Video Localization for Asian Languages

亚洲语言的视频本地化

2022-07-19 00:00 GALA

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Sign up here for our newsletter on globalization and localization matters. The importance of video cannot be underestimated in our current times. Following that trend video localization becomes an irreplaceable service as globalization continues.Here are some facts and statistics to put things in perspective: Online videos will contribute to over 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022, which is 15 times higher than figures on 2017 According to studies, 54% of consumers would like to see more video content from a brand/business they support It is also reported that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, when compared to only 10% when reading it in a text With YouTube surpassing Google as a search engine for videos, it is unlikely that this trend will wane. In fact, video is set to play an ever increasing role in the business and entertainment space. Whether for tutorials, vlogs, interviews, product reviews and demos, live streams, event recaps and presentation videos, video advertisements, testimonials, webinars or product presentations, when it comes to video localization for Asian languages, a few important factors need to be taken into account. 1. Target audience and cultural sensitivities Asia is home to 48 different countries, with the number of languages and language groups spoken there being very diverse from one another. In addition to this, there are so many cultural forces at play that these are difficult to ignore and shouldn’t be. Especially when it comes to video localization. This is why video services for Asian languages need to consider cultural elements and sensitivities when converting a video from English into an Asian language product. This means not only taking into account the words that are actually spoken in the original video, which will then either be dubbed or subtitled, but also the music in the video itself, the type of characters portrayed if it’s an animation, the background as well as the colors used. 2. Duration and content Video is quite a tricky animal to tame. Its creation entails several different forces which play a role simultaneously. These may range from the actual speech, to the music, the background of the video etc. Content is critical here as localization services will need to take into account nuances and emphasis placed on certain words, determining whether the emphasis will have the same effect in the target language. In addition, the content itself needs to be adapted so that it does not offend or even confuse the target audience, especially those in Asia. Duration of the video itself is another critical factor. This is because a viewer’s attention is usually captured within the first 15 seconds of a video being watched, and research indicates that corporate videos are now between 1-2 minutes long only. This does not provide much space for getting your ideas across and therefore, videos not only need to be punchy and to the point, but also catchy in order to grab the viewer’s attention quickly. 3. Editing One rule of thumb when it comes to localizing video, especially in Asian languages, is that it’s best to work with an unedited video and localize it, instead of working with an edited video that needs to be entirely reworked. The amount of effort required to rework an edited video is significantly higher. Therefore, when localizing video content, consider using the original video as your starting point and then moving it forward to be localized. 4. Localization method Choosing the right localization method will have you deciding between whether to use synchronized or unsynchronized dubbing or subtitles instead. Dubbing is usually the more expensive version when compared to subtitling but its effects can be more profound. However, if you choose to go the subtitling route, consider the fact that there’s a very limited space for your audience to read what’s on the screen. It takes them about 3 seconds to read one line and while English uses fewer words and letters, Asian languages use characters and in languages such as Chinese, 20 characters per line is usually the norm for the average reader. Subtitles are not that common in Asia, with a vast majority of audiences preferring dubbing and voice-overs. 5. Planning Planning starts out by the identification of the target audience, the target language, cultural sensitivities and common local practices and customs, as well as whether you’re working with an already edited video or one that hasn’t been “touched” yet to enable you to localize it. Well-planned is halfway done, as they say, and it would be wise to put in the necessary effort in the preparation of each video – from the script to your chosen localization method to ensure that it conveys the desired message in a non-offensive way. 6. Music Music that’s used in the original video will also need to change according to local customs and will therefore need to be localized. Therefore, consider removing any music from the video that might cause offense and replace it with a local version that’s likely to catch the viewer’s attention rather than draw them away. 7. SEO Search Engine Optimization or SEO as it’s commonly referred to, is another key consideration when planning to engage in Asian languages localization. This refers to the ability of search engines such as Google to identify the video as a high-quality addition to a specific search and present it in a higher place on the search engine results page (SERP). Here, your video will need accurate metadata, which is ultimately the video’s title, a meta description, and tags that will be used to identify the video. 8. Budget We now come to the final point regarding video localization in Asian languages, and although it’s the final one, it’s certainly not the least important. When it comes to localization services, especially in Asian languages, you will need to work with a localization partner who can truly understand your needs and rise to the challenge by offering key deliverables within the project’s timeframe. However, keep in mind that the cheapest option is not always the best one and if you opt for a low-quality video localization, you may need to re-edit, re-translate, and re-localize multiple facets of your video in order to make it attractive and presentable to your audience. Final thoughts The use and consumption of video is only set to skyrocket in the next couple of years as consumers choose this content delivery method over text and other forms. This is why the question now is not whether you should engage in creating quality video content for your audience but when. The sooner you start the better. When it comes to Asian languages, you need to consider adopting the services of a high-quality Asian languages localization provider, who will be able to take into account cultural differences and nuances and portray the main message in your video effectively for maximum exposure and effect. 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请在此注册以获取我们关于全球化和本地化问题的时事通讯。 视频的重要性不能低估在我们这个时代。随着全球化的不断发展,视频本地化成为一项不可替代的服务。以下是一些事实和统计数据,以帮助我们正确看待这一问题: 到2022年,在线视频将占所有消费者互联网流量的82%以上,这比2017年的数字高出15倍 根据调查,54%的消费者希望看到更多来自他们支持的品牌/企业的视频内容 还据报道,当观众在视频中观看消息时,他们保留了95%的消息,相比之下,当在文本中阅读消息时,他们仅保留了10 随着YouTube超过谷歌成为视频搜索引擎,这一趋势不太可能减弱。事实上,视频在商业和娱乐领域的作用将越来越大。无论是教育课程、视频博客、访谈、产品评论与示范、即时串流、活动摘要与简报视频、视频广告、客户评价、网络研讨会或产品简报,在进行亚洲语言的视频本地化时,都需要考虑几个重要因素。 1.目标受众和文化敏感性 亚洲有48个不同的国家,使用的语言和语言群体的数量各不相同。除此之外,还有许多文化力量在起作用,这些力量很难被忽视,也不应该被忽视。尤其是在视频本地化方面。这就是为什么亚洲语言的视频服务在将英语视频转换为亚洲语言产品时需要考虑文化元素和敏感性。这意味着不仅要考虑到原始视频中实际说出的话,然后要么配音或字幕,但也在视频本身的音乐,如果它是一个动画,描绘的人物类型,背景以及使用的颜色。 2.持续时间和内容 视频是一种很难驯服的动物。它的产生需要几种不同的力量同时发挥作用。这些内容可能包括实际的语音、音乐、视频背景等。内容在这里非常关键,因为本地化服务需要考虑某些词语的细微差别和重点,以确定这些重点在目标语言中是否会产生相同的效果。此外,内容本身也需要进行改编,这样才不会冒犯甚至混淆目标受众,尤其是亚洲地区的受众。视频本身的持续时间是另一个关键因素。这是因为观众的注意力通常在观看视频的前15秒内被捕捉,而研究表明,企业视频现在只有1-2分钟长。这并没有提供太多的空间让你的想法,因此,视频不仅需要是有力的和中肯的,但也朗朗上口,以抓住观众的注意力迅速。 3.正在编辑 在本地化视频(尤其是亚洲语言的视频)时,有一条经验法则是,最好使用未经编辑的视频并将其本地化,而不是使用需要完全重新处理的已编辑视频。重新编辑视频所需的工作量要高得多。因此,在本地化视频内容时,请考虑使用原始视频作为起点,然后将其向前移动以进行本地化。 4.定位方法 选择正确的本地化方法将让您决定是否使用同步或不同步的配音或字幕。配音通常是更昂贵的版本时,相比字幕,但其效果可以更深刻。然而,如果你选择字幕的路线,考虑到一个事实,即有一个非常有限的空间,你的观众阅读屏幕上的东西。他们读一行大约需要3秒钟,而英语使用的单词和字母较少,亚洲语言使用字符,在中文等语言中,每行20个字符通常是普通读者的标准。字幕在亚洲并不常见,绝大多数观众更喜欢配音和画外音。 5.规划 计划首先要确定目标受众、目标语言、文化敏感性和当地的惯例和习俗,以及你是在处理一个已经编辑好的视频,还是一个尚未“接触”过的视频,以便你能够将其本地化。正如人们所说,精心计划是成功的一半。在准备每个视频时投入必要的精力是明智的—从脚本到您选择的本地化方法,以确保它以一种不冒犯的方式传达所需的信息。 6.音乐类 原始视频中使用的音乐也需要根据当地习俗进行更改,因此需要进行本地化。因此,请考虑从视频中删除任何可能引起冒犯的音乐,并替换为可能会吸引观众注意力而不是将他们引开的本地版本。 7.搜索引擎优化 搜索引擎优化或SEO,因为它通常被称为,是另一个关键的考虑因素时,计划从事亚洲语言的本地化。这指的是诸如Google等搜索引擎将视频识别为特定搜索的高质量附加项并将其呈现在搜索引擎结果页面(SERP)上的较高位置的能力。在这里,您的视频将需要准确的元数据,这最终是视频的标题,元描述,和标签,将用于识别视频。 8.预算 现在我们来看看关于亚洲语言视频本地化的最后一点,虽然这是最后一点,但它肯定不是最不重要的。在本地化服务方面,尤其是亚洲语言的本地化服务,您需要与真正了解您需求的本地化合作伙伴合作,他们能够在项目期限内提供关键的交付成果,从而迎接挑战。但是,请记住,最便宜的选择并不总是最好的选择,如果您选择低质量的视频本地化,您可能需要重新编辑、重新翻译和重新本地化视频的多个方面,以便使其对观众具有吸引力和吸引力。 最后的想法 视频的使用和消费只会在未来几年内飙升,因为消费者选择这种内容交付方法而不是文本和其他形式。这就是为什么现在的问题不是你是否应该为你的观众创造高质量的视频内容,而是什么时候。越早开始越好。当涉及到亚洲语言时,您需要考虑采用高质量的亚洲语言本地化提供商的服务,他们将能够考虑到文化差异和细微差别,并在您的视频中有效地描绘主要信息,以获得最大的曝光率和效果。 我们一直在寻找与我们的行业相关的信息丰富、有用且经过充分研究的内容。 写信给我们。

以上中文文本为机器翻译,存在不同程度偏差和错误,请理解并参考英文原文阅读。

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