How Global Businesses Harness Video Translation

What 5 types of videos should you outsource for language services?

Last updated: June 3, 2020 9:02AM

Subtitles and voice-over are for more than watching foreign films. Today, global businesses have joined the multilingual video revolution. Whether you are creating a video game or coordinating corporate communications, global companies need a way to adapt video content for a multilingual audience. Outsourcing video translation enables the quality video content you create to be available to any viewer—no matter what language.

Lionbridge experts present five ways they apply translation services to create winning multimedia content:

#1 Crisis Communications

Video isn’t just a convenient way to communicate quickly with a wide range of people–it’s a way to connect face-to-face with your employees when in-person meetings are not possible. In a crisis, being able to deliver a personal message is a powerful tool

Add subtitles and you can rest assured that your message is understood by multilingual speakers. Outsourcing subtitle services from a Localization Service Provider (LSP) experienced in translating crisis communications ensures fast, expert-level translations to deliver your personalized message in any language. For urgent video translation, Lionbridge provides quick turnarounds for subtitling and voice-over—or even real-time interpretation for emergency corporate town halls.

See it in action:

As the threat of COVID-19 became apparent, businesses around the world recognized the need to communicate a statement to employees. For a major provider of food and health services, this meant delivering a video announcement, their preferred medium of communication, as soon as possible. As a long-time partner with Lionbridge, they trusted our teams to handle the creation, translation and delivery of a quality video. We were able to accelerate the production of a 20-minute video with subtitles in six languages—in 48 hours.

#2 Training and eLearning

Studies show that people learn better in their native language. And with eLearning’s ever-increasing popularity in the world of business and education, finding a way to adapt its video content for multilingual learners is critical. Lionbridge uses Globalization-at-Source™ methodology to ensure your content is easily adaptable for multicultural audiences by building source content with a global audience in mind. Then, we can translate the video with the option of subtitling or voice-over services.

See it in action:

When a leading global technology hardware manufacturer contacted us to localize a series of training videos, our team created a template custom-built to be easily localized for their various global branches. While maintaining the client’s universal training goals and stylistic preferences, we consulted with the local teams to satisfy cultural and linguistic needs. Ultimately, our client was able to balance regional and global goals and give voice to their diverse teams around the world.

#3 Corporate Communications

For global companies, the language barrier is a familiar foe, especially regarding video production. When managing a multinational, multilingual operation, businesses often struggle to organize large scale translations internally and are forced to depend on English. By partnering with an LSP that specializes in video production and translation, you ensure more effective communication and a stronger connection with your global teams. Whether you need translation for a pre-recorded video or real-time interpretation for a live video announcement, Lionbridge can adapt to your needs, on your timeline.

See it in action:

One global biotech producer, and Lionbridge client, is ahead of the curve—conducting almost all of their internal communications via video. With a diverse operation representing six different languages, creating and translating their video content in-house would be extremely challenging. Instead, Lionbridge helps simplify the process. We transcribe the English script, translate it into all six languages, and then overlay subtitles onto each video. This ensures the delivery of one consistent message across internal operations.

#4 Video Game Production

When developers create a game, they create a world. The key is designing a reality that is both engaging and convincing. One way game designers strike this balance is by choosing each word of the script mindfully. To respect this effort, it is critical that translations are accurate. Lionbridge looks for translators driven by a passion for video games capable of reflecting the creativity and artistry of the original content into new languages.

See it in action:

Lionbridge is the LSP of choice for one global leader in technology and video game production. Finding the right talent for video voice-overs can be difficult, but one project was especially challenging. Our client had a very specific vision for a game that hinged on finding an actor with a certain voice characteristic. Localizing that game meant finding an actor to fit those characteristics in over 10 different languages. We called on our international network of talent recruiters and language experts. With the right talent, our globally-dispersed production studios coordinated a product that fit the criteria of our client’s vision.

#5 Multilingual Marketing Campaigns

The short, shareable and searchable marketing videos propagating your newsfeed are incredibly effective for buyers of all cultures. According to Forbes: “Video does what text doesn’t. It creates an immediate, real and authentic route of interaction and connectivity with audience members, who can often provide reactions and comments in real-time.” Collaborating with translation professionals to adapt your videos for multilingual viewers can make your message impactful in any language.

See it in action:

We are extremely proud of our collaboration with a major telecommunications company as it exemplifies the advantages of our end-to-end multimedia services. For years, we built a rock-solid partnership as their LSP. When they learned they could come to us for video services, they saw an opportunity. Lionbridge began creating brand-specific videos pre-designed to localize into the languages they needed. For one notable project, our teams worked together from the ground up. We built a global-ready storyboard, produced the video and localized it with subtitles for more than 10 different languages.

The Bottom Line

The video revolution is here to stay. Reports estimate that “the average person will spend 100 minutes every day watching online videos in 2021.” Whether you already have a robust video production operation or are just beginning, Lionbridge is a powerful multimedia services partner. Our teams pair video and translation expertise to help you create videos primed for global audiences. From story building to linguistic adaption, Lionbridge offers complete end-to-end video production services.