Video content is becoming a way of life for many brands and with good reason – video is the favourite type of content for consumers on social media .
This is echoed across the world as 85% of people globally watch up to six hours of video content per day .
Without a doubt, smart businesses are moving to video to get their message out there.
Why you need subtitles and closed captions
Research shows that subtitles and closed captions help viewers retain information and that they are particularly beneficial for people watching in a non-native language
With a high proportion of videos being watched on mobile devices on the move, it stands to reason that a lot of consumers appreciate subtitles.
With Google favouring sites that have informative video content, it makes sense to have accessible video messaging that will boost your SEO.
In many cases subtitling or closed captions are legally required or are favoured by host sites.
The problem is that poorly subtitled videos can be worse than videos with no subtitles as badly timed phrasing or incorrect translation can actually become a distraction.
Translated captions or subtitles?
These appear at first glance to be the same thing however there is a difference.
Essentially subtitles are fixed and can’t be switched off, so if you watch the video you get subtitles.
Closed captions are in the background and the user can switch these on or off depending upon preference.
Back in the day, subtitles were used purely to translate the words of the video into another language but of course, that would mean a different video for each language.
Closed Captions were designed to allow hearing-impaired people to understand the words that the video presented in the original language.
However, with technological developments, this has largely changed and now there are more options available.
For example, closed caption files can be uploaded to Facebook or YouTube in multiple languages using formats such as .srt files, allowing the viewer to select their preferred method of delivery and language of choice.
This is a big advantage for brands who take the time to have their captions translated because it means that their content will be viewed by more people and is likely to have a longer dwell time, which in turn means that the host will promote their video over less accessible competitors.
International Keyword research
If a brand has a message it needs to get across then it is imperative that a quality international subtitling service is used.
Just simply translating word-for-word isn’t enough. For a brand to really stand out its message needs to remain appealing to its target audience.
Consequently, for things like corporate videos and marketing materials accurate subtitling that still delivers the core values is a must.
When translating training materials, the original intent is vital as are any technical terms used so a professional translator will take this into account.
The result is a translation that takes the source language and transfers this to a subtitle or caption that does the original material justice.
But it doesn’t end there because subtitles and captions need to be precisely timed to match the visual imagery of the video.
English text is one of the shortest in terms of space required per word. In general terms, the average expansion for translating English into another language ranges from 130% to 300%.
Consequently, words and phrases that fit easily onto a screen in English will be cramped in a different language and this is where the skill of the professional subtitling service comes in.
Teneo international subtitling service
At Teneo we take pride in producing superb subtitles and closed captions for our clients.
In fact, we have a case study that shows the value of our service for one client in particular which you can view here.
We can work on a wide variety of materials to produce on-video subtitles or closed captions using .srt type files.
Our multimedia team are experienced in working with clients to bring the best out of their video and can take any file format, produce a transcript, translate and then subtitle, providing you with your finished project in whatever file format you require.
Our previous work includes subtitles and closed captions for:
- Promotional videos
- Training materials
- Company announcements
- User guides
- Internal company communications
- Social media videos
- Broadcast subtitles
- And many more…
Don’t worry if what you need isn’t listed, we have over 1000 linguists who are ready to assist with your project.
