In the many years of audio production, various technologies have been developed to improve the localization process, particularly in the areas of multilingual dubbing and multilingual audio. Localization is a marketing tool used in many different types of businesses, as a staple practice for expanding the reach of any given company; this process of localization aims to make a specific product meaningful to a localized consumer or audience.
In recent years, advancements in technology have allowed for more innovative approaches, which are poised to revolutionize the way content creators and marketing teams approach localization. We will explore the newest technology available in multilingual dubbing and multilingual audio, as well as the effects, they may have on the future of multimedia localization.
AI-Based Voice Cloning For Multilingual Dubbing
One of the newest technologies in multilingual dubbing is AI-based voice cloning, which allows for the creation of synthetic voices to supplant that of human voice actors. This practice is used in television and film, but also in the production of corporate training or informational videos, ads, and podcasts.
Voice cloning technology can be used to dub content into multiple languages quickly and efficiently, circumventing the need to re-record dialogue in each language. This technology has some benefits, including reducing costs, speeding up localization, and acquiring more consistent multilingual audio.
However, still, in its nascent stages, AI-based voice cloning has not mastered the uniquely human intonation and inflection; often coming off as robotic or stilted, even in the best cases. For purely informational purposes, such as business training or educational videos, this tech may be useful, but should still be approached with extreme caution and should be highly supervised (by humans).
Regardless of the project type, professional localization and audio studios, such as SPG Studios, utilize their own network of talented voice actors and specialists to ensure the job is done as close to perfection as possible. Through experience, these professionals can assist in the post-production of any piece of multilingual audio; from tv and film to podcasts and ads.
Machine Translation
Another emerging technology in multilingual audio is a machine translation. Machine translation uses AI algorithms to automatically translate audio content from one language to another. This technology has significant potential for aiding in multimedia localization, particularly for subtitling and closed captioning. While machine multilingual translation has potential benefits, it is not without its challenges.
One of the biggest challenges with machine translation is that it is not always accurate, particularly when it comes to translating idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, resulting in multilingual translations that are confusing or nonsensical.
Additionally, machine translation is not always capable of capturing the nuance and context of certain words and phrases, which can lead to mistranslations. To combat this – just as in the case of AI voice cloning, professional audio experts can utilize a network of tried-and-true talented voice actors for multilingual dubbing – there are experts employed, as in the case of SPG’s linguists, who prepare a translated script that specifically captures both the original meaning and the mouth-movements onscreen. Such precise attention makes the viewer’s experience seamless, even if the original work was not in their native language. Despite the exciting advancements in AI voice and translations, nothing beats the experience of working with and consulting human experts.
Globalization For Multilingual Audio
Separate from these incipient technological processes, there are also new approaches to localization itself. One specific process is called “Globalization” – the intention is to make a particular product or message significant globally.
One of the biggest challenges inherent to globalization is that it can limit creative freedom, as content creators may feel constrained by the need to create content that is easily translatable into multiple foreign languages. This is where the experts come in.
Globalization is one of the ways in which audio experts, like those at SPG Studios, can assist in designing content with a more global audience or consumer in mind from the get-go. This means that content creators and filmmakers, along with linguists and multilingual audio experts, strongly consider the potential need for localization when developing the project, which can reduce the amount of post-production work required for localization; ultimately saving time and money.
Summing Up
In conclusion, the newest technology available in multilingual dubbing and multilingual audio has the potential to revolutionize the localization industry. AI voice cloning and machine translation offer exciting possibilities for more efficient and cost-effective localization processes, while globalization represents a new approach to content creation that could ultimately lead to higher-quality localized content.
As technology continues to improve, we can expect to see more accurate and reliable machine translation algorithms, which will make it easier for content creators to generate high-quality, multilingual subtitles and captions for their content.
Ideally, as all these multilingual dubbing and multilingual audio technologies continue to develop, instead of replacing human beings, they can work in tandem to create the ultimate multilingual content.
