Unsurprisingly, digital content consumption continues to grow. 

Lockdown in 2020 caused demand for videos to accelerate overnight. Tech companies such as Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok have moved forward to develop new video platforms. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have also moved forward to develop video services.

Digital content is becoming more important to entertain, educate, or inform. Leveraging video, audio, and other digital content is a must for brands. Video content must be informative, engaging, interactive, and most importantly, translated into local languages. Consumers want content in their native language, and there are many challenges and complexities associated with delivering multilingual multimedia content.

I bet you have understood what multimedia translation is and why it is essential. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you start the process of translating your content. According to Lokalise, it is crucial to understand the cultural context of your target audience. You must develop a localization strategy outlining how you will adapt your contents. You should also work with an expert localization firm that has experience adapting content to different cultures.

Remember that multimedia localization is an ever-evolving process, and you should periodically review and update your translated content. With multimedia localization, your content can be made more effective for your target market. This includes localizing your content for different languages and cultures. By following these tips, you can make sure that your content is properly adjusted for your target audience.

Create content that is universal and can be used across all target markets

This avoids the requirement to source or integrate costly market-specific content such as images and text. Localization is just the first step. Designing and visual modifications follow after changing the language.

Be aware of language expansion!

When translating content, consider using the following technical guidelines:

• Use an appropriate font size (e.g., 12pt)
• Ensure that the text fits within the boundaries of your design
• Consider adding additional spacing around text elements
• Take advantage of available media types (e.g., video or image)
• Avoid repeating text across different areas of the page
• Keep text short
• Be sure to use proper grammar

Make an Emotional Impact

A multimedia marketing campaign designed to evoke the shared joy of a European family Christmas may need to be changed for the Chinese market, as the Chinese New Year is considered a time for family reunions.

Save on Production Costs

Localization is a great tool for saving time and money. You can invest in production first, then let the translation help you reach new audiences.

Avoid Cultural Mishaps

Dogs are seen as man’s best friends in the US and UK. However, in Islamic countries, dogs are considered dangerous and dirty. Localization is the process of adapting the content to fit the target audience’s culture. Text translation is just the first step in localization. Every aspect of the content needs careful consideration.

Allow extra time for voice-over language expansion

When recording source audio, ensure you give yourself enough time to expand your language through the use of pauses, slow speech, or other techniques. This will provide room in your video for the longer localized audio.

Take care in the source when syncing an audio cue to a word

In the localized content, the words may be rearranged, requiring expensive re-creation of an animated sequence to match the new world order. Instead consider syncing to a sentence, or even a paragraph.

Use accurately timed audio scripts

This will keep voice-over language translation to a minimum. During localization, the timings help ensure that the translator is aware of the time limits available to record the audio. If the translation extends beyond the original content, the voice actor can compensate by increasing the pace during the recording process, or failing this, there are post-recording solutions available, such as adding extra cuts to extend time.

Conclusion

So, how can you ensure that your content is properly localized?

There are several ways to localize your content. You may want to use an automated translation tool or hire a native speaker to do the job. You could also translate your content manually by yourself. However, if you are looking for a professional approach, you should consider hiring a professional localization company. These companies specialize in translating content into different languages.

Now that you know how to localize multimedia, this article provides expert tips to help you start: Identify the cultural background of your target audience; develop a localization plan; hire a professional translation service; and review and update your translated content regularly.