Why You Should Add Localized Subtitles to Your Media

Historically, subtitles are associated with people that are hard of hearing. However, this article by the BBC, highlighting a study from Stagetext, outlines how that may no longer be the case. It found that four out of five young viewers use subtitles.

One of the reasons outlined in the study was due to subtitles making it easier to follow what’s going on. Oftentimes, background noises make it fairly difficult to understand what was said in a movie, and subtitles fix that. The research also proposes that people would likely go to more live events if there were subtitles. Subtitles also serve the purpose of reaching audiences who do not speak the language of the media. Let’s take a look at why you should add and localize subtitles for your content.

Widen Target Demographic

Localizing your subtitles combines the benefits mentioned above with the ability to reach a wider audience. This survey conducted by Common Sense Advisory found that 65% of people prefer content in their language, even at the sacrifice of quality. It also found that greater than 70% want product information in their native tongue. The same logic applies to the media you are trying to provide to a target audience.

Pricing of Media Translation

If you are already on the path to localizing your video content, you have probably discovered dubbing. For those who haven’t, dubbing is the process of adding new audio over an existing video. This requires hiring voice actors and a lot of time lining up audio tracks with video; as you can imagine, this can get expensive. Subtitles, on the other hand, are less expensive and easier to implement. A popular debate is whether subtitles or dubbing is a more enjoyable way of consuming foreign media.

Accessibility

The original purpose of subtitles, aiding the hard of hearing, is still a very good reason why all of your media should have them. People who require subtitles are very unlikely to engage with your product if they do not have them. Having subtitles also shows a higher level of customer and audience consideration.

When subtitling your media, it is important to hire very experienced translators, ideally ones who understand the target demographic and language on a native level. It’s very difficult to get the pure meaning of another language across in text, but with adept translation it is possible. Contact International Translating Company for your translation needs.