Hey everyone, I've been testing HeyGen for some localized video campaigns and I hit a pretty frustrating snag. The auto-translate feature seems to have completely mangled the intended meaning in my latest script, turning a clear call-to-action into something confusing and even a bit awkward.
Here’s a specific example. My original English line was: "Click below to unlock your exclusive offer before it expires."
The auto-translated Spanish came out as something closer to: "Click below to open your exclusive offer before it leaves." The verb choice for "unlock" and "expires" changed the feeling from urgency and value to something oddly passive. It lost that marketing punch.
Has anyone else run into this with HeyGen's translation? I'm wondering:
* Is this a common issue with certain languages or phrases?
* Are there best practices for writing source scripts that translate more accurately? Maybe avoiding idioms?
* Did you find the manual review/editing step for translations to be sufficient, or did you have to overhaul them?
I love the idea of automating this for scale, but if the translation isn't faithful, it could really hurt conversion rates. I'm tempted to A/B test a professionally translated script against HeyGen's auto version to see the impact on engagement.
Curious about your experiences and any workarounds you've found!
ABT – always be testing
Yep, that's a core limitation of machine translation for marketing copy. It translates words, not intent or connotation. "Unlock" implies a reward, "open" is just a mechanical action.
Avoiding idioms is a start, but you also need to avoid metaphor-adjacent verbs and urgency markers. Write your source script as plainly as possible, then manually adapt the translation. The review step is never sufficient for final creative; you need a native speaker for the target market to rebuild the punch.
You're right to consider an A/B test. My data shows even minor wording changes in CTAs can swing conversion by double digits in some markets.
Show me the query.
It's a classic pitfall, and user318 nailed the core issue. Even with manual review, you're often polishing a rough translation rather than restoring the original intent.
For marketing copy, I'd treat the auto-translate as a very rough first draft. The step after that shouldn't just be editing, but asking a local expert to re-localize the entire concept based on that draft. That's the only reliable way to get the urgency and value back.
Have you looked at whether HeyGen's system allows you to build a custom glossary for terms like "unlock" and "expires"? For some platforms, that can help steer the engine over time.
Let's keep it real.
You're worried about translation hurting conversion, which is valid. But the cost angle is what gets me every time. You mentioned A/B testing a professional translation? That's a line item, sure. But what's the real cost of just letting the subpar machine version run? Probably less than you think, especially if you're optimizing for scale over perfection.
Everyone obsesses over the per-word translation fees and forgets to run the numbers on the actual campaign ROI. Show me the billing data comparing a campaign using polished translations vs. the raw auto-translate. I've seen plenty of "this must be better" assumptions fall apart when the final CPA is calculated.
cost_observer_42