Even if an artist takes all the proper steps to make sure the content they upload to YouTube is discoverable, only having their metadata in one language can limit the potential international audience unless, that is, they avail themselves of YouTube’s translation tools.
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Guest Post by Marina Sans of The Orchard on The Daily Rind
When uploading a new video on YouTube, there are a few basic to do’s to make sure your content is discoverable across the platform, for instance a compelling title and an optimised description. But that’s not all: Considering that 60% of a channel’s views come from outside its home country, including metadata in multiple languages is just as important and helps remove the barrier of language to make the content discoverable for viewers around the world.
Not too long ago, videos could only include one set of titles and descriptions and creators only had two options: include the metadata in multiple languages in the same title and description boxes or upload the same video several times, each one with the metadata in the corresponding language. If none of these were done, videos that might have reached many fans and potential fans went unseen by two out of every three people because they spoke a different language than the creator.
Aware of this limitation, YouTube began to develop essential translation tools that were launched a few months ago:
Channel, Playlists & Videos Translations
Now it’s possible to add translations to your channel, playlist and video titles and descriptions so they appear in the right language to the right users. This opens up content to viewers outside of a creator’s country of origin. Get step-by-step instructions on how to set these up on YouTube’s dedicated Support page.
Community-Contributed CC & Subtitles
Allow your fans to help by turning community contributions on for your videos, allowing viewers to submit subtitles in the languages they need. Once the content is submitted, it can we reviewed, edited, published, flagged or rejected. Get all the setup details on this YouTube Support page.
Translation Marketplace
If you want something more professional, hire a translator! You can compare prices and purchase translations from vendors right from YouTube’s Video Manager. Get more info on this Support page.
Initial performance results are already in: after including translations, views on this Workout Mix playlist coming from English-speaking countries tripled. Amazing! Ready to start using these features and building a global audience?