How To Translate Your Video Content Into Multiple Languages

Producing your animated video into multiple languages can help you expand your audience and reach online. In this article, we explain how to translate your video content into multiple languages. We break down the costs associated with translating your video content and include tips to help you keep your video translation cost as low as possible.

How do you go about translating video content?

Produce the first video

Unless there’s a specific production deadline or requirement, we recommend producing the video in one language and taking it all the way through the final draft before beginning work on translating the video into additional languages.

Translate the content of your script

If you have someone on your team that can produce the translation, that’s the quickest and least expensive option to move forward.

If nobody is available to create the translation, we can hire someone to create the translation for us. To ensure the translation preserves the original meaning of your script, we also can hire native speakers to reverse translate new script back into the original language.

Record the voiceover content

Next, we’ll audition voiceover talent and let you pick your preferred voiceover artist(s). Then, we’ll have them record the full voiceover. If you don’t have someone on your staff who can verify the tone, pacing and meaning of the voiceover, we can hire native speakers to help with the review process.

Create translated illustrations for your video content

If your animated video includes words or visuals that need to be translated into different languages, our art team will create all of the modified art and run it by your team for approval before we use it in production. Examples include: speech bubbles with text in them, signs and any text that appears on screen.

Create the translated version(s) of your video content

Now that all the pieces are ready, our team can add the new voiceover and swap in the translated visuals. Depending on the length of the translated voiceover compared to the original voiceover, there may need to be some additional animation revisions to ensure the timing of the animation syncs up to the timing of the new voiceover. If there are any characters whose mouth’s move in sync with the voiceover, we’ll need more time to update the animation so that it syncs up with the voiceover.

How much does it cost to translate animated video content into a different language?

There isn’t a straightforward number to answer this question but we’ll break down the factors that influence what it costs to translate your animated video into additional languages. This way, you can at least get a ballpark figure of what it might cost and what expenses contribute to translation costs. If you want a specific quote to translate your animated video, use this form to get in touch with our production team.

Translation Costs

Translation costs could be $0 if you have someone on your team that speaks the language your video is being translated into. If we need to hire a translator, it’s usually just a few hundred dollars for a short animated video. If you want to hire native speakers to reverse translate the script and help confirm the accuracy of the translated voiceover recording, add on a few hundred dollars.

Note: Some languages cost more to translate if there aren’t many people offering translation services for that language.

VoiceOver Costs

Non-English voiceovers cost $50-$500/minute depending on how popular the language is. If someone on your team can provide the translated recording, the voiceover recording cost could be $0. Check out 1:31 in this video to learn how you can record your own professional quality voiceover at home or in the office for free! There’s no need to buy any fancy equipment or expensive software.

Illustration Costs

This one depends on how many illustrations and text adjustments need to be created for each translation. In many cases, there may be zero illustration costs.

Animation Costs

This one is also a wild card. If the new voiceover lines up close to the timing of the original voiceover, it’s possible there could be zero additional animation cost.

However, if there’s a big difference, it may take some additional animation effort on our part to modify the timing of the animation and audio effects to ensure the visual presentation still flows.

Reminder: if your video has characters with mouths that move in sync with the voiceover, additional time will be needed in order make the mouth movements sync up with the new voiceover.

Length

Pretty self explanatory. This is the multiplier effect for all the costs listed above. The longer your video, the more work is needed to create the translated version of your video content.

How to keep animated video translation costs low

Provide your own translation

If you have someone on your team that can provide a verified translation of your script, this can save several days and hundreds to thousands of dollars off your final production cost.

Provide the voiceover recording

Have a native speaker on your staff? Incentivizing them to record the voiceover in the secondary language(s) may be cost less than hiring a 3rd party voiceover artist.

Keep the voiceover the same length

Whenever possible, we try to get the new voiceover recorded at the same length as the original voiceover. This helps us avoid the need to change the timing of the animation to match the new voiceover.

Minimize the need to create translated visuals

If we can avoid creating extra visuals for the different languages, we can keep your video translation cost even lower.

Avoid character animation with mouth movements

One of the most expensive video content translation costs is updating character’s mouth movements to sync up with the new voiceover. It can absolutely be done but it requires more time and an increased budget to make it happen.

Leveraging Subtitles and Closed Captions for Global SEO

When discussing how to translate your video content, it’s critical to address not just the voiceover (dubbing), but the power of subtitles and closed captions. This is often the most cost-effective and SEO-friendly approach to global content expansion.

The SEO Power of SRT Files

Search engines, especially Google and YouTube, cannot “watch” your video to understand the content. They rely on associated text. When you upload a SubRip Subtitle file (.SRT), you are providing the search engine with a complete, time-stamped script of everything said in your video.

• Indexing Benefit: Google can index the full text of your translated SRT file. This means your video can rank for search queries in multiple languages without the expensive process of dubbing and re-animating.
• User Experience (UX): Subtitles cater to viewers who are watching in a sound-sensitive environment (e.g., public transit, office). A video that offers captions retains viewers longer, which signals quality to the search algorithm.

Open vs. Closed Captions (The Key Difference)

When translating video content, you must choose the appropriate format:

• Closed Captions (CC): These are contained in the separate SRT file that the user can turn on or off via the video player. This is the preferred method for SEO as the text file is indexable by search engines.
• Open Captions: These are “burned in” to the video file itself, meaning they cannot be turned off. This is sometimes necessary for highly specific on-screen graphics or social media videos, but it is not indexable by search engines as a separate text layer.

How to Translate and Upload SRT Files

1. Generate the Master SRT: Start with a perfectly accurate English (or original language) SRT file. YouTube’s auto-generated captions are a starting point, but always check them for accuracy before translating.
2. Professional Translation: Send the master SRT file to your professional translator. They will provide a new SRT file with the foreign language text synced to the exact original time stamps.
3. Platform Upload: Upload the new translated SRT file directly to your hosting platform (YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia). Ensure you mark the file as the correct language (e.g., Spanish, French, German).

Specialized Translation: Dubbing vs. Voiceover vs. Localization

The term “translation” can be vague in video production. To achieve maximum impact, you need to understand the three distinct levels of linguistic adaptation.

1. Direct Translation (Script Translation)

This is the base level, focused purely on linguistic accuracy (word-for-word meaning). While this is the cheapest option, it often results in unnatural-sounding dialogue and timing issues. For example, a direct English-to-German translation may be 30% longer, forcing the speaker to rush.

2. Time-Sync Localization (Recommended for Animation)

This is the process of translating and adapting the script so that the meaning is preserved and the resulting voiceover matches the timing of the original animation as closely as possible.

• Benefit: This is what helps you keep animation costs low. The translator works under the constraint of the existing animation frames, ensuring the new script segment takes up the same number of seconds as the original segment. This minimizes the need to adjust visual pacing.

3. Full Cultural Localization (Dubbing)

This goes beyond language to adapt the content for cultural relevance. This is essential if your video contains:

• Visual Elements: Changing currency symbols ($ to €), unit measurements (feet to meters), or country-specific flags/maps.
• Verbal Humor/Metaphors: Replacing English-centric idioms or jokes that have no equivalent in the target language.
• Example: A video about tax preparation in the US needs localization, not just translation, to be relevant in the UK.

Global Metadata: Optimizing Videos for International Search

A key step in learning how to translate your video content is applying those linguistic changes to your video’s platform metadata for international SEO gains. This is how you ensure your video appears in Google or YouTube search results globally.

Translated Titles and Descriptions

For every language version you create (whether dubbed or subtitled), you must provide translated versions of the Title and Description directly on the hosting platform.

• On YouTube: Use the “Translations” tab to provide foreign-language titles and descriptions. When a user searches in German, YouTube will automatically serve them the German title, increasing the click-through rate.
• On Wistia/Vimeo: Use the platform’s metadata fields to enter the translated information.

Hreflang Tags for Embedded Videos

If your translated video is embedded on a translated version of your website (e.g., yoursite.com/en and yoursite.com/de), you need to use hreflang tags on the page.

• Purpose: These tags tell search engines that the German version of your webpage is the alternative for German-speaking users. While not strictly a video tag, it ensures that your properly translated video content is matched with the correct, localized version of your surrounding web content.

Using Foreign Keywords in Tags

When uploading to YouTube, don’t just use your English tags. Research and include popular foreign-language keywords in the tags field for each translated version. This helps the algorithm categorize the video for users searching in their native tongue, significantly expanding your video’s organic reach into new markets.

Still have questions about how to translate your video content?

Do you have a question about how to translate your video content that wasn’t addressed in this FAQ? Use this form to send us your question and we’ll follow up with an answer. We’ll also post the question and answer to this page so other people can benefit from the knowledge.

What is Video Igniter Animation?

Video Igniter Animation is an online animated video production service. By working with our team online, you can get your custom animated video produced faster and for less than hiring a brick and mortar animation studio.

We can help you create all kinds of 2D animation or 3D animated videos. Check out our animated video portfolio!

Do you want to create an animated cryptocurrency video or an animated blockchain explainer video that explains how your technology works? We can help with that too.

Need help syndicating your animated video? Ask us about video promotion!

Watch our explainer video on our home page to learn more about how we can help you create an animated video. For examples of the kinds of animation our team can produce, check out the demo reel below:

 

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