The recent updates of Community Guidelines for kids’ content have made it harder and harder to come up with new ideas for videos, slowing down the growth and revenue of the kids’ channels. However, there is a solution—earn on your already existing content, translating and localizing it for new audiences.
AIR Media-Tech is a YouTube-recommended vendor for translations, so we know this strategy may double or even triple your reach and profit. But which languages should you prioritize? Let’s explore the best languages for kids’ content translation and provide analytical insights into why you want to choose them.
The Global Demand for Kids’ Content
According to recent reports, kids’ content is one of the fastest-growing genres on YouTube. In recent years, children’s media consumption reached an all-time high, with over 2.6 billion monthly active users accessing YouTube, many of whom are kids or parents searching for kid-friendly videos.
As more children gain access to the internet worldwide, the demand for localized and relatable content has skyrocketed. Video translation and video localization are powerful tools for creators who want to reach a broader audience and increase engagement.
Key Considerations for Kids’ Content Translation
Before diving into specific languages, it’s essential to consider a few factors:
- Some languages are spoken by millions but may have limited content for kids, making them ripe for growth.
- Kids’ content often needs to account for cultural norms, humor, and age-appropriate storytelling.
- High-quality dubbing ensures that kids relate to the content in their native language.
Hundreds of creators have translated their kids’ content with AIR Media-Tech, connecting with global audiences and enhancing performance in every language. AIR Translation & Localization ensures top-quality service tailored to your growth. Contact us to learn more!
Study Successful Cases
Audience growth with kids’ video translation begins with studying the market.
If you are based in Europe, it often makes sense to prioritize European languages first. This is because your content is likely to be more relatable and understandable to audiences with a similar cultural background. For instance, AIR, together with our partner Amelka Karamelka (5.56M subscribers), chose to translate their content into languages such as Bulgarian, Hungarian, Serbian, Polish, French, Greek, Czech, Romanian, and Georgian.
However, we took a different approach for our long-term partner, Kids Diana Show (129M subscribers). Their content was translated into Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese, and other languages. This strategy focused on achieving a worldwide reach, targeting diverse audiences across the globe.
If you want to choose the best languages for your specific channel, contact AIR Media-Tech, and we will sort it out.
Best Languages for Kids’ Content Translation
It’s important to note that if your original channel is in a language other than English, your first priority should be creating an English version of your channel. This ensures access to a global audience, as English remains the most widely understood language worldwide. Once that’s done, here’s a list of the languages you should consider next to expand your reach even further:
Spanish
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with over 500 million native speakers. Countries like Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and the U.S. (with a significant Hispanic population) are major consumers of kids’ content.
Spanish-translated kids’ videos tend to perform exceptionally well on YouTube. In fact, some of the largest kids’ YouTube channels, like El Reino Infantil (67.5M subscribers), owe their success solely to Spanish-speaking audiences. While specific statistics on engagement rates for Spanish-dubbed videos vary, it's evident that Spanish is among the most popular languages on YouTube, with a significant number of channels and views.
Hindi
India is YouTube’s largest market, with over 476 million active users. Kids’ channels focusing on cartoons, rhymes, and stories in Hindi have consistently trended on YouTube. According to a YouTube report, about 54% of online videos watched in India are in Hindi.
Hindi kids’ channels like ChuChu TV (15.7M subscribers) and Kids Channel India (34.4M subscribers) have a huge success on the platform.
Portuguese
Brazil dominates the Portuguese-speaking world, and its population of over 214 million includes a massive audience for kids’ content. Educational videos, animations, and nursery rhymes are particularly popular. As of July 2024, Brazil ranks third globally in YouTube audience size, following India and the United States.
Furthermore, video localization for Brazilian Portuguese ensures high engagement, as Brazil ranks fourth globally in YouTube traffic and fifth in YouTube in-app purchase revenue.
Arabic
Arabic is spoken by over 420 million people across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region has seen significant growth in digital content consumption, particularly for children. For example, Diana Kids Show’s Arabic version of the channel has 29.3M subscribers. With a shortage of high-quality Arabic kids’ content, creators can stand out by focusing on educational and entertaining videos.
In July 2024, the United Arab Emirates ranked first globally for YouTube penetration, with approximately 94% of its digital population actively using the platform.
Japanese
Japan’s deep-rooted animation culture and tech-savvy population make it a lucrative market for kids’ videos. Japanese children’s channels focusing on storytelling and games are especially popular. Also, according to a survey conducted between November 2020 and April 2021, children in Japan spent 38.39% of their app time on YouTube, holding the second position in the stats. Translating videos into Japanese helps tap into a market that values high-quality content.
French
French is spoken by over 300 million people globally, including significant populations in Africa, Europe, and Canada. Its widespread use makes it a strategic choice for video translation. Kids’ channels in French perform well, especially with educational content and animated series.
Mandarin Chinese
Even though YouTube is not available in China, translating your kids’ content to Mandarin could be great for video distribution to Chinese platforms, such as Tencent, Youku, and iQiyi.
With over 1 billion speakers, Mandarin is the world’s most spoken language. Combined with China’s rapidly growing internet penetration and the government’s emphasis on digital education, this makes it a highly promising market for kids’ content.
Need Help With YouTube Video Translation?
At AIR Media-Tech, we specialize in YouTube video dubbing tailored for kids’ channels. Our expert team ensures your content is not just translated but fully adapted to resonate with young audiences worldwide. Whether you're looking to translate YouTube videos into Spanish, Portuguese, or Mandarin, we’ve got you covered.
Ready to expand your reach? Contact AIR Media-Tech today and transform your videos into a multilingual success story!