Is there a silver bullet for video localization?
Our client thought they’d found it with an AI video platform promising one-click translation into any language. The translations are powered by AI, while the voiceovers are generated using TTS (text-to-speech) technology.
Localizing video content is a notoriously complex process, and achieving quality results for every market can be costly and time-consuming. Our client chose an AI video platform to make it faster and easier to localize their e-learning videos. However, they quickly found that AI alone couldn’t deliver the right results for their markets – particularly, for the elaborate commercial videos which rely heavily on very specific brand terminology.
At Rubric, we’re all about helping you create great experiences for your customers in the most efficient way. We bring the right people together and design effective workflows that help you get the most from your tools. When our client told us their new tool wasn’t quite meeting their needs when it comes to translation, we jumped at the chance to help. Collaborating closely with both our client and the developers of this AI video platform, we shaped a new way of working that delivered the quality and value our client was looking for.
The challenge: Untrained AI translation didn’t match client needs
When our client started using an AI video platform, the first step was to create their source-language video within the platform. They would then use the one-click translation feature to generate localized versions for their different markets.
But here was the catch: because the AI video platform was using generic, untrained machine translation, for both voiceover content and on-screen text, the quality didn’t meet our client’s needs. Terminology and style weren’t aligned to their brand, while a lack of contextual information was leading to mistranslations.
These issues had to be manually fixed, but that was no easy task. The content was “locked” within the AI video platform, and the client had to rely on in-house native speakers and Rubric linguists to polish up the AI-translated videos—a resource-heavy process that needed to be performed on 25 language versions.
We were keen to help things run more smoothly, and had been keeping a close eye on the AI video platform’s evolution. So, when a new export feature was released, we were quick to alert our client. This feature allowed users to export the source video content, so it could be translated externally by human linguists. We knew this would improve quality and reduce the post-editing effort.
The solution: Working together for a smoother journey
Within a few days of the new feature’s launch, Rubric’s dev team put in place a new workflow to handle export files from the AI video platform and deliver the translations, just as we would for other types of content.
Getting to grips with a new tool is all in a day’s work for our technical teams. The client explains:
“This required a whole new skillset on Rubric side. They developed those skills and knowledge—[how] to operate on the AI video platform—in a very short time, and with minimal input required from my side.”
Being able to export the translatable content meant we could draw on the expertise of our human linguists, as well as translation memories and curated glossaries, to create high-quality, on-brand video translations that were ready to use. It also allowed the translators to work in their own familiar tools.
We worked in partnership with the AI video platform to test their new export function and get it working optimally. They were keen to understand our client’s needs and worked closely with us to make the user journey as smooth as possible—from exporting the files, to translating the content, and importing the high-quality localized versions back into the platform.
The client was impressed with the way we brought everyone together and helped them achieve the results they needed from the AI video platform they had chosen:
“Rubric was very open to co-operate with us on this... I am glad to see that Rubric came with us on the journey into what for sure will be the future of translations.”
Results: Better quality in half the time
Using the AI video platform’s “out of the box” AI translations wasn’t meeting our client’s quality needs. The new workflow utilizes the platform’s latest export feature to deliver much higher-quality human translations, rather than lightly post-edited machine translations that risk diluting our client’s brand.
And this actually worked out 10% cheaper than the original model of AI translation followed by lengthy human review in the AI video platform. What’s more, it took Rubric half the time, with all translators working on the content simultaneously using translation tools which they are familiar with and a single project manager handling exports and imports in the AI video platform.
Our client is delighted at how easily they can localize their e-learning content:
“We love to create training videos with this AI video platform. It’s a great and very flexible tool with which we can create in-house high-quality content. I can full-heartedly recommend to use Rubric services for your AI video translation.”
At Rubric, we integrate with your tools so you don’t have to change anything. From helping you choose the best platform for your needs, to creating streamlined workflows that blend human expertise with AI, we’re here to help. And if your current technology isn’t performing as you expected, we can partner with your provider to explain your requirements and develop a solution that works for everyone.
If you’re struggling to get the quality you need from your localization budget, talk to us. We may not have a silver bullet, but we can help you get more from the tools you have.