Russian, Chinese and even French, if you don’t speak the language yourself, it’s darn hard to understand what the voice over is saying. In the world of video content, this is pretty awkward. If, for example, you’re dealing with a voice-over recording in Chinese, how do you keep a grip on your production?
In this video, we’re going to share 4 easy tips on how to work with voiceovers in a foreign language. These tips will help you understand foreign content production, voice book, translate, and localise your voiceovers. So whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, these tips will help you get started working with voiceovers in a foreign language!
At first: Work with a professional voice over
Of course!”, I hear you think. But still, that’s where it starts. A simple question: how do you know if the voice over is emphasising the right words? You can’t check, you don’t understand a word the voice is saying. You can trust a professional voice over with this. Of course it is no guarantee, but it reduces the chance of mistakes by dozens of percent.
An extra advantage is that if you work with voice overs who have recorded for well-known companies, you can almost be sure that they speak an accent that is generally accepted in the country of origin.
Tip two: Number the sentences
If you don’t speak the language, it can be tremendously difficult to know where in the script you are. As a result, you might accidentally put the voice over in the wrong spot under the image.
There is a handy solution for this. Give the sentences or paragraphs in your script a number, or a letter. And ask the voice over to record your numbering as well. Then when you put the recordings into your video, you’ll know exactly where you are in the script.
A voice over may find this difficult, because they get out of the flow of the text when they record the numbers. In such a case, just ask them to speak the text and then edit the numbers into it.
Tip three: Listen in live during the recording session
Of course, you have maximum control if you are present during the recording. You can then consult with each other. An important advantage is that you can ask for feedback right away. Is the wording correct? Is it spoken language? Invite your voice-over to share their vision of the text with you. He or she may have some very good suggestions.
Now you may know that I am Dutch, and it is common knowledge that the Dutch are very direct. Dutch voice-overs are therefore used to thinking along with you and they will readily give you unsolicited advice on alternative phrasing. For voice overs in many other countries, this is often not done. In most cases, you really have to make it clear to the voice over that you will not see their feedback on the script as criticism, but as valuable input.
By the way, is anyone in your company a native speaker of the language you are going to record? If so, have them listen in as well. Then you won’t end up with 1 + 1 = 3, but with 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 (or whatever creative addition you want to make).
And last but not least: Make sure there is a good translation
This one ties in well with the previous point. What do you do if the voice-over indicates that the translation is not good? What if your translator disagrees? Who is right? You don’t know the language, so you can’t judge.
Of course you try to work with a reputable translator. But then again. Do you even have to look at the voiceover translation? Or maybe the original script wasn’t that good? That’s something for another blog…
