YouTube is testing a new feature called “Aloud” that will automatically dub your videos to other languages using AI to increase reach and overcome language barriers. Interesting right? Let’s learn more about YouTube’s “Aloud” feature in this article.
YouTube Aloud Overview:
Aloud is actually a product of Google’s in-house Area 120 incubator, and it will enable creators to “quickly and easily dub their videos into multiple languages”. This means that all of YouTube will be more accessible and creators will also experience a boost in foreign viewership. But how fast has it come? How does it work? And when can we expect this feature to be available publicly?
Let’s tackle the “how” first.
How does it work?
YouTube Aloud will first start by transcribing your video. After that, it will then send that transcription to the creator. Here, the creator can edit the script to add or remove elements alongside proofreading the draft. Once the creator gives the green light, Aloud will translate that transcription into other languages. Finally, it will use AI text-to-speech to create an audio track that can be added to the video.
YouTube has already begun experimenting “Aloud” with hundreds of creators around the world. The company’s VP of Creator Products, Amjad Hanif, told The Verge that Aloud only supports a few languages right now and more would be added in the future. On launch, it’ll support English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages with Hindi and Bahasa-Indonesia following suit.
But one of the major weaknesses of Aloud is that the dubbed audio will NOT be in sync with the video. This will have a major impact on the watching experience if the words don’t match actions on screen. But Mr. Hanif assures that they are working on something similar to lip-sync which will launch soon after.
Another big problem is the voice itself. As of today, the dubbed audio tracks have a monotonous voice and sound nothing like the creator. But YouTube says they are working on this too.
YouTube Aloud: Final Thoughts
Since YouTube launched its “Audio tracks” feature that lets creators add multiple audio dubs to their videos, creators like Mr. Beast have already begun dubbing their videos into different languages. And if you’ve ever switched to dub in a Mr. Beast video, you can tell that it’s highly produced and feels as entertaining as the English version itself. Now, YouTube’s “Aloud” will be nowhere near that good or that well-produced, but it’ll be a lot cheaper to pull off and will require a lot less effort too.
And like any experimental feature, it’s not perfect and will take time to get better. But from what we’ve heard, it sounds pretty good. Check the video above from “Amoeba Sisters” which has been dubbed into Spanish using YouTube Aloud. To change the audio, click on the gear icon, select audio track, and choose Spanish. What do you think? Do you think it’ll be good enough to watch an entire tutorial without feeling frustrated or confused?
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