Voice over is an incredible way to enhance your business’s marketing and communication strategies. Localization voice over can generate emotion and engagement when used correctly if you are using any kind of video or audio content. Your goal as a business owner is to ensure that your messages come across clearly to your audience, and the voice over is no exception. Depending on where your audience is, you might have to consider language barriers.
Business is becoming more global daily, and you want to ensure that all audiences can access your messages. Subtitles are well and good, but it will always be easier for an audience to hear their native language rather than trying to read along. This is where localization voiceover comes in.
What is Localization?
Localizing is when the voices for audio or video are translated and voiced in another language or accent to better match the intended audience. The entire process involves:
- Transcribing a script for the original audio
- Translating the script
- Editing the script as needed
- Choosing a voice actor who best matches the translated lines
- Recording the new lines
- Editing the final recorded content
When translating and editing a script, localization can help make audio and video clips relatable to the target market. Localizing the original dialogue is problematic because it is modified to fit the speaking style, pace, vocabulary, and dialect considerations. Phrases that may not have exact translations are phrased in ways that the new audience can understand.
There are different types of localization. There is standard localization voiceover and then dubbing. Dub is a more active form of localization where multiple voice actors re-record original dialogues. The number of speakers depends on the number of voices in the original audio clip. Dubs are more time-consuming and expensive to produce but offer a higher quality viewer experience.
Critical Benefits of Localization Voice Over
Choosing to go for a localized voice over has many benefits. You can reach a much wider audience by translating and modifying your messages to be more understandable. People will be more likely to engage with your content or buy your product if the marketing is in their native language. This includes sharing your messages on foreign social media channels.
Another obvious benefit of having a wider audience is that your business can grow beyond its domestic borders. With global messaging comes global clients, and showing foreign consumers that you are willing to speak their language will make it easier to conduct business with them.
A third benefit is that a localized voice over showcases your professionalism. By opting for a quality, professionally done voice over, existing and potential clients can tell you value your outreach efforts. A well-executed voice over shows you won’t cut corners regarding your foreign clients.
Types of Projects that Shine When Localized
While localization is a great tool, there are certain areas where it can bring out the best parts of a project when done right. These include:
- Movies and TV shows: Voice overs cover narration, exposition, and internal monologues. This doubles for any promotional material for movies and TV shows, including trailers and social media posts. You can use localization for all of these purposes.
- International sports events: Any sport with an international following can use localized voice over. If an event will air at a specific time or has a pay-per-view planned, then localized voice overs can help drum up promotion across the globe.
- Educational videos: Explainer videos and educational programs also benefit from localized voice over. Especially with the internet, a larger audience has access to learning opportunities. Companies making videos or university courses turn to multilingual, online content to round out their educational programs.
- Video Games: Much like TV and film, video games offer immersive experiences to their consumers. As games become more advanced and dialogue plays a more significant role, voice over plays a much larger role in making game worlds seem more relatable and immersive. More games offer foreign language dubs, making localizing a crucial aspect of modern game design.
See What Localization Voiceover Can Do for Your Business
No matter what type of project your business is considering, localization voice over is an option to consider to enhance your marketing and communications strategy. Speaking someone’s native language is bound to catch their attention, and localization is the way to do that. It can bring about a return on investment by attracting a wider audience and help you tap into international markets. Professional localization can help keep new and prospective customers engaged while assuring international markets that you take their business seriously.