The importance of video translation as a communicative tool has burgeoned significantly in recent years, emerging as a favored medium across diverse audience types.
Statista offers a compelling statistic: global internet users logged an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes online per day during the third quarter of 2022. Remarkably, at least half of this time is devoted to watching video content on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
The allure lies in video’s ability to convey profound messages succinctly. Its visual format paints vivid narratives, making it an invaluable asset in shaping a company’s voice and brand identity within the realm of communication.
Varieties of Videos
Companies deploy various types of videos to engage their audience effectively:
- Corporate. These narrative gems unveil the essence of a company—its mission, vision, and core values. They offer a captivating glimpse into the inner workings of the organization.
- Demonstrative. Step-by-step demonstrations, often known as “unboxings”, provide an immersive experience of receiving the product. Tailored to a specific audience, these videos ignite the desire to acquire the showcased products or services.
- Humorous. Playful and witty, these videos, also known as memes, captivate audiences with humor while subtly nudging them towards a purchase. They entertain, persuade, and inspire action, all with a dash of laughter.
Distinctive Traits of Videos
The requisites for the types of videos mentioned can be distilled into three essential characteristics:
- Brief. Holding an audience’s attention for over a minute is a daunting task. So, brevity reigns supreme in most videos. But they also pack enough punch to pique curiosity and prompt viewers to look for more information.
- Emotional. These videos aim to stir sensations and kindle emotions within their audience. While their message is straightforward, often adorned with a captivating ambiance—be it drama, realism, or sheer fun. Indeed, these messages tend to leave a lasting imprint compared to their written counterparts.
- Quality. Regardless of origin, all videos must exude quality. Today, they don't always need to be professionally produced, but quality is non-negotiable. In fact, consumer-generated content for certain brands fosters a stronger rapport and interest in their offerings.
Enterprises understand the transformative potential of videos, leveraging them to amplify their presence and narrative. That’s why audiovisual translation requires special attention, as it is essential in communicating original messages in any market.
Impacts of Global Communication
The ability to dub and subtitle corporate videos guarantees views. This versatility is invaluable, especially in environments where headphones are impractical or that are especially noisy. And it serves as a bridge to engage diverse audiences, including non-native speakers.
Subtitles, beyond facilitating accessibility, become catalysts for international expansion. With something as simple as this, your message reaches any country, resonating with audiences across the globe where demand for your products or services thrives.
In corporate videos, subtitles also enhance accessibility for those with hearing challenges. Occasionally, digital platforms hosting videos are leveraged to facilitate the automatic generation of subtitles.
One significant challenge with this is that if audio isn’t used, there’s a chance the text might not be fully understood. Why? Often, automatic subtitles misinterpret spoken words, either overlooking them or substituting them with unrelated terms that bear no relevance to the video’s content.
To overcome these hurdles in global communication, meticulous planning—beginning with a well-crafted video script—and collaboration with professional translation agencies are imperative. Only then can seamless translations, often in the lingua franca of English, be seamlessly integrated in subtitle format.
How is a video subtitled?
While this task may seem daunting, its impact on your content’s effectiveness and your company’s advertising cannot be overstated. However, to achieve optimal results, it requires a significant investment of time and a solid grasp of both the fundamental and strategic aspects of subtitling. This ensures that the intended message and key arguments remain intact.
Consequently, the dialogue within the video must be presented in the most suitable way. And the audio, visuals, and, of course, the subtitles must all align seamlessly with the content that resonates with your target audience.
The true mark of quality and effectiveness lies in the subtleties. Subtitles must convey the message exactly as intended, taking into account the nuances of language, culture, and the preferences of the audience. This approach ensures excellent communication and yields positive outcomes.
Characteristics and Requirements of Audiovisual Translation
Now that you understand the importance of video translation, you may be contemplating another question: Is dubbing or subtitling the better choice? Well, the answer depends on various factors:
Economic Considerations
In general, dubbing is reserved for products with a guaranteed audience and substantial profit potential. Conversely, subtitling is preferred for audiovisual content targeting a niche audience, such as short films showcased at film festivals.
Technical Factors
Technical constraints play a pivotal role in determining the optimal audiovisual translation method. For instance, dubbing is impractical for live connections or video conferences, where subtitling or simultaneous interpretation is more suitable.
Audience Preferences
Subtitling or dubbing may be favored based on audience preferences. For instance, countries like Germany, Austria, Spain, France, or Italy typically prefer dubbing, while others like Ukraine, Romania, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Nordic countries commonly opt for subtitling.
However, in regions where subtitling is predominant, certain demographics such as children and the elderly may need dubbed versions due to readability issues. Our decision is rooted in the understanding that the audience finds reading subtitles challenging. Likewise, specific social sectors, particularly in Spain and elsewhere, may have a preference for dubbed content, prompting cinemas to offer screenings in both dubbed and original versions.
Product Category
Educational or informative videos often benefit from subtitles or dubbing to maintain authenticity, as seen in reality shows, documentaries, and interviews.
Conversely, advertising videos are typically dubbed to enhance consumer product identification. Even so, internal corporate videos tend to be subtitled due to cost considerations and their limited audience.
Difference Between Dubbing and Subtitling
The primary distinction between dubbing and subtitling lies in the format. Subtitles are textual overlays displayed on screen, conveying the original message. However, they may not always match the audio pace, necessitating message adaptation and potentially sacrificing some information.
Conversely, dubbing involves replacing the original audio track with a translated one, aiming to synchronize vocalizations with the actors’ lip movements.
The subtitling process involves four stages (video transcription, spotting, translation, and subtitle embedding), while dubbing comprises four stages as well (material check, viewing, translation, and adaptation). As a result, translators must consider numerous elements in both scenarios.
For subtitling, translators adjust the language to fit timing and readability when translating the text template. For instance, English is 20% more concise than Spanish. Additionally, they adapt wordplay and cultural references accordingly.
In dubbing, translators must check the material, view it, and then translate the script, considering the images, wordplay, jokes, and cultural references.
In summary, audiovisual translation is a multifaceted process best handled by specialized agencies. If you need guidance, feel free to contact us, and one of our professionals will assist you throughout the process.
Linguaserve as Your Solution
The reach of your content can be the difference between local success and worldwide recognition. That's where Linguaserve steps in, offering you the perfect solution with its video translation services. With extensive experience in cultural and linguistic adaptation, Linguaserve ensures that your message is not just heard, but also understood and appreciated by audiences around the globe. Whether you're looking to capture the attention of new markets or connect more effectively with a diverse user base, our services are designed to overcome language and cultural barriers, enabling you to expand your global reach without losing the essence of your message.
Feel free to reach out to us. Our goal is our clients' success.
