How creators can use AI to help bridge the language gap

Speaking more than one language is incredibly beneficial for content creators because it gives them a way to exponentially grow their audience. With the help of artificial intelligence, even content creators who don’t have an ear for languages can reach a global audience.

While English is widely regarded as the global language, millions–or even billions–of social media users speak a different language. That gives content creators an entirely new segment of the population to market their content to and sell guides or courses to. But, learning a language to the point of fluency is extremely difficult for a lot of people, not to mention time-consuming, which makes translation tools powered by artificial intelligence incredibly useful.

AI language tools for video creators

Generally speaking, there are two different types of language tools content creators can utilize–text translation and voice-over dubbing. Each tool serves a different purpose and, when used in tandem, can make your content incredibly accessible.

At VidCon 2023, YouTube announced plans for a new AI-powered dubbing tool for translating videos and it’s going to be available “at no cost.” This is particularly beneficial for content creators with smaller followings, who might not be able to afford to invest in a costly tool.

Content creators will edit an AI-generated transcription of a video and then YouTube’s tool will automatically translate it into the language the content creator chooses. Once the video is finished, content creators can publish the dubbed content by uploading the audio track onto their original video.

Mr. Beast, who has the most subscribers on YouTube, said the tool “supercharges the heck” out of the video. He told YouTube’s Creator Insider that he opted to keep all videos in a single, multi-language channel because it’s easier for him to manage the content and respond to comments and it’s a better user experience because all of the content is in one place.

He started with Spanish, Hindi, and Japanese dubs because those are some of the most popular languages that are spoken.

“If you do the top 15 languages, you can reach basically 90 percent of the world,” Mr. Beast told Creator Insider. “Most of the world doesn’t speak English, so if you make content in English, most of the world can’t watch your videos. The second you do videos in every language, your potential reach is 5x-6x [greater].”  

While YouTube’s tool doesn’t have lip reanimation yet, creators plan to make the feature available in the future. Creators wishing to use Aloud should join the waitlist using this online form.

Dubbing videos isn’t a new concept, it’s been around for years. But, older technology struggled to successfully sync lip movements with the voice-over, which made the videos visually unappealing and difficult to watch. Fortunately, technology has made leaps and bounds, and tools are now able to synchronize an image with new sounds so that a person’s lip movements match the new language they’re speaking. And, as time goes on, the tools are going to continue to improve, making it easier and easier for content creators to increase access to their content.

YouTube isn’t the only dubbing program out there. Other tools include Rask AI, Vidby and LOVO AI, which offer the option to specify emotions, giving content creators an added connection to their audience.

Adam Waheed, a content creator with an average of 50 million views per video, works with a company called Deeptune to translate and dub his content. His videos use the same voice, inflections, and emotions in every language he chooses and he claims it only takes 15 minutes to do. Waheed believes that he can triple his annual YouTube views to 35 billion by using AI translations.  

“My content is already very global,” Waheed told Fortune. “With me translating, it’s going to explode.”

AI tools for written content

Dubbing videos is awesome for people who primarily connect with their audience through video. But, a lot of content creators have also built businesses selling e-books, digital guides, and tutorials, making text translation just as critical.

Companies like Pairaphrase, Text United, and LanguageWire all offer text translation services. The benefit is that they can save you a ton of money, as personal translators are often pretty costly. Offering your digital guides and tutorials in several languages is an easy way to boost your income by repackaging the content your audience already loves. And to offer your content to a new market of consumers.

Beyond audience growth, translation tools are a great way to continue to connect with your non-English speaking followers. You can use the tools to answer questions, send out promotional emails and communicate directly with your global audience.