An in-depth guide to subtitling and voice-over services

Are you looking to see how subtitling and voice-over (VO) services can benefit your business? Maybe you’re wondering how to prepare your content? Or maybe you’re just looking to see how these services will impact your bottom line. Read on for our latest guidance and discover how VO services can benefit your company.

There are many benefits to utilising both subtitling and VO practices to your content. They can:

• Help you reach a wider audience.
• Make your content more accessible to those with hearing impairments, or learning difficulties.
• Improve engagement and comprehension for viewers who are not native English speakers.
• Both can be used to improve your company’s international presence.
• Captions and transcripts of subtitles/VO content are a great opportunity to increase your online SEO.

What is subtitling?

Subtitling is the process of adding text to a video or film. The text is generally displayed in a small box at the bottom of the screen, and it includes translations of the dialogue as well as any other important information. Subtitling is used across businesses to make videos and films more accessible to a wider audience. 

There are two main types of subtitling: open and closed. Open subtitling is where the text is displayed on the screen for the entire duration of the video or film. Closed subtitling is where the text is only displayed when someone presses a button on their remote control.

What is voice-Over?

Voice-over is the process of recording someone speaking over a video or film. Voice-overs are often used to add narration to a video, or to provide translations of dialogue. Voice-overs can be recorded in any language, and they’re a great way to make your content more accessible to international audiences.

Businesses adopt voice-over practices in their content marketing strategy to allure clients from other target markets. It is essential for the company to have a clear understanding of how to use this localisation tool efficiently without compromising the quality or the meaning of the original message.

Both subtitling and voice-overs can be used for several purposes, including:  

• Translating dialogue into another language
• Providing accessibility for people who are hard of hearing
• Offering further exposition in a piece of video content

Benefits of subtitling

You can get your message across to a wider audience

Subtitling services make it possible to communicate with people who speak different languages, or those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Incorporating accessibility options into your content improves marketing readability and customer experience.

You can improve search engine optimisation (SEO)

By subtitling your content, you make it possible for search engines to index and rank your content. This can lead to increased traffic and higher search engine results (SERP) rankings.

You can improve engagement

Subtitles can be used to improve engagement with your content. Studies have shown that adding subtitles to a video can increase viewership by up to 12%. This is because subtitles make it easier for viewers to follow along with the action. They also make it possible for viewers to watch your content without turning on the sound. This is perfect for people who are watching videos in public places, or for those who are hard of hearing.

You can boost social media reach

Adding subtitles to your videos can help to boost your social media reach. With increasing global interconnectivity, subtitling can help you widen your social media outreach, as viewers from different countries will be able to understand your video. This is a great way to improve your company’s international presence.

You can improve accessibility

Subtitling services can make your content accessible to a wider range of people, including those who speak different languages, those who are deaf and those who are hard of hearing.

Benefits of voice-over services

You can control the tone and message of your content

With voice-over services, you have complete control over the tone and message of your content. This means that you can ensure that your content is aligned with your brand identity and values.

You can improve engagement

Research has shown that people are more likely to engage with content that has a voice-over. Including VO accessibility to your online videos can further immerse viewers and encourage engagement.

You can make your content more accessible

By using a voice-over, you can make your content accessible to a wider range of people, including those with visual impairments or international audiences who may not speak the language your content is produced in.

It can increase brand awareness

Adding VO to your videos can also help to increase brand awareness. This is because more people will be able to watch and share your content. VO can also help you to build trust with your audience, as they’ll be able to see that you’re making an effort to communicate with them in their language.

Voice-over can enhance understanding

Voice-over can be used to enhance understanding of your content. This is because voice-overs provide a translation of the dialogue, making it easier for viewers to follow along. Voice-overs can also be used to provide narration, which can help to explain the action taking place on screen. This is perfect for educational videos, or for those who are new to your product or service.

Getting started with voice-over and subtitling your content

If you’re looking to expand your reach, subtitling and voice-over services can be a great addition to your content strategy. If you’d like to get started with enhancing your brand content and marketing communication, you’ll need to: 

1. Determine what type of content you want to subtitle or have a voice-over for. This can be anything from a video to an audio recording.
2. Once you’ve determined the type of content you want subtitled or to have a voice-over, the next step is to select the languages you want to target. Are you just requiring English or do you need a multilingual solution? 
3. After you’ve selected the languages you want to target, the next step is to provide us with your content. Once we have your content, we will get to work on creating the subtitled or dubbed versions of your content.
4. Once the subtitled or dubbed versions of your content are complete, we will deliver them to you in the format of your choice. 

If you’re ready to get started with subtitling or voice-over services, contact us today. If you’re still unsure, give us a call and one of our dedicated project managers from a range of industries will assist you. Whether you’re unsure on what you require, or have everything ready to send, we’ll be happy to assist you along your journey. If you have any questions or would like a free quote, contact us today.