Beth Worthy
1/14/2020
When it comes to digital content marketing, video is fast becoming a popular option for many businesses.
The statistics are staggering: YouTube alone has over a billion users. Facebook follows next, with more than half a billion users watching video content on the platform every day.
These stats are something to think about for marketers and businesses. If you are not incorporating video content in your online marketing strategy, you are missing out.
Did you know that using video content can grow your revenue by up to 49 percent?
If some of your target audiences are overseas, you should carefully optimize your marketing videos to reach them with your message.
Translation with the help of language translation services is one of the ways of getting your content to a foreign audience.
Here are some tips that will help you translate your video content for foreign viewers:
Do not compromise with professional translation services if you want your prospects to take your video content seriously.
Vet freelance translators or those employed with business translation services companies to get those who will be the best fit for your work.
If you do not have the budget to hire an expert translator, work with a translation agency.
It is common to want to be carefree when speaking since your source audience has no problem understanding you.
You also don’t expect your target audience to understand what you are saying since they will be following the translation.
However, a poorly-tailored speech hurts translation efforts. This is especially the case with fast speech and unfinished thoughts.
The target language may turn out to have more text than the source language—especially if the source language is English as it tends to use fewer words.
Therefore, talk relatively slowly or make frequent pauses after every thought to allow viewers to read transcripts and keep up with your video.
Keep other screen texts meant to add additional info at a minimum as they may interfere with subtitles.
The screen texts can also confuse the reader since there will be too much text on the screen, and you'll be expecting viewers to split their attention from one set of text to another.
However, if your translation medium is voiceovers, you can keep the additional texts. Still, they probably won’t be beneficial unless translated.
Before starting your video project, you should know if you want the content translated into one or more foreign languages.
This will help you come up with aspects of the content that have a universal appeal.
You will also keep in mind elements that could send conflicting messages or may not be received well in the foreign language.
Avoid slip-ups that could taint your brand’s reputation. If you don’t have much knowledge of the culture you are trying to translate content to, get help from a translation expert.
The professional will oversee the content process and give pointers on what may or may not work for the target language.
How many videos have you come across where subtitles are poorly placed?
When your videos do not have adequate space for subtitles, it will be difficult to place the subtitles.
The last thing you want to do is block the content or make it difficult to read with the shifting background color.
Leave room below your content for subtitles. In this area, the background color should not be changed to ensure consistency of the subtitles.
Compared to other forms of media, video content generates a high return on investment (ROI) when it comes to lead generation and closing sales.
Translate your video content to reach more prospects in overseas markets.
Also Read: What Are the Most Popular Types of Business Translation Services?
