In today's interconnected world, operating on a multilingual level is more essential than ever. Your business might have employees scattered across the globe, international clients knocking on its door, and an audience that spans several continents. So how do you effectively communicate with such a diverse group? The answer lies in the power of multilingual transcription.

Multilingual transcription is your secret weapon for breaking through language barriers and reaching a wider audience. It ensures that your communications, marketing materials, and everything in between are perfectly tailored for an international audience.

In this guide we'll deep-dive into the six main benefits of multilingual transcription for businesses. Let's get started!

Jump to:

• What is multilingual transcription?

• What is multilingual captioning?

• How multilingual transcription and multilingual captioning can benefit your business

  • International reach

  • Accessibility

  • Compliance

  • Engagement

  • SEO

  • Competitive advantage

Multilingual transcription is the process of converting audio content into written text. That text is then translated into different languages for different audiences to consume - either in the form of subtitles on a video or as a separate written document.

Multilingual transcription is used for all kinds of video content across a wide range of industries, from e-learning courses and professional training sessions to webinars, Zoom meetings, and virtual conferences.

Multilingual captioning involves displaying synchronized captions or subtitles on a video - in a choice of different languages. Multilingual captioning adds a layer of accessibility by providing a visual representation of the spoken words, allowing viewers to read along while watching the video.

Here are six ways that multilingual transcription and captioning can add value to your business.

In today's world, it's becoming more and more likely that you'll be conducting business globally. You may have employees or clients based in different countries, or an international audience who are interested in your products and services.

By adding multilingual transcription or captions to presentations, events, and brand videos, you can attract a wider, more diverse audience and provide a more bespoke experience. This helps you to engage with international audiences - whether that's employees, customers, clients or partners - much more effectively, improving communication, understanding, and relationships.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people globally live with hearing loss. Transcription and captioning make your content more accessible for these individuals, as well as for members of your audience who are speakers of other languages (or a combination of the two).

They also make your content accessible for members of your audience who generally prefer reading to taking in information audibly. Young people in particular are fans of subtitles, and a 2021 study by the BBC found that a staggering 80% of 18-25 year olds use subtitles all or some of the time.

Multilingual transcripts and captions help your business to connect with a more diverse audience and ensure equal access to information and services.

Find out more about how to make your video and audio content more accessible.

In many countries, there are legal requirements to provide captioning or transcription for certain types of content, such as videos in educational or public settings. For example, in the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that businesses and nonprofit organizations that serve the public (like libraries, universities and museums), communicate effectively with all citizens, including those with a disability that affects the way they communicate. While the law doesn't explicitly refer to captions, they are often essential for making sure public-facing audio and video content is accessible.

There are also global guidelines in place to set a global standard for web content accessibility.

By complying with these regulations and guidelines via multilingual transcriptions, businesses can avoid legal issues and demonstrate their commitment to inclusivity.

Whether you're hosting a conference, a training session, or a webinar, multilingual transcription and captioning makes your content more engaging. It improves user experience by providing clarity and understanding, particularly when dealing with complex topics. Your audience can easily follow along, refer back to important points, and read content in their preferred language, leading to increased engagement - and enjoyment!

Learn more about the benefits of using transcription services at conferences.

Google's organic search is responsible for 59.2% of the world's web traffic, so it's a good idea to harness the power of SEO for your audio and video content to get it ranking in search results. Transcriptions and captions can be indexed by search engines, which can help to boost your SEO. And with multilingual transcription, you can increase your content's likelihood of ranking around the world, making your content more discoverable and more likely to receive organic traffic from countries worldwide.

Want to get ahead of the competition? By offering your content in multiple languages, you can target and engage with international markets that your competitors may overlook. Increased customer acquisition and market share - tick!

What's more, multilingual transcription demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity and customer satisfaction, which can set you apart from competitors who aren't prioritizing language accessibility. This can help you to build a more diverse customer base and build stronger brand loyalty - while improving your international SEO too.

The benefits of being a multilingual business are immense. You get to tap into a broader range of international markets, connect with diverse customers, and expand your global reach. By speaking the language of your customers, you create a personalized and engaging experience, fostering stronger relationships and customer loyalty.

Being a multilingual business also enhances communication within your team, enabling effective collaboration with international employees.

Much like being a multilingual business, conducting multilingual marketing is important because it opens doors to new markets, expands your customer base, and gives you a competitive edge. By speaking the language of your target markets, you create a deeper level of understanding and engagement, building trust and loyalty among customers. It also enables you to tailor your messaging, promotions, and campaigns to specific regions, increasing their effectiveness.

At Transcribe, we support more than 120 languages and dialects. Simply upload your audio or video content, select the language of the content, and we'll provide a written transcription. Once you've got that, it can easily be translated into other languages.

Check out our guides on how to transcribe audio, how to transcribe video, and how to add captions to a video for more information.

Or if you're ready to get going, download the Transcribe app or launch the online editor to get started!

Written By Katie Garrett