When businesses and content creators are aiming to increase the profits, views, and global visibility of their projects, they turn to localization.
Localization is all around us. When you watch foreign content on Netflix, you’re watching international content localized for YOU and those who speak your language.
Businesses also localize their products for new markets, such as Red Bull, which made a few strategic changes to their cans and ads before launching the brand in China.
So, businesses use localization as a method of expanding their global audience or consumer base, but what forms can localization take? And what is localization in the world of content vs physical products?
What Is Content Localization?
When taking your film, online videos, website or app to the international stage, you will need to localize the content for any audience or world region you wish to target. This can be done in various ways, such as dubbing, subtitles and translation.
Dubbing
Dubbing is the highest quality of content localization. This form allows international audiences to fully immerse themselves in the content, just like the original audience can. There is no need to read subtitles, and this leads to a higher engagement rate in both entertainment and commercial projects. That’s why Netflix now dubs their shows in 32 languages, and YouTube has introduced the MLA feature, so creators can rely on dubbing services to get more views and earn more ad revenue with a global audience.
Example: Mojang Studios is a renowned Swedish video game developer based in Stockholm, celebrated for creating the sandbox and survival game Minecraft, which stands as the best-selling video game globally.
The YouTube team at Mojang Studios collaborated with Voquent to enhance the accessibility of their content. Voquent took on the challenge of creating Multi-Language Audio tracks for the official Minecraft YouTube channel, catering to diverse audiences speaking in Hindi, Latin Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
Subtitles
Subtitles also give international audiences the option to consume your content, but outside of anime, they are not considered the best option. Subtitle services are the cheapest way to take your content global, but audiences don’t enjoy having to read the content that your original audience gets to hear, and this often reduces the watch time of your localized versions when compared to a high-quality dub.
Example: Levi’s held a seasonal supplier event, and we worked with their event company, XYZ, to subtitle dozens of videos in French, Spanish and Italian.
Our team’s challenge was that most speakers spoke non-native English with heavy European accents. So, extra time was spent ensuring the accuracy of the transcripts before translation and eventual burn-in to the videos.
Translation
Translation is required when creating both subtitles and dubbing, but simple text translation services are also required for written content. Websites and apps can offer their written content in various languages, allowing users from all over the world to access their platforms.
What is Product Localization?
Localizing products can be even more complex than localizing content, as you have a physical product to adapt to your new market. Products can be localized in the following ways: redesign, branding, cultural changes, and translation.
Branding & Design
Branding and Design are huge factors to consider in product localization. Even as much as colour can mean the difference between a successful product launch and a localization letdown.
Example: Check out our transcreation video, which explains how Red Bull localized their drink for China by dramatically adapting the design of their cans:
Local Taste & Culture
Local Taste and Culture are different in each world region. Ensuring a successful product launch in a new market requires market research, so you know this new consumer base will like your products. Just because Americans loved it doesn’t mean Indians will.
Example: Dominos made the necessary changes when launching their brand in India. Not only did they convert their products to the local taste, offering paneer paratha pizza and other cultural favourites, but the takeaway giant localized the Indian version of its site and app to have an easy-to-access vegetarian filter. Why? While 4.2% of Americans are vegetarian, 20-39% of Indians are. Genius!
Translation
Translation, while an obvious aspect of localizing products to new markets, is not as simple as you may expect. Packaging information, slogans, and the name of your company need to be translated, and a word-for-word translation will rarely do the job adequately.
Example: Okay, this is a bad one. When Coca-Cola launched in China, they translated the company name to 蝌蚪啃蜡 (ko-kä-kö-la), so it sounded the same. The problem is that this translation actually meant ‘bite the wax tadpole’ to Chinese locals… yuck. Luckily, they changed the translation to 可口可乐 (kĕ-kŏu-kĕ-lè), which may sound slightly different, but ‘happiness in the mouth’ makes a lot more sense for a drinks company, don’t you think?
What Is the Difference Between Localization and Translation?
While translation is the simple conversion of text from one language to another, localization employs more creative techniques to retain the original message in a new language or market.
Example: The Swedish phrase ‘Ingen ko på isen’ is directly translated in English to ‘there’s no cow on the ice’. If you used this technically accurate translation, English-speaking audiences would have no idea what you’re talking about.
The phrase itself originated from when cows were led to a lake to drink, which could be dangerous due to the ice. So, the phrase actually means ‘there is no reason to worry’, and this would be a better localization choice for the new audience’s understanding. This type of translation, most commonly found when localizing content, is often referred to as ‘transcreation’.
Why Should I Localize Content?
Localization is one of the best techniques for businesses and content creators to take their brand global, reach new audiences, or target a new market.
Did you know that only 18% of the world speaks English?
If you want the entire world to watch your content or buy your products, you need to make it available to them in their own language whilst retaining the original message.
Localization services = more views, more brand awareness, more customers, more profit.
Localization Services
The global market has never been so accessible for businesses and content creators. Even platforms like Netflix now dub their content into 32 languages to maximise profits! However, this only works when the localization service is of a high enough quality for your audience to truly enjoy and engage with the localized version – Nobody likes a bad dub!
Here at Voquent, we offer a comprehensive range of localization services to suit various businesses and budgets, including dubbing, translation, and subtitles for videos, apps, and audio.
Our translators and audio-visual production team undergo rigorous quality assurance testing and are highly skilled in their respective fields. We’ve built a vast global network of partners to ensure you get the best translations and quality integrations.
To get started, talk to our sales team about what you want to achieve. We’ll provide recommendations based on your budget and requirements, 100% obligation-free.
Conclusion
Localization services have the power to transform your project’s earning potential, taking it to every corner of the globe to be enjoyed by international audiences.
Why create something brand-new when you can get more eyes and ears on the last project? It’s much more cost-effective.
So, open your business up to the rest of the world today, discover new audiences, and boost the success of your project! It’s time to localize.
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