There is no doubt that online video platforms such as YouTube have exposed users to television programming and movies from all around the world but one obstacle which has prevented full access for global users is the language barrier.
“Viki” is a Korean startup and internet service which is based around crowd sourced translation for television programs, movies and entertainment news clips from all around the world. The service relies on its users or fans who volunteer their skills to translate video content into more than a hundred languages. So far the company has been extremely successful since its launch in December 2011 and has managed to raise $20 million of series B funding from SK Planet, BBC Worldwide, Greylock Partners Charles River Ventures and several others. Previously, Viki had received investment from some of the same sources amounting to $4.3 million.
With any site which offers streaming video content, the issue of copyright is always a problem— especially when providing full episodes or whole series. Viki has managed to establish a large network of international partners including major players such as BBC Worldwide, Google, Yahoo, Netflix and more. Videos from partner services are embedded into the site and used together with the subtitling interface.
Though adding subtitles to videos is usually a very tedious and slow task, Viki makes the process very painless for users. Once signed up, it is surprisingly easy to start translating any video into another language. With a simple interface which is integrated into the video player, users can add any number of languages to the subtitle track. Even if the user cannot translate the original language, one could also translate using one of the other subtitle tracks. The video moves together with the subtitle editor for easy navigation.
Viki was founded in the shadow of popular Korean dramas and has evolved into a fast growing and global service for anyone interested in exploring the television programming or films of other nations. Viki also has its own app currently available on iOS which can be downloaded for free.
You can view Viki’s website here and follow the service on Twitter here.