some of our assignments! But we never put our full faith in AI alone. We use it as a tool in our work.
In the context of video translation, AI tools might be relevant to use in connection with automated voice recognition or synchronisation. In both cases, AI would function as an assistant, helping with the work to transcribe speech in a video (this is a practical approach in the initial phase of video translation) and to synchronise translated texts with the video timeline, making sure that the subtitles and voice-overs exactly match the flow and rhythm of the video.
There are, of course, many more ways to utilise AI in connection with the translation of your video content. However, even though AI offers the benefits of speed and automation, it cannot (yet) replace the human touch which is so essential in ensuring cultural sensitivity, accuracy and creative adaptation in the translation process. A combination of the efficiency of AI and the expertise of a professional translator can lead to excellent results.
So, if you do choose to go the AI way, promise us at least that you will have the output proofread by an actual person with robust linguistic skills and a good understanding of the subject matter. That is, if you want to be taken seriously, generate leads and attract new customers to your business. Because while the options available through AI are many – and often really smart – the process can still go horribly wrong.
Need a sounding board?
If there is a video translation assignment in your inbox, and you think the process seems a little overwhelming, you are always welcome to ask our advice.
You can find a number of ways to contact us here, or ask us directly for a non-binding offer for your project here.
