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Video marketing can greatly benefit companies because they can educate their customers with stories that are aided by visuals and sounds. When done well, that can result in an emotional connection that could be more impactful than other marketing tactics. A positive response to a video can range from higher engagement on social media to purchases and brand loyalty. As a result, the business world has seen a huge increase in the need to dub and subtitle marketing, corporate, training, and instructional videos into the language of their end customers across the globe.

Dubbing and subtitling videos into the language of a different linguistic and cultural target market are called video localization, video transcriptions, or video translation. Unlike translating documents, video translation subtitling or localizing videos is a more complex process. One of the first decisions you need to make is whether to dub or subtitle your video. Subtitles are text translations of the audio heard in the video while dubbing involves replacing the original dialogue with a voiceover of the audio in a foreign language.

Below are some items to consider when thinking about dubbing or subtitling your next video project:

Dubbing

Here’s what you should keep in mind if you’re considering dubbing:

• It can be a more immersive experience for viewers to hear the audio in their own language
• Dubbing is most effective for training, marketing, corporate videos as well as eLearning courses
• For how-to videos with a lot of visual instructions that need to be followed, dubbing is preferred as reading subtitles can get in the way of trying to watch the visual steps
• It’s accessible to individuals with visual impairments or who have difficulty with reading
• Viewers are not distracted by having to read subtitles to understand the video

Subtitling

Subtitles may work well for your project, depending on a few factors:

• They work well for videos that sometimes play without audio, such as social media videos
• Sometimes keeping the original voice of the speakers in the video is necessary to retain the same tone and messaging of your video; in this case, prefer subtitling.
• Subtitles are generally more affordable and have a faster turnaround because voice-over recording and post-production processes can be quite costly and time-consuming.
• It’s accessible to those with hearing impairments or difficulty hearing.
• Certain markets prefer subtitling overdubbing; it all depends on the cultural habit of your target market.

These are just a few points to consider when you opt for localized video. Whether you dub or subtitle, having a localized video in another language can only help you reach a wider audience.

For video translation services, voice-over services, and technologies, our team is ready to help make your localized video project a success.

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