What is video localization and why it matters [2025]

What is video localization

Video localization is the process of adapting a video for a global audience by changing the target language and adjusting visuals, audio, text, and other cultural cues so the final product feels natural and familiar to them. Simply put, it’s what turns your content from ‘’foreign brand talking at me’’ into ‘’this brand really gets me.’’

Why video localization matters

Localization helps you tap into new markets. But more importantly, it makes sure your content actually resonates once it gets there. Because what sounds right in English, or feels culturally appropriate in English-speaking regions, might come off as confusing, tone-deaf, or even offensive somewhere else.

Are you maybe familiar with the YouTuber who calls himself Mr.Beast?

His channel is beyond nuts, but the reason why he has 394M subscribers and is the biggest YouTuber in the world is obvious: he’s doing something completely unconventional, creating all sorts of crazy challenges that allow people to win huge amounts of money.

However, I’m not here to comment on his channel and what Mr.Beast does. I’m here to talk about his subchannels that helped him expand his global reach.

One of his most successful ones was MrBeast en Español, which reached 26.6M subscribers at the time he stopped uploading, largely due to YouTube’s introduction of the auto-translate feature. 

Still, the impact of that channel alone shows how successful video localization can open the door to tens of millions of new viewers. And that wasn’t the only one. 

He also launched channels in Russian, Portuguese, French, and Arabic, which together earned him over 20 million subscribers. 

Different methods of video localization

There’s more than one way to make your video speak multiple languages like a native. And no, it’s not relying on auto-translate and praying it gets your tone right.

That said, here are the main methods people use to localize their videos (properly), plus a few pros, cons, and tools to make the process easier.

Subtitles and captions

Despite being mistaken for one another, subtitles and captions are two different things.

Subtitles translate spoken dialogue into on-screen text. Captions do that too, but also include non-speech elements, such as music, sound effects, and tone, thus making the content accessible for deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers.

In short:

• Subtitles = What’s said, in another language
• Captions = What’s said + what’s heard, in the same or another language

Pros

• Quick and cost-effective
• Ideal for testing new markets
• Don’t require re-editing your video

Cons

• Less immersive than voiceovers or dubbing
• Viewers still hear the original language

Tools to use

• Rev - A reliable platform that provides high-quality, human-made captions and subtitles with quick turnaround times. It’s ideal when accuracy and nuance matter, especially for professional or public-facing videos.
• Kapwing - An all-in-one online video editor that includes an intuitive subtitle and captions generator. Great for teams that want a fast, no-frills solution to add text to videos directly in the browser.
  

Voiceovers (narration or dubbing)

Voiceover is when you replace the original audio with speech in another language. This can be done in two ways: narration or dubbing.

Narration uses a single speaker to talk over the video, usually without trying to match the original tone or lip movements. 

Dubbing, on the other hand, replaces each character’s voice with native speakers and syncs the dialogue as closely as possible to the original timing and mouth movement.

Pros

• Feels more natural than subtitles
• Lets viewers focus on visuals
• Dubbing, in particular, can be fully immersive if done well
  

Cons

• Costs more than subtitles/captions
• Dubbing is time-consuming and harder to pull off convincingly
• Narration can feel flat or disconnected if not done right

Tools to use

Papercup - An AI dubbing tool that turns your original voiceover into different languages using synthetic voices that sound natural and expressive. It’s a fast and scalable way to localize content without hiring voice actors.

Video Versioning for different regions

If subtitles and dubbing are about translating what’s being said, video versioning is about repurposing video content. Or, rather, changing what’s being seen and heard without starting from scratch each time.

That said, instead of editing the same video manually over and over again for each market, versioning lets you customize the main elements (e.g., text, visuals, footage, voiceover, audio cues, etc.) to make the content feel more local.

Think of it as meeting halfway between full-scale production and basic localization. You keep the core message but tweak just enough to make it relevant to each audience.

Pros

• More native-feeling than subtitles or dubbing alone
• Cheaper and faster than creating region-specific videos from scratch
• Scales easily when the right tools are used

Cons

• Needs some planning during the scripting or production phase
• You’ll want a solid system to create dynamic videos and keep track of all your variations

Tools to use

Plainly - Instead of rendering one video at a time, Plainly lets you set up a master template in After Effects and dynamically swap content based on market or audience. 

This bulk video editor lets you update text, footage, images, voiceovers, basically anything that changes from version to version, to generate 1000s of localized, data-driven videos automatically. No manual editing is involved, and neither is creative compromise!

Transcreation

Transcreation is used when cultural nuance, humor, or brand voice would get lost (or misinterpreted) in direct translation.

When transcreating, you don't translate the script line by line. Instead, you rewrite it entirely, making sure to keep the original intent and emotional tone, all while adapting the language, visuals, and references to fit the local market.

Pros

• Preserves the emotional and cultural impact of the message
• Allows full creative freedom
• Avoids awkward or tone-deaf translations
  

Cons

• More time- and resource-intensive
• Difficult to scale without local creative input

Which kinds of video content benefit most from localization?

Not every video needs to be localized, but when it makes sense, the results can be huge. 

Here are the most common (and impactful) types of content where localization really pays off:

• Marketing & promotional videos: Brands targeting international markets can benefit from localized product launches, brand storytelling, and social media ads. That’s because adapting visuals, voiceovers, and messaging helps your campaigns better land with each target audience. What’s more, if you’re engaging in digital signage content creation, localization helps you adjust messaging to each region in real time, so your content feels timely and relevant wherever it plays.
• Product demos & tutorials: Step-by-step guides, walkthroughs, and how-tos become much more useful when adapted to the user's language and cultural context. Even small changes (e.g., localized UI screenshot) can improve clarity and reduce churn.
  
• Customer onboarding & training: Localization makes onboarding smoother for customers and internal teams alike by making sure everyone gets the same experience, regardless of language.
• User-generated & influencer content: If you’re repurposing creator content for international campaigns, localization helps maintain authenticity while making it relatable to other markets. You can add subtitles, adjust slang, or record region-specific intros.
• Entertainment content: Short films, series, and animated content can reach wider audiences through dubbing, subtitles, or full transcreation. This applies not just to dialogue, but also to visual elements, such as signs, text, or cultural references.
• E-learning & educational content: Courses, lectures, and training materials are more effective when students can fully understand and connect with the material. Naturally, when localized, they see higher engagement and completion rates.
  

So… can you automate video localization?

Yep! And if you’ve made it this far, you probably know why that matters. 

We’ve covered what video localization actually means, why it’s so much more than mere subtitles, and which methods you can use to adapt your videos for a global audience. But at the end of the day, the biggest wins come from automation.

With the right setup, you can:

• Launch faster in new markets
• Save your team hours of manual editing
• Avoid recreating videos from scratch
• Free up your budget for bigger creative moves

I would love to show you how Plainly can help you get there. We created our tool with creatives, no-code lovers, and developers in mind, so you can choose the less technical path to automated video localization or talk to your dev team and utilize our powerful API.

Ready to make your video speak every language like it was born there? Book a 15-min demo, I guarantee you won’t regret it!