Why You Should Dub Your Business Videos with AI

Want to reach more folks around the world? Dub your videos in different languages!

Now is the perfect time to do it because AI has made video dubbing faster, cheaper, and surprisingly good.

The benefits of video dubbing

Improved visibility and engagement in global markets

When you make your videos available in different languages, more people around the world can actually watch them and understand what you’re saying. It’s a simple way to grow your reach — and build trust while you’re at it. Speaking to people in their language shows you respect their culture and care about connecting with them.

While translated captions are a great start (and super easy to add with AI), they only go so far. Some people prefer to listen instead of read — think mobile users, multitaskers, or anyone who processes audio better than text. By dubbing your videos, you’re opening the door to an even bigger audience.

And here’s a bonus: If you’re using a tool that also creates translated transcripts along with the dubbed audio (like Wistia), your videos can start showing up in international search results!

More efficient content creation

In the past, you had two options: either create new localized videos from scratch or hire professional voice talent to dub your existing content. Both approaches took weeks to complete.

Now with AI, you can take the content you already have and add natural-sounding dubbed voices in just hours. That means you can reuse what you’ve already made instead of starting over for every new language.

We chatted with Dan Caddigan, Chief Technology Officer at 3Play Media, about video dubbing. He explains why he loves dubbing repurposed videos.

“Would you be better off creating net new content in the local market or spending fractional dollars to localize that to ship it elsewhere in the world? If you do the math, it seems like it’s probably more cost-effective to go international with the content that you have today.”

Dan Caddigan, Chief Technology Officer at 3Play Media

More affordable international market testing

Like Dan said, AI video dubbing also makes it cheaper to enter a new region. With a lower price point and greater return on investment, you can test new markets without blowing your budget.

Why it makes sense to dub with AI today

AI voices finally sound human

Remember those robotic voices from a few years ago? They were okay-ish for basic accessibility, but meh (at best!) for general consumption.

That has all changed with today’s generative voice technology.

Now, AI voices include intonation and emotional range that sound remarkably human. This realism keeps viewers focused on your message rather than being distracted by awkward vocalizations.

AI makes dubbing work for nearly every budget

Video dubbing isn’t just for the heavy hitters anymore. Voice talent can run you about $150 per minute. But AI-powered tools like Wistia bring that down to around $2 per minute, making it within reach for just about everyone.

“When the costs come down, it means that you can apply it to a longer tail of content. You can go much farther down the line.”

Dan Caddigan, Chief Technology Officer at 3Play Media

Try dubbing these videos first

AI dubbing opens up endless possibilities, but you don’t have to tackle all your videos at once. Start with these types of videos to get the best return on your investment:

• Social media videos that target a specific language region or accounts dedicated to that target language
• Product demos and how-to videos that show off your features
• Customer testimonials and case studies that build trust and bring results
• Your top-performing English videos that are already getting traction in your target countries

Some content types work better for dubbing than others. For example, webinars and virtual events can benefit from dubbing, but any presentation slides or lower thirds won’t be translated and might be out of sync with the dubbed audio.

Things to keep in mind before dubbing

• Cultural nuances matter. Some idioms, humor, and culturally-specific references might not translate well across borders, even with perfect dubbing.
• Different languages have different formality levels. Some cultures use more formal language in business settings than others.
• Gender affects translations. Many languages assign gender to nouns or have gendered expressions. Good thing AI is learning how to navigate that complexity.

“You can use a large language model (LLM) to reword a machine translation to have the right formality and to use the correct gender.”

Dan Caddigan, Chief Technology Officer at 3Play Media

Wistia makes AI video dubbing easier than ever

Getting started with dubbing is a breeze. Just get yourself on a Wistia Plus Plan (or higher), upload a video, and let Wistia dub it for you.

What’s more, Wistia’s AI technology adjusts the speaker’s lip movements to match the dubbed audio. Check it out: