About

Translations convert the spoken language in a video into another language and appear as subtitles. Viewers can read the translated subtitles in their preferred language while the original audio remains unchanged.

Translation service types

You can choose from the following translation services:

Machine

Also known as ASR, machine translations are generated automatically and provide an average accuracy of approximately 85%.

Machine translations:

• Enable searchable video content
• Support editing
• Support resubmissions
• Can use custom vocabularies and dictionaries to improve accuracy 

Professional

Professional translations are created and reviewed by human transcribers and provide approximately 99% accuracy.

Professional translations:

• Meet accessibility requirements
• Include human review and quality assurance
• Support special instructions for editors and reviewers
• Are recommended for public-facing content such as marketing, learning, and training videos

Before you start

• Video must be in "Ready" status (transcoded)
• Your account must have Content Lab enabled
• Your account must have an active REACH profile enabled with relevant catalog item(s)

Access Content Lab

Steps for accessing the Content Lab vary depending on the Kaltura application. 

Rich Media CMS - 

Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Entries list or on the Entry Details page. 

Legacy Video Portal - 

Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Media page. 

Kaltura Events - Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Edit session page or the Edit media page. 

LMS Video - Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Media page. 

 

Appearance of Content Lab

The appearance of the Content Lab varies depending on the Kaltura application. 

Rich Media CMS - 

After clicking the Create with Content Lab button on the Entries list or on the Entry Details page in Rich Media CMS, the 'Get more from your video' screen displays.

Legacy Video Portal, Kaltura Events, and LMS Video - 

After clicking the Create with Content Lab button on -

• the Media page in legacy Video Portal
• the Edit session page or the Edit media page on Kaltura Events
• the Media page in LMS Video

the 'Create with AI screen' displays. Here's one example from the list above - accessing the Content Lab through the Create with Content Lab button on the Media page in legacy Video Portal: 

Order translations 

1. Click Create with Content Lab.
The 'Get more from your video' screen displays.


Content Lab in Rich Media CMS

This is Content Lab's main menu. Options shown vary depending on the services configured for your account.
2. Click Captions & Translations.



The Captions orders screen displays.
3. Click + Order captions and select Translations.



The Order translations screen displays. 



4. Complete the following fields:

• Unit – This option only appears in the event that different Reach profiles (budgets) are configured for each unit in your account. The selected unit will be charged for the translation request.
• Service type - Select Machine or Professional. Defaults to Machine if both are available. Options that are unavailable are greyed out. If you choose Professional, one optional field displays - Instructions. 
• Translation source - Select Existing captions or Original audio. Defaults to Existing captions if both are available. Options that are unavailable are greyed out.
• Source language - Select the source media language from the drop-down menu. The options in the menu are dependent on your REACH plan. Note - Captions with 99% accuracy are recommended for best translations results. You may also upload a caption file. 
• Target language - Select the desired language(s) you want the translations in from the drop-down menu. The options are dependent on your REACH plan. 

Click Submit.
A confirmation message displays: Translations are being created. This may take a few minutes. Click the X at the top right to close the message.
Your translations order appears in the "In Progress" area of the Captions orders screen and is labeled as "Pending".
When the translations are ready, they are automatically added to the video.

Add instructions for professional translations

If you select Professional as the service type, you can provide instructions for translators and reviewers.

Providing clear, detailed instructions helps improve translation quality and consistency.

You can add instructions in any of the following ways:

Option 1: Manually type your own instructions in the Instructions field. 

Option 2: Click on a preset tag provided below the Instructions field. The Instructions field is populated with that tag and a list of suggestions for additional text instructions displays. Click on one of the suggestions to autocomplete the instructions. 

Option 3: Click on a preset tag. The Instructions field is populated with that tag and a list of suggestions for additional text instructions displays. Instead of clicking on one of the suggestions to autocomplete the instructions, manually type in the Instructions field to complete the text. 

Following are the available preset tags:

Terminology and names:

• Define acronyms - “Please define acronyms at first use and use them consistently throughout.”
• Use correct speaker names - “Please ensure speaker names and titles are accurate and used consistently.”
• Use correct proper names - “Please ensure all proper names (e.g., brands, products, organizations, and titles) are accurate and used consistently.“
• Use consistent terminology - “Please use consistent and accurate terminology throughout.”

Speaker identification: “Please include speaker labels where multiple speakers are present.”

Style and tone: 

• Preserve original wording - “Please preserve the original wording and phrasing as much as possible.”
• Remove filler words - “Please remove filler words where they do not affect meaning.”
• Simplify wording - “Please simplify complex phrasing where possible while preserving meaning.“
• Maintain consistent tone - “Please maintain a clear and consistent tone throughout.”

Formatting:

• Ensure correct punctuation - “Please ensure punctuation is accurate and consistent.”
• Format for readability - “Please format captions for clarity and readability.”
• Use consistent casing - “Please use consistent sentence casing throughout.”

Accessibility: 

• Include non-speech elements - “Please include relevant non-speech elements such as sound effects where appropriate.”
• Clarify speaker identity - “Please ensure speakers are clearly identified when needed for understanding.”

Upload a captions file to translate

If you already have captions available, you can upload them and use them as the source for translation.

1. Click Upload caption file. 

   

   The Upload captions file screen displays. 

   

2. Click Upload. 
3. Select the captions file on your computer. 
4. Add a descriptive name for the translation. 
5. Select the language. 
6. Click Upload. 

   The uploaded caption file displays.