In today’s digitalized era, where everything seems so interconnected with online sharing and distribution, no wonder technology is taking over the space. However, when talking about digital distribution, you cannot overlook the importance of media localization. At this time, when digitalization is thriving at its peak, making anything global does not require much time but much technology, planning, ideation, and execution. Incorporating media localization is one such big discovery of the digital world. This major addition to digitalization holds immense power to not just make any news, any website, or any advertising scheme reach its target audience but to make it earn a global name in much less time, and less effort. Want to know how? Read on and explore how media localization is winning over the digital world.

What Exactly Is Media Localization? Importance of Media Localization.

Well! Media Localization simply means translation along with adapting to its cultural, regional, and linguistic references. And, this is how it differentiates itself from the mere term “translation”. In today’s time, where it just takes a few minutes to make any video, or news go viral, if it has the right content and connects to the right audience. However, there are still a few hinges that could make the entire process go wrong if not processed using the right technique, that is media localization.

In the digital world today, media localization goes beyond translating the content, rather it breaks all the cultural and societal barriers between the companies and the consumers. It targets its audience with tailor-made content, be it audio, video, or scripts, converting every detail and specification as per their regulations, and understandings. Today the global market has innumerable agencies and industries that are working to showcase their ideas, and campaigns in multilingual content to make their brand and production a globalized name. Moreover, through media localization, you attain people’s trust, and confidence in your work, which ultimately will lead to an effortless and a better customer engagement experience, and drive better results.

Know the Types of Media Localization. How are they Beneficial in the Digital World?

So, when you think of say social media localization, what could you expect? Well! Media localization is a broad category in itself. So, social media localization would include translating its written part, converting the audio and video used into the local language, or adding texts to it for a better understanding and following other laws and regulations while doing so as per any specific place. Henceforth, considering all these in the process, there are mainly 3 categories namely:

• Subtitling or Captioning
• Dubbing
• Voice-over

Now, let’s have a closer look at all its categories, and learn how it helps in Media localization in the digital world.

1. Subtitling or Captioning

Subtitling is the type of media localization in which text is added to a film or video in any other language as per the demand or preference, which may be using English subtitles for a French movie or vice-versa. Subtitling is said to be the most common and inexpensive among all other media localization.

Captioning is the practice of adding text to videos in the same language as the videos. It is specifically used for the deaf and people with hard-of-hearing problems. Moreover, captioning includes sound and music identifiers as well.

2. Dubbing

In Dubbing, an original soundtrack for a marketing video or a film is replaced with another language as per the target audience. And, henceforth, it gets the viewers’ attention at large as they do not have to look for the subtitles or maybe replay the scene twice to understand. However, it is the costlier among the rest and also requires more time, and effort to match up to the original video.

3. Voice-over

Voice-over is yet another category of media localization, used for video localization, where the volume of the original audio is lowered, and instead, another language’s voice is added to it. Usually, it is used for documentaries or corporate videos. Yes, it costs less than dubbing. But, one needs to be careful while matching the added audio with the video.

Media Localization in a Digital World- A Win or Lose in the Future?

Globalization today is the main focus of every business, especially of the production houses and the advertising agencies. Suppose, an ad or a film is made in any particular language with the intent to make it a popular one or gain more profit through it. How would that go without any change in ideation, and execution? How will the folks in other foreign places understand the language and the motive behind it? How will it connect to a larger audience?

Clearly, that would not be possible, right? Without any localization, the idea will fail to reach out to a larger group or make its mark globally. Moreover, in today’s world of social media and OTTs, where people spend most of their time, that particular film or campaign will remain limited to a smaller audience only. However, the professionals in the fields today recognize this and take this as a boon to attain more traffic, gain more audience, and hence achieve better profit from it. And, what helps them in overcoming these challenges is Media Localization. As technology is evolving, and people incorporating digitalization into their daily lives- from being it watching any film or video to participating in advertising campaigns, the need for Media localization is undeniable. Nowadays, for professionals to utilize such advancements as subtitling, dubbing, and voice-over, there are various production and multilingual studios, that offer assistance in doing so. Meanwhile, there are such translation tools, and software available for their localization purposes.

Conclusion

So, as you read, Media localization is the future of this digital world, and the future of media localization in a digital world is enormous, taking businesses and brands to another height.  Such advanced techniques make media localization and hence the opportunity for globalization a much easier process. And, undoubtedly, the key to success in today’s and the everyday evolving future digital world lies behind media localization.