During lockdown, video translation has been one of the things keeping me busy.
Learn about why it’s so beneficial and is now more important than ever.
As the world moved into lockdown, we all had to learn to adapt in so many ways.
Some people’s day to day realities might not have changed all that drastically, but as an interpreter who travels within Europe multiple times a week, I’ve been adapting to a very different kind of new normal.
As well as taking the opportunity to work on my business and exploring remote interpreting work, I’ve been turning my hand to more video translation projects. Translating videos in English directly into Italian, without the transcription step that’s often involved in this type of translation.
My translations are then turned into subtitles, so that Italian speakers can understand the video’s contents, with or without the sound on.
Last week, a new client entrusted me with a video about eye care. Every linguist knows what a pleasure it is to work on a project that you find genuinely interesting, and I’ve been wearing contact lenses since the tender age of 18, so it’s a topic I’m very familiar with.
The client wanted to explain to their customers and audience how important it is to keep your contact lenses case clean to stop bacteria from growing, and to replace it entirely every so often.
I don’t know about you, but I’d never really given my contact lens case all that much thought. But I guess we’re all thinking a lot more about hygiene these days. Just one of the changes we’re all getting used to.
The benefits of video translation
Did you know that videos with subtitles are 80% more likely to be watched in full than videos without them?
I’m sure you yourself often chose to watch videos online with the sound off. Sometimes it’s because there’s background noise and you can’t hear the video properly, or because the quality of the audio isn’t great.
But often it’s because you’re don’t want to bother people around you, or you don’t want the video cutting through your peace and quiet, or the podcast you’re listening to. But you’re still interested enough to watch it, providing it has subtitles.
And social media channels know that. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all automatically mute video content that’s posted on their timelines. So, if you want a video to catch someone’s eye as you’re scrolling, then subtitles are vital. Without them, the video content you’ve worked so hard on is likely to sink into oblivion.
If a company operates across different territories, then video translation can mean they avoid having to create original content for each one. They simply add subtitles in the relevant languages, rather than creating multiple videos.
Why video translation is now more important than ever
Having gone to the trouble of creating their video about eye care, my client knew they needed to translate it to reach a wider audience.
We all know that, in recent years, the video has been the queen of online marketing content. But recent events have cemented video’s place as a, or even the key marketing tool even more firmly.
We’ve now all spent months communicating by video, whether live or pre-recorded. And things are probably going to stay that way for a long time to come.
One of the silver linings to come out of so much sadness is that we’ve all realised that so much can be done using the technology we’re so lucky to have, despite its drawbacks.
And with travel sure to be limited or risky for quite a long time to come, why would people travel for a business meeting when a video call would do, or for a presentation, when a video could just be emailed through?
If marketers were already prioritising video, then that trend is only going to expand exponentially in the coming months and years. And the businesses that are ahead of the curve with multi-lingual video content will be the ones that thrive.
Just like the eye care pharmaceutical company I translated this video for, if you need help with a video translation project to make sure your content gets the views it deserves, get in touch for a quote. I’m here to help.