What are you looking for?

How do you get your video voiceover translated?

How do you get your video voiceover translated?
Home » Blog » Multilingual Voiceover » How do you get your video voiceover translated?

From movies and news reports to videos and documentaries, there are many different scenarios that call for voiceover translation. This is a form of audio-visual translation where a voice is recorded over the original audio, which can still be heard in the background. This is something you are no doubt familiar with if you have ever watched the news and witnessed people being interviewed in a different language.

However, nowadays, voiceover translation is required for a lot more than interviews on the news. Multimedia translations provide a great way for you to stand out from the competition. You will be able to attract a much wider range of customers, appealing to people from all over the globe. You can also enhance your brand image, as professional voiceover translations show your business in a professional and trusted light. But, what steps are involved in video voiceover translation?

The eight stages of video voiceover translation

  1. Establish your requirements
    What languages do you need the video translated into and where will the video be used. Where you intend using the video will determine the quality, file size, and file type. There is a possibility that different versions of the same video may need to be made (one for YouTube and one for a live presentation on a large screen for example). Establish budget and deadlines. If in any doubt, consult with your translation agency right from the start especially as some languages may impact on the length of the original video needed. This is due to what is known in the translation industry as “language expansion”. When translated some languages take up more room. For example, an English into Russian translation can be 15-13% longer than original.
  2. Find a good translation agency
    Find a translation company that can provide the voiceover. It is important to select a business that has a considerable amount of experience in audio and video translation and a good reputation to back it up. It is highly recommended that you speak to a number of translation agencies before selecting, rather than rely on email communication. This way you will really get a feel for the company, their service levels, capability and knowledge. A good translation company will assist you on every step of the way, fill you with confidence in their service, and will not mind if you have many questions that need answering.
  3. Voiceover pre-production.
    Submit your video to the translation agency of choice and relax while they do the next five stages for you.
  4. Transcription
    If you have the script that’s great, but if you don’t, don’t worry, your translation agency can do the transcription. Transcription provides a script to be translated.
  5. Translation
    The script is translated. A good translation agency will use tried, tested and experienced translators who are resident in their mother tongue country.
  6. Voiceover
    Voiceover samples will be selected in consultation with you the client if required. The selected voiceover artist(s) will record the translated script. You may want the voiceover to be burnt in with the video. If this is the case, the audio will be removed and replaced with the new audio. The translation company will be able to add the music back on if you have the file. If not they should be able to supply additional music, but there may be an extra charge for this.
  7. Quality assurance
    All the best translation agencies will carry out quality assurance tests at each stage to ensure everything is perfectly translated and synced.
  8. Delivery & final amends
    The video will be delivered to you with the new voiceover(s) in the format you require, usually via a downloadable link, or the files will be placed on a server. Any amends can be carried out after you have checked your video.

If you’d like to discover more about our video translation services, please send us a message or give us a call on 01225 580770.