YouTube adds multilingual dubbing feature

YouTube's multilingual voiceover feature for videos rolls out to all creators

YouTube has announced the official launch of its multilingual audio feature after two years of testing. Millions of YouTubers can now add voiceovers to their videos in multiple languages, helping them reach a wider global audience.

YouTube audio will be translated into many different languages by AI.

The rollout is expected to take place in the coming weeks. The feature will initially launch as a test in 2023 for a limited number of creators, including MrBeast, Mark Rober, and chef Jamie Oliver.

Content creators had to work with third-party dubbing services until YouTube introduced an AI-powered automated dubbing tool that leverages Google's Gemini technology to mimic the creator's tone and emotion.

In early tests of the feature, which YouTube is rolling out with a small group of creators, it has been used on more than 3,500 videos uploaded in more than 40 languages.

Since its launch, YouTube reports that some testers have seen success with the feature. On average, those who upload multilingual audio tracks see more than 25% of their watch time come from views in a language other than the video’s primary language. Jamie Oliver’s channel, for example, tripled its views after using multilingual audio tracks.

Additionally, the company has been testing multilingual thumbnails with a select group of creators. Since June, creators have been able to customize thumbnails to display text in other languages, meeting the needs of international audiences. Localized thumbnails are designed to include text appropriate to the viewer’s preferred language.

Initially, the feature will only be supported on YouTube's long videos, but the platform also mentioned that it will soon test the feature on Shorts.

Google's AI will express nuances from the original language to help viewers feel authentic.

In an interview with YouTube's Creator Insider, Donaldson explained why the feature is useful, noting that uploading multilingual audio tracks is easier than managing and maintaining several separate foreign language channels.

Uploading content to just one channel is much more convenient than having to create 12 different thumbnails or respond to comments on 12 different channels. And it’s much simpler for fans. Whether you’re in Mexico, India… you can experience the content on the same video through the support of dubbed versions, everything becomes much easier.

Eligible creators who have access to this feature will receive a notification with an invite to try it out. Once they have access, they'll be able to use the new option in Creator Studio.

However, YouTube declined to share how it determines which creators are eligible or how many will be invited in the rollout, only saying that the number of experiences will be in the thousands. We also don’t know exactly when the feature will be available to all creators, so we can only wait for further announcements from YouTube.

As for users, you can simply click on the video settings to see what audio tracks are available and then choose to watch in a different language. Because YouTube wants to provide a seamless experience for viewers, content will also be in the language that matches the user’s preferred language by default. Additionally, users will be able to find content in multiple languages thanks to the translation of video titles and descriptions.