TikTok is currently rolling out a new accessibility feature – Translation Tools. The rollout, which kicked off late last month, seeks to offer users solutions that transcend boundaries and foster the company’s objective to make TikTok reachable and accessible by all. With the new translation tool, TikTok will “overcome language barriers” which permeated the platform before. Likewise, it will “bring people closer together over shared entertainment.” the company has said.
Why TikTok has introduced the new feature
Currently, there are more than 1 billion active TikTok users worldwide. Research statistics show that 9 out of 10 active TikTok users open the app multiple times daily. What is interesting about these numbers is that the majority of the people who access the app do not speak English as their native language. Even though English is the language of the internet world, not so many people can speak the language. Hence this explains why Tikok is investing in translation tools. According to the company, with the new launch, “global content will become more accessible regardless of the language(s),” users, “speak and where” they “are in the world.”
Discover a world of new possibilities with TikTok’s accessibility and translation tools
The ongoing new rollout follows hundreds of accessibility features that have made TikTok accessible and user ready. In particular, the new translation feature rollout comes after TikTok launched its auto-captions feature mid-last year. The feature allows users to add captions by automatically scanning the audio in their video. Of course, with this feature, you can add the captions manually or even edit automated captions to capture what you exactly said or add up some flair and personality. The new auto-translation feature will also support TikTok’s text stickers feature, the photosensitivity feature, and the text-to-speech feature that comes in handy, especially for visually challenged people.
How does the auto-translation feature work?
@drjenniferlincoln Discovering this feature just made my morning 🤣 #learnontiktok #tiktokpartner #tiktokhacks #translate
The auto-translation feature automatically translates video captains and text stickers from the creators’ language into their desired second language. With the new feature, users can turn the auto-translation feature on and off when they wish from the app’s setting page. Here is how to work with the auto translations tool
- Step one: On your TikTok main home page, locate the app’s main menu page located in the top right corner of your home screen.
- Step two: Tap the main menu and navigate through to settings and privacy.
- Step three: While on the settings and privacy page, click and then choose Language.
- Step four: Tap the grey toggle to your right under the show auto translations to turn the auto translations feature on
You will need to specify the app language and your preferred translation language under the language tap for the app you work effectively on. Currently, the auto translations tool supports an initial batch of languages that include English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish and Turkish. The company says it will continue investing in accessibility features. We hope to see more languages added in the future.
The auto translations feature opens up TikTok content for accessibility by all. The new feature will see creators and brands reach more people in ways they have not done before.
Why the New Accessibility and Translation Tools matter
Disseminating branded information, whether advertising or a product update, is critical to the success of any business. With hundreds of languages spoken worldwide, how do you ensure you reach your target audience with the right messaging? The answer lies in translation.
TikTok Accessibility and Translation tools seek to make translation on the platform a reality. Are you a brand? The new accessibility and translation tools will help your businesses in many meaningful ways. It is a sure way to a steady competitive edge, propelling your brand ahead of the competition.
1) Penetrate new markets with the new TikTok accessibility and translation tools
When you translate your content, you make it more accessible to a whole new audience. Failure to make your content available prevents you from reaching and impacting a significant portion of people. The best way to appeal to new markets is to communicate and engage with your new audience in a language they understand most. Moreover, passing your messaging in the native languages of your target audience is particularly appealing and likely to increase customer leads and conversions.
2) Boost users engagement and revenue
Translating your content into more languages creates a positive, multilingual experience for users, and it is likely to boost user engagement and increase revenue
3) Translating your content improves SEO/SEM and web traffic
The more popular your page multiplies, the odds that search engines will pick you for a higher ranking. The benefits are great if your TikTok account is embedded in your websites. Furthermore, better search results generate more exposure for your business and translate into more conversions.
TikTok has heavily invested in product updates that make the platform usable and accessible by users, creators, and brands alike. The company hopes “to see more people using these new tools to bridge culture and connection, and broaden their worlds.”
Our TikTok Auto-Translations Tools Summary
Making your content widely accessible on TikTok places your business at a vantage position over the competition. Of course, translating your content into multiple languages is a bit complex. For instance, there are multitudes of cultural nuances and layers that you must observe to ensure correct messaging. Therefore, choosing to work with a TikTok marketing expert is the easiest way to avoid translation complexities, getting it right on cultural undertones, and ensuring a favourable translation that suits your target audiences.
Nonetheless this translation tool should help with informing foreign users via translated text. Accessibility has been gaining more traction across social media. Accordingly, with TikTok’s new auto translations tools, the company seeks to “help users enjoy TikTok videos beyond the original language.”
The company says that the new feature is currently under testing, and it is only available on selected videos at the time. How do you find the New Accessibility and Translation Tools? Will the new feature make any difference for your brand and business? Let’s keep the conversation going.
House of Marketers (HOM) is a leading TikTok Marketing Agency. Our global agency was built by early TikTok Employees & TikTok Partners, which gives us the insider knowledge to help leading brands, like Redbull, Playtika, Badoo, and HelloFresh win on TikTok. Want us to convert more of Gen Z and Millennials with TikTok? Get in touch with our friendly team, here.