Google Introduces Transcripts and Auto-Translated Captions on YouTube Mobile

YouTube is undoubtedly among the top video-sharing platforms in the world right now. And, Google keeps introducing new features to it. Apart from that, they also regularly enhance the existing features through updates. And, users would surely be excited for the next update once they hear what it offers. Google has recently announced that YouTube video transcripts would now be available to mobile users as well. This feature was already available on the YouTube website. And, the next update should add it to your YouTube mobile app. Apart from that, Google has also announced the auto-translate feature for mobile devices. 

Read to know all the necessary information you need regarding these new features. 

What are Video Transcripts and Why Should You Use Them?

Videos usually rely on audio and visuals to provide you with specific information. And, you might need that information in the text form for various reasons. And, that is where the process of transcription comes in. Most of the audio information from videos can be converted into texts. And, you can make that happen with an automatic speech recognition technology. The text information you get by doing that is called a video transcript. Your device might fail to perform this function due to various issues. In such cases, you must get a professional mobile repair Dubai immediately. As mentioned earlier, it is available on the latest YouTube website version. And, it is good news that you would get this feature on mobile devices as well. Google will introduce this feature for both Android and iOS devices in case you are wondering. 

What are the Uses of YouTube Video Transcripts?

Video transcripts can be helpful to the uploader as well as viewers on YouTube. So, they would be a great addition to the platform for many users. Here are significant ways in which YouTube video transcriptions would help you:

Making Your Video Translatable

As you might know, a large portion of total YouTube users is from non-English speaking countries. Many people might want translations of the audio information on your videos. Now, there are various ways to translate the information that they want. But, using a transcript of the video is probably the easiest one. After all, they can simply copy it to Google Translate or any other translation technology. That should help them get the information from your video in their languages. 

Enhancing Your Video’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Do you want to improve your video’s ranking among search results? Then, you would benefit from the transcription feature. Several studies show that videos with transcripts or captions get more views than those without them. After all, transcripts contain keywords that the search engine can find more easily. And, that way people can find your video using keywords even if the title is not known. So, transcripts also make your video much easier to locate, and that also improves the YouTube user experience significantly. 

Dealing With Audio-Related Problems

Are you unable to hear what a YouTube video is saying? Then, you can simply read the information it contains in the transcript. Thus, you would not miss a single word in the video. You might often encounter situations where there is too much noise around you. Apart from that, you might sometimes fail to play the audio due to various issues. You can try using your headphones in such cases. But, what if you are not carrying your headphones? These transcripts would be quite useful to you.  

Copying Information from the Video

You might want to copy various information that you get from a YouTube video. In that case, you can simply use the transcript rather than creating notes. This is a much easier way to proceed with this task, after all. And, Google surely made a good decision by adding this feature to mobiles. As a Video uploader, you must consider providing transcripts to share the information from the video more easily. This should add to the usability of the video and increase the user experience. 

Reaching Out to People with Hearing Problems

It should be no surprise that completely or partially deaf people use YouTube as well. And, you might want to make your content more accessible to them. In that case, you can do that with the help of transcripts. Now that this feature is available on mobiles, more people with hearing issues might benefit from it. After all, a large portion of YouTube views come from mobile devices. There is a legal requirement for uploaders to make their content more accessible to people with hearing problems. And, providing transcripts can help you comply with that requirement. So, it is yet another significant use of YouTube video transcripts. 

Reaching Out to a Wider Audience or Accessing More Content

From the uploader’s perspective, transcripts can help them reach a wider audience. And, from a viewer’s perspective, transcripts allow them to access a wider range of content. So, video transcripts are beneficial for uploaders as well as viewers. 

How to View Video Transcripts on YouTube?

You can find YouTube video transcripts only on the desktop version of the website as of now. And, you can open that on your mobile’s browser by simply enabling the desktop version. Click on the three-dot symbol at the bottom-left corner of the video you are playing. You should find the ‘Show Transcript’ option below the Report option. Clicking on it should bring up the transcript along with timestamps next to the video. 

How will the Auto-Translate Feature Work?

The auto-translate feature is already available on the YouTube desktop website. And, it would work the same way on mobile devices as it works on desktops. You need to enable the captions on a video to translate it. Then, you must go to the video settings and click on ‘Subtitles’ to view the options. You will find the ‘Auto-translate’ option there that allows you to select a wide range of languages. Click the language in which you want to translate the video’s content. Then, continue watching the video and check the captions appearing under it. You might often get the wrong captions in some videos. The steps for auto-translating YouTube videos on mobile devices should be the same as that on desktop.

Which Languages can the Auto-Translate Feature Translate?

The uploader of the video might offer you limited caption language options. But, you would not face that issue with the Auto-Translate feature. This new feature would allow you to translate the video to pretty much all languages that Google recognises. Needless to say, that provides you with a lot of new language choices. 

How Would You Benefit from the Auto-Translate Feature?

The Auto-Translate option on YouTube can be quite a useful one. As mentioned earlier, it might not work perfectly and often shows wrong translations. But, if it works correctly, it can let you translate the video you are viewing to any language. As we have seen, that includes many languages that were usually not included in captions. You can find a wide range of options other than major languages such as English, French, German and others. The Auto-Translate feature has added pretty much all major Asian languages. Apart from the viewers, that would benefit content creators as well. This feature can make your content accessible to a much wider audience after all. 

Get the Latest YouTube Version on Your Mobile

You must keep the YouTube mobile app up-to-date to enjoy the latest features. So, go to the app store and ensure that you have the latest version of YouTube. You must also consider enabling auto-updates for the app. The procedure for that might differ slightly depending on whether you are using Android or iOS, but auto-updates would be quite helpful on both systems. 

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