Not Sure Which Languages to Choose?
Most advice on YouTube localization sounds like “Try Spanish!” or “Hindi has a big audience!” Sure, but the real question is where your content actually stands a chance.
We work with thousands of creators, manage channels across every continent, and handle billions of views. We’ve seen what works and what wastes your time.
This is your practical guide to choosing the best languages on YouTube in 2025. We’re talking actual ROI, CPMs, competition, watch time, and real growth.
Spanish: Volume and Scale
If you’ve got engaging, emotional, or story-driven content (kids, beauty, DIY, entertainment), Spanish is your first stop. 600+ million speakers across Mexico, Spain, and Latin America. But competition is still manageable.
CPMs vary here:
Note: The data below was pulled from over 3,000 channels working with AIR.
- Spain – $2.80
- Puerto Rico – $2.10
- Chile – $1.01
- Costa Rica – $0.96
- Mexico – $0.91
- Argentina – $0.55
In some Spanish-speaking countries CPMs are modest, yes, but the audience size and loyalty make up for it. Spanish viewers love the community. They comment, they share, they return.
One creator we worked with in the family niche doubled their monthly views within 90 days of launching a Spanish channel, with minimal promotion. Because the content already fit the culture, we just helped it speak the language.
Portuguese: The Brazil Factor
Brazil is its own universe on YouTube. 147+ million users, insanely high mobile usage, and deep content consumption. And very few global creators are dubbing in Portuguese.
That means low competition and high opportunity, especially if your content is educational, inspirational, or emotional.
Yes, CPMs are around $0.82 in Brazil, but the watch time and engagement are gold. We’ve seen channels outperform their English originals in Brazil, simply by switching the voiceover and metadata.
Entertainment, kids, and “how-to” content thrive here. If you’re even thinking about a multilingual video strategy, don’t sleep on Portuguese.
German & French: Monetization Machines
If you’re thinking revenue per view, not just view count, German and French are your priority.
German CPMs average around $4.89. French is about $3.38. Both have fewer creators than English, and that matters.
Tech, finance, gaming, productivity, and educational content do exceptionally well here. Because these audiences expect depth and clarity, and they pay attention to well-localized language.
We’ve seen creators boost RPM by 20–30% after adding professional French and German dubs. No new content. Just better localization.
You don’t need to speak these languages. You need the right team to bring the tone, clarity, and context that these markets expect.
Japanese & Korean: High Standards, High Returns
These markets are hard to crack, but worth it.
Japan and Korea both have some of the highest engagement rates we’ve seen. Audiences here dive deep. Watch time is strong, and retention is king.
The CPMs here are pretty high:
- Japan: $2,84
- Korea: $2,86
But they also expect quality. You can’t half-ass localization. Dubs need to sound native. Metadata has to match the algorithm. If you do it right, you unlock premium CPMs, loyal fans, and insane brand deal potential.
We’ve seen a gaming channel localize into Japanese – retention shot up by 12%, just from better voice casting and culturally relevant scripting.
Arabic: The Overlooked Market
310 million native speakers. High watch time. Expanding ad market. Arabic is one of the most underrated opportunities for YouTube creators right now.
We’re seeing rapid growth in the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, where CPMs are rising:
- United Arab Emirates – $1.93
- Qatar – $1.13
- Bahrain – $0.83
- Oman – $0.75
- Saudi Arabia – $0.99
Even better, millions of Arabic speakers live in high-CPM regions like France and the US.
If your content is evergreen (tech, how-tos, motivation), Arabic localization can open up an entire ecosystem.
Vietnamese, Indonesian, Filipino: Don’t Ignore Southeast Asia
These aren’t high-CPM regions, but they are retention monsters. And if you care about volume + watch time, this is where you go.
- Vietnam – $0.42 CPM
- Indonesia – $0.41 CPM
- Philippines – $0.55 CPM
Use subtitles and metadata to test. If you see engagement, scale up to dubbing. Shorts work well here, too. If you're chasing views and virality, these languages are a great part of a multilingual reach strategy.
Hindi: The Monster Audience with Low Creator Density
India has over 610 million YouTube users. Hindi is spoken by more than half of them. But only a fraction of global creators localize for this audience.
That means you’re early.
CPMs are around $0.53 in India, but you’re trading dollars per view for millions of extra views. We’ve seen a kids channel launch Hindi dubs, and they now average 30M+ monthly views – higher than their English originals.
Think of Hindi as scale fuel. If your content is simple, visual, or universally appealing, this is where you go to hit massive reach. Especially with Shorts – India’s appetite for short-form is unmatched.
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How to Know If It’s Worth Translating
We always say: don’t guess, test.
- Start with subtitles and metadata translation.
- Use auto-dubbing to test market potential.
- Double down on the winning regions with full dubs and localized channels.
- Match language to niche, not just population.
This is your multilingual content strategy for 2025 – simple, effective, proven.
We’ve helped creators go from auto-dubbing tests to fully dubbed, culturally relevant multilingual video – using a hybrid system that combines real voice actors (for tone and emotion) with AI tools to make those real voices sound like your voice. That means:
- Native voice actors.
- Studio-quality sound.
- Emotional tone that matches your content.
And we don’t stop there. We optimize your channel, translate your metadata, and make sure your localized content actually gets views.
That’s what helped Brave Wilderness, a wildlife channel, gain 80 million views and 370K new subs just by launching 12 localized versions of their content.
Ready to expand your audience beyond your borders?
Contact us today and let’s build your global content strategy with AIR Media-Tech!
CPMs Don’t Tell the Full Story, But They Matter
We’ve run the CPM data from over 3,000 channels. Some of the highest ROI localization languages based on both revenue and reach:
- United States – $7.33
- Australia – $6.64
- Germany – $4.89
- France – $3.38
- Canada – $4.97
- South Korea – $2.86
- Japan – $2.84
But don’t get stuck chasing CPM alone. Some of our creators saw bigger overall profits in countries with lower CPMs, just because they dominated the market.
For example, a gaming creator took the #1 spot in Romania with $1.55 CPM. Now they’ve got 4M subs and branded deals rolling in.
It’s where you can win.
Reach, Retention, and Revenue
Let’s break it down by regions we’ve seen perform best in practice.
Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, French, and German are the ones that return views, subs, and income when used with the right content fit. It’s not enough to chase top markets for translation without understanding the local viewer's habits.
Creators who build a multilingual reach strategy think beyond subtitles. They localize metadata. They pay attention to subtitles by region. They use human voices and AI polish when it matters.
And when the CPM, engagement, and retention data align, that’s how you identify the most profitable languages on YouTube.
You Don’t Need 30 Languages. You Need 3 Good Ones.
Multilingual video strategy in 2025 is about finding your sweet spots:
- Where does your content already perform decently?
- Which countries have room for growth?
- Where’s the competition thin?
- Where’s the topic popular?
You need to hit the right market. Then go deep in those languages with proper YouTube translation, native dubbing, and real localization.
What Languages Are Best for Your Content?
We helped 400+ channels with expansion. Localized content in over 50 languages, built dubbed channels from scratch, and managed YouTube translation strategies for creators who now reach hundreds of millions of subscribers.
Let us help you choose the right languages and grow in those markets.
From the first test to full-scale expansion, we help with:
- Human dubbing+AI polish (movie-quality).
- Metadata and subtitle translation.
- Content promotion for each market.
- Distribution on platforms beyond YouTube.
We manage YouTube language prioritization for dozens of niches, and we’ve helped creators dominate in Spain, Japan, Brazil, India, and beyond.
Translate to Multiply Your Reach
The next million views can come from speaking the right language. It’s time to let more people in.
Global growth is a YouTube language prioritization strategy. And in 2025, localization is the most powerful move a creator can make.
We help you translate YouTube videos, pick your top dubbing languages, and scale your global content strategy without wasting months figuring it out.
Whether you’re going after the most profitable languages on YouTube or looking to unlock high-ROI localization languages others ignore, we’ve seen the path. And we can walk it with you.
Want to go global in 2025? Get in touch with us, and we’ll help you create a custom plan and translate your channel into a true global brand.
Your audience is out there. Let’s help them understand you!
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