More people around the globe have access to the internet these days, compared to the number of internet users a few years ago. Since content can be accessed by people from different continents, multilingual sites are becoming popular. The internet doesn’t really have a universal, unified, single language as it continues to evolve and is increasingly accessible by almost anyone from anywhere.
In addition, the advent of the internet also paved way to the rise of multimedia platforms like video and audio sharing technologies. For global brands and companies, the use of multimedia and online marketing is growing, contributing to boosting exposure and sales.
YouTube alone is getting 4 billion video views a day. Out of the 4 billion, 60% of the creator views came from people from other countries. Hence, the need for localization of content seems to be inevitable. Companies adapt localization techniques to further their global marketing. A big part of the localization practice is translation.
Darin Goble, Senior Director at Welocalize, stated:
In the localization industry, we are seeing more and more requests for multimedia localization, especially video. Localizing multimedia content can be a lengthy process and expensive. Hiring multiple voice talents, studios, sourcing the right editing, sound and engineering expertise can be a significant investment in terms of time and money. However, latest developments in text-to-speech (TTS) technology has also opened up multimedia localization as a viable option for many global brands.
Goble further added that the innovations in TTS are bringing inexpensive solutions for localization. Instead of having people record multilingual versions of an audio or video, TTS can easily convert scripts into synthetic speech. TTS supports over a hundred available languages — making this solution highly scalable. Although the output may lack in high production standards, it has been “perfectly acceptable to the target audience and will trigger the desired response.”
TTS is just one of the various localization strategies that are continuing to evolve to meet the needs of the global market and international brands.
For the end-users, the impacts of TTS are also significant. TTS improves multi-language learning by reinforcing what people read with hearing. Website visitors don’t need to download and install their own TTS application. With a click of a button or highlighting sections of the material, the website instantly converts it into speech. Give it a try!
It is a great time to be trying to learn a new language since there are a lot of different options the web and technology can provide.
If you are a developer, you can consider TTS to promote passive learning and the ability of your visitors or users to multitask.
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