Video is having quite the moment. How-to searches are up 70% on search engines, over 50% of marketing professionals in the world feel video has the best ROI and 80% of millennials consider video content to be an important aspect of deciding whether or not to make a purchase. The results are well and truly in – video is the best way to put across pretty much any message, whether that is training, marketing, or pretty much anything else you want your company and audience to pay attention to.
Smart corporations know that video content goes further when it is as accessible as possible. Subtitles and in particular, voice overs, have a real impact on how many people are able to understand your content. Voice overs in different languages have a slight edge on subtitles because the tone and personality of your content can be presented, as well as the message.
If you’re currently planning a corporate video with a voice over in a different language, you have quite the choice to make. Do you choose the main languages of your European company head offices? Do you choose the main language of your target market? Do you select multiple languages?
We don’t quite have all the answers for you, but we can give you the lowdown on the most spoken languages in Europe so you have a better idea of which one could work well for your corporate video voiceover:
Table of Contents
1. Russian
Russian is the language spoken the most in Europe, using the Cyrillic Alphabet, rather than the Latin alphabet like most other European languages. It is the main official language of Russia, but it also features as an official language of multiple other countries, and is spoken by various individuals in Europe and worldwide.
2. German
German is the second most spoken language in Europe and is the official language of Germany, and one of the official languages of several other countries. It is also taught as a secondary language in many schools in various countries.
3. French
French is the third most spoken language in Europe and is the official language of France and one of the official languages of various European countries, and other countries across the world. It’s quite an important language worldwide in fact, and is even recognised as a primary language not only by the EU, but by the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation.
4. English
English is the fourth most spoken language in Europe as a primary language, and the most spoken second language in Europe. Depending on where your target audience mainly reside, it could be that English is the main spoken language in your video. If it isn’t, and you do choose to use English as a voice over language, do be mindful of the use of different English accents as that could have a large influence on how the message of your video is conveyed.
5. Turkish
Turkish is actually related to Finnish and Hungarian because of the type of language it is, and is used across the Mediterranean and even as a language used at home by many Germans. It is also more accessible now as it uses the Latin alphabet rather than the Arabic alphabet, which it used until the 1920’s.
The five languages above are the most commonly used languages in Europe and so, may be prioritised as possibilities for your corporate video voice over. Regardless of the language you use, make sure you use a professional voiceover agency who will be able to ensure that you get a polished, accurate, regional language on your video. They can also offer you advice on any relevant adjustments with your script to suit the language you have chosen.
With the right voice over you can ensure your corporate video is accessible, effective and professional so the message you want to communicate is well received by your target audience.