YouTube's Auto-Dubbing Feature Is Heaven-Sent for Knowledge-Focused Content Creators
Sarah Reyes
••2 min read
Creating YouTube videos that appeal to a global audience, leveraging the platform’s 2.5 billion monthly active viewers, is now easier than ever with YouTube’s auto-dubbing feature, lauded by many knowledge-focused content creators and experts as heaven-sent, if not a game-changer.
YouTube first teased tech experts and content creators about this feature in last year’s online video influencer conference (VidCon) in Anaheim, California, promising to revolutionize how content creators can break down language barriers with a single master video.
Your YouTube video could be in English, and the platform automatically detects and translates its audio track into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Indonesian (Bahasa), and Hindi.
The implications are immense.
Informational content creators can reach out to a greater audience, empowering them to impart knowledge and develop crucial skills necessary to help viewers overcome challenges or boost their capabilities.
For example, a video about preparing sushi the right way can go beyond Japanese borders and enable viewers in non-Japanese-speaking nations to learn the traditional method of sushi preparation from certified Japanese sushi masters.
Breaking the language barrier can have economic implications, too.
YouTube’s built-in auto-dubbing feature eliminates hiring a professional translator (who can charge up to 50 cents per word) unless your video requires a language not yet covered by YouTube’s offering.
More importantly, dubbing your video in other languages increases your video’s reach, which, in turn, boosts viewership.
While many regard YouTube’s auto-dubbing feature as heaven-sent, the platform cautions users against setting high expectations.
YouTube recognizes and acknowledges this feature is not yet perfect, although the platform is working hard to refine and polish the auto-dubbing system.
The best thing we can do as content creators is to use the feature and give feedback to YouTube to help them address hiccups, if any.
