If you’re a business that produces any kind of live streams with ambitions to reach a global audience, there is one significant factor limiting how far you can reach. It’s not your marketing. It’s not your content itself. Your technology needs scalability, true, but we’re talking about something else: language.
You can be technically capable of hosting millions of people on one stream, but if you want people around the world to partake, it needs to be accessible for everyone who doesn’t speak your native language. Even if you release a stimulating, content-rich event that your English-speaking audience enjoys, it won’t go as far as you want it to unless you offer some form of translation or interpretation features.
Don’t worry if that sounds daunting. You don’t have to recreate your event with different language speakers every time. Instead, it’s possible to broadcast content in multiple languages simultaneously with platforms like Dolby.io. This approach bridges linguistic divides and fosters inclusivity and engagement amongst viewers. In this article, we’ll cover how to live stream in multiple languages and what some key benefits and challenges are.
Understanding multilingual live streaming
As its name suggests, multilingual live streaming involves delivering live content in multiple languages at the same time. This way, viewers can choose to listen to a stream in their preferred language or toggle between whichever ones they understand. There are a few ways to offer multilanguage audio and even visual functionality, including:
Simultaneous interpretation: This method entails human interpreters providing real-time translation. They may have a script of the content to follow in their respective languages or choose to translate as they see fit. Simultaneous interpretation is highly effective for events like international conferences, webinars, and corporate meetings, where accuracy and cultural nuances are crucial; whether or not the translators themselves appear on screen.
Multilanguage audio tracks: Another common approach is to provide multiple, pre-recorded real-time audio tracks within a single stream. This allows viewers to choose their preferred language from a list of available options and is often used in sports broadcasts (and is essential if you want viewers to participate in activities like live sports betting or live horse race betting), international news, or entertainment platforms.
Subtitles and captions: Adding real-time subtitles or captions in multiple languages is also a convenient way to enhance accessibility. Human translators or AI-based live transcription translation tools can generate these subtitles, though the latter carries the risk of not fully communicating your content’s message. While this approach doesn’t provide the immediacy of an audio translation, it can be an effective form of fan engagement software for audiences who prefer or need textual accessibility.
Sign-language miniplayer: One of the best ways to make your content accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members is to include miniplayers in your live stream (a smaller video layered over your main content) where a sign language interpreter can provide visual translations.
Key technologies involved
Implementing multilingual audio and text in live streaming effectively requires a combination of a few technologies:
AI-based translation: Artificial intelligence is often used to translate content in real time. These live translation tools can handle multiple languages simultaneously and provide an inexpensive solution for multilingual content delivery. However, these tools are still advancing and may miss cultural and linguistic nuances that confuse viewers, so be cautious if this is the route you choose to go.
Multilingual speech recognition: This technology is designed to recognize and transcribe speech. It’s primarily used to generate real-time subtitles or captions, providing viewers with text-based live translations as the stream plays on their devices. Advanced speech recognition systems are capable of handling complex accents and dialects, making them increasingly reliable.
Real-time language switching features: Platforms that support multilanguage live streaming often include features that allow viewers to switch between different audio tracks or subtitle options as the stream plays. These features contribute to a seamless viewing experience, minimizing delays and interruptions when switching languages.
Benefits of multilanguage live streaming
Audience reach and engagement
One of multilanguage live streaming’s most significant benefits is its ability to expand your reach and engagement. By breaking down language barriers, content creators like your business can tap into new markets and connect with diverse communities.
For instance, a live product launch in multiple languages can get viewers excited around the world, boosting your impact and growing your international customer base. Plus, offering content in viewers’ native languages encourages a sense of belonging and inclusion, and consumers are more loyal to businesses that don’t overlook them.
Brand and content visibility
Content gains greater visibility organically when it’s available in multiple languages. Multilanguage audio and captions grant you an opportunity to make your products or services known in regions where your business may not have had a presence before. This expanded visibility builds brand recognition, fosters trust, and positions your business as a global player. Additionally, content in multiple languages is more shareable on social media, further increasing its reach.
Monetization opportunities
Multilingual live streaming opens new avenues for monetization. By engaging a broader audience, you can attract more ads, sponsorships, and partnerships from international organizations. Moreover, the ability to reach viewers around the world increases opportunities for in-stream purchases, subscriptions, and donations. A sports event streamed in several languages, for instance, could entice advertisers looking to target specific language-speaking groups, and you could attract attendees from around the world if you’re hosting live auctions.
Challenges of multilingual live streams
Multilanguage audio is always something worth doing, so its challenges shouldn’t deter you from implementing it as an option for participants, but they’re important to be aware of so your viewer experience is optimal.
Technical challenges
Technical issues like latency — the delay between the original and translated audio — can frustrate viewers if it’s longer than a second or two. It’s important to use a platform that supports ultra-low latency and multilanguage live streams so non-English speaking viewers don’t have a less ideal experience than anyone else. Fortunately, Dolby.io provides both of these features and also offers advanced infrastructure that can handle multiple audio streams simultaneously without degrading stream quality.
Content localization
Localization goes beyond mere translation: it involves adapting content to fit cultural contexts, idiomatic expressions, and regional differences. This is crucial for maintaining authenticity and avoiding misinterpretations or offending audiences — humor or references that work well in one culture might not translate effectively to another. This level of localization requires skilled translators and cultural experts, which could add to the cost and complexity of your stream, but ultimately results in a better viewing experience that makes non-English speaking participants appreciative.
Resource allocation
Providing high-quality multilingual live streams can be resource intensive. It involves costs related to hiring interpreters, using live translation tools, investing in the necessary delivery technology, and ensuring adequate network capacity. Additionally, ongoing monitoring and quality control are necessary to address technical issues in real time.
How to live stream in multiple languages: Best practices
Let’s cover a few best practices that will help you make sure that the next time you live stream in multiple languages, it goes off without a hitch:
Pre-stream preparations
Effective multilanguage live streaming starts with thorough preparation. This includes selecting the right tools and platforms, setting up proper network and equipment configurations, and rehearsing with interpreters or testing live translation software. You can also make your interpreter’s or system’s job easier by simplifying your language to avoid as many region-specific idioms as possible, so your content is more universally understandable.
Naming conventions and language mapping
Establishing clear naming conventions and language mapping are essential to your stream’s success. Doing so helps organize content and allows viewers to easily identify and select their preferred language, preventing confusion during the broadcast. For example, we recommend labeling language tags in their respective language — i.e., Español instead of Spanish — to make them more user-friendly.
Troubleshooting common issues
Prepare for technical issues by having a support team on standby to address problems in real time. You don’t want to frustrate viewers in China because your Chinese audio fell behind while everyone else stayed on track, so test each channel thoroughly beforehand and stay alert for incorrect mismatches, delays, or overlaps during your broadcast.
How to live stream in multiple languages with Dolby.io
Dolby.io supports multilanguage audio tracks so you can communicate with a diverse range of audiences around the world. Doing so is a form of “audio multiplexing,” which is a feature that enables viewers to receive multiple audio tracks simultaneously. You can use this feature to toggle between languages and even to emphasize different speakers based on activity, such as during conferences or live events.
When setting up, you’ll need to:
- Integrate with Dolby.io’s multiplexing APIs,
- Decide on the number of audio tracks you’ll need depending on the number of languages you’d like to stream in,
- Configure stream settings, and
- Continuously monitor the stream’s performance and make adjustments as needed to ensure all audio tracks are synchronized.
Conclusion
Multilanguage live streaming is a powerful way to connect with international audiences, enhance brand visibility, and explore new monetization opportunities. Though it comes with challenges, Dolby.io’s robust platform is built to overcome those challenges and make streaming in multiple languages simultaneously easier than ever. Contact us to learn more about how to get started setting up a multilanguage live stream.
