It’s no secret that the Internet is uncharted territory that holds possibilities we can’t even dream of. Look back 20 years ago and it would be hard to imagine how much of a hold YouTube, Netflix, Spotify, and other streaming content providers have today on our everyday lives.
As these platforms become more and more entrenched in society, how we interact with creators too has changed. For example, Patreon is a website that allows fans of creators to give money to aid creativity. The platform has helped podcasters, artists, musicians, and more earn a wage from areas that used to be more difficult to get revenue from.
What this also means is that creators can also use this income to fund language services that may have been too costly before, such as transcription and translation.
Real-World Example
An example of this is Easy German, which was created to help people around the world learn German through YouTube videos (with almost half a million subscribers at the time of writing this article). These videos are available free online.
But to receive extra benefits, you can pay as little as $1 a month through their Patreon. These benefits include interactive worksheets, vocab lists, and best of all, transcripts. Transcripts are important for the Deaf, hard-of-hearing, or just for people who prefer seeing the words as they learn.
“It’s imperative to be able to reach as many people as you can with your business. So instead of waiting for a huge percentage of the population to learn English, isn’t it more efficient to translate your materials into popular languages?”
“It’s imperative to be able to reach as many people as you can with your business. So instead of waiting for a huge percentage of the population to learn English, isn’t it more efficient to translate your materials into popular languages?”
So, if you’re a creator, should you also transcribe your audio and video? We say, resoundingly, YES!
Doing so is a huge benefit to your supporters, and it also helps creators as well. Now you have a document of all that has been said, which is helpful for searching through text. The text can also be put on your web site to help more people find you through search engines. The same can also be said for translations, which opens up your content to millions more people around the world.
Best of all, Patreon can help fund transcripts and translations. If you’re interested, we recommend starting with our $1/audio minute automatic transcription service, which marries technology with human power to reach 100% accuracy. It is true that language services is an extra cost, but we guarantee that the reach they provide is well worth it.