Grow your business globally with a strong localization strategy
Every successful business strives to achieve global excellence; however, while going global, they must engage as a local with their target audience. Their brand voice should resonate naturally with their target customers in their local language. To achieve this, brands need a localization strategy. At its core, localization is about translation but it is also more than just translation. Companies today are using video and audio content to engage with their prospects, customers, employees and partners. So, as well as translating their digital content, companies should also consider localizing their audio and video content using voiceovers for different languages.
Voice-over localization is a three-step process. First, you will need to translate the audio script into all your target languages. This should be done by professional translators, native speakers of the language they are translating into. The second step is to record the script in each of the target languages. The third step is to integrate the recorded scripts into each language version. You may also consider adding the translated script as subtitles for each of your languages. In some cases, there may be an additional initial step, if you don’t have a soft copy of the audio script, you will need to transcribe the audio first.
Today, voice-over work is in high demand for eLearning content. Traditionally, eLearning courses were long-form, most from 30 minutes to an hour. However, today, more and more eLearning courses are available in short, bite-sized chunks to allow learners to consume them at their own pace. The rise in demand for voice-over in the eLearning industry is evident in the growth of the demand for eLearning voice-over.
According to the latest statistics and trends, the eLearning market will grow exponentially. The total estimated worth of the industry was around US$ 315 billion in 2021. According to industry experts, we expect the industry to grow at a CAGR of 20% until 2028. That means that the total market size of the eLearning industry will be around US$ 1.35 Trillion markets by the end of 2028.
When it comes to simplifying learning, and increasing learner engagement, audio and video content play an important role in achieving both. The demand for voice-over services is also rising in the corporate sector. Many companies have adopted new working models like the hybrid working model (home working/office working). Offering online eLearning training content to their employees is great for increasing employee engagement. We expect eLearning training to continue to grow, leading to increased demand for localized voice-over services. Today, eLearning training is more efficient than classroom training as learners can learn at their preferred pace according to their schedule.
With the help of a voice-over artist, businesses can add a dialect and overtone to their content to which the local audience can connect. An expert voice-over artist can help companies understand the different approaches used in the local language and then incorporate them into their content.
Standard dialects and visuals can allure more potential buyers and build a stronger connection with the audience, increasing revenue. So, let’s delve into voice-over translation and understand it better.
What are the benefits of voice-over translation?
Attract more local clients & sales
According to Harvard Business Review, 72.4% of customers say they are more likely to buy from a brand if the information regarding a product is in their native language. It shows that you can even boost your sales by using the power of voice-over translation; you can attract more local or native clients and boost your sales.
A local customer will be more interested in interacting with any kind of information if it is presented in their local language. Therefore, if you plan to target a foreign market with a different language, you must use voice-over experts to make this expansion successful.
Reach a broader audience base
If your target audience is not limited to a single language, try reaching out to them in a different language. Consider multilingual voice-over translation services to reap the maximum benefits. With this type of translation, you can reach a broader audience base. By promoting the video in your native language, you will no longer be confined to language barriers.
Types of voice-over translation
- Voice replacement
One of the most common voice-over translation services within video content is voice replacement. Engineers mute the original audio, and the voice-over artist replaces the verbal content with his voice in the native language.
One of the biggest challenges of this type of voice-over translation is matching the speed and delivery of the original voice. For example, there must be an emphasis on specific points in the original voice, some pauses, or breaks. It becomes difficult for the new speaker to match it accurately in such cases.
- The UN-style
The other most common voice-over translation service within video content is the UN style. There are many videos where both the original voice and the audience’s native language need to be heard, like in the case of eLearning videos. The UN-style translation never replaces the original speaker as the native language is just spoken over.
The audience can easily hear the original voice for the first couple of seconds, followed by the native language voice. The sound of the native language usually surpasses the original speaker. It is helpful if you wish your audience to relate to the original voice.
- Off-screen voice over
This type of translation is ubiquitous in the eLearning realm. All the voices used in the translation are usually heard off-screen in this sector. The user can simply keep following the on-screen animations and texts.
Many international translation companies provide off-screen voice-over. You should go with this type of translation only when one doesn’t have to play the video. It is also the most straightforward type of translation since it requires only a single actor as the new language just needs to be synced.
- Dubbing
Dubbing might be the most recognizable type of translation. If you want the video to look like it has been initially shot in the native language, then dubbing is the right option. By the look of things, dubbing makes the video look more pristine in terms of the native language.
For this, you have to choose from international translation companies as dubbing might be one of the most effective types of voice-over translations, but at the same time, it is challenging to implement.
Into23 voice-over translation process:
A standard voice-over translation process is not as simple as it sounds. Precise and accurate voice-over translation requires both detailing and the skill of a professional. During translation, accuracy is of utmost importance because even a single mistake can change the entire meaning of the video. The translation process begins with transcribing the original audio content of the video. There is no way one can translate the content without going through the script.
Into23’s voice-over services involve language script recording and translation of the script; we also record the translation in different versions. Professional translators conduct the translation process, and professional voice actors do the voice. Into23 works with voice actors that primarily use their home studio. How does that benefit our clients? It allows our team to offer services at economical prices, offering a price that is more competitive than high-end professional recording studios. We must clarify that we do not target voice-overs for the movie or TV industry as these do require these high-end recording studios.
Let’s understand the typical process of voice-over translation.
Firstly, we consider the type of voice our client is looking for, e.g., age group, accent, male or female. Our team offers 4 to 6 voice samples matching the profile; the client then chooses their preferred voice. Once the voice-over artist is shortlisted, we provide them with a brief. Our brief includes the following things:
- Voice style: in general, eLearning will be conversational. But because the courses are long, the conversational tone needs to be engaging.
- Pronunciation: Guide for any brand names or unusual words/terms.
- Audio recording specification: We specify whether we want 16-bit audio, 24-bit or 32-bit audio files. The usual is 16-bit.
- Audio sample rate: The usual sample rate is 44.1 kHz for eLearning but 48 kHz for dubbing/video.
- Channel: Mono or Stereo channel. The usual for eLearning is Mono.
- File format: MP4, Wav or MP3?
The process:
- Phase 1: The artist records the script.
- Phase 2: During the post-processing of the recorded script, the professionals remove pauses, breaks, verbal ticks, or noises.
- Phase 3: They also validate the script recording to ensure accuracy. Re-recording is requested if any parts need correction. For eLearning courses, we split the audio files following the flow of the course.
- Phase 4: We also take client feedback and implement the necessary modification due to script changes, pronunciation change requests, etc. Into23 allows 2 to 3 rounds of corrections.
The pricing model:
Our pricing model depends on the length of the script or the final audio length (in minutes). Voice-over actors charge per final audio minute. However, we estimate the final length after recording; we prefer to quote based on the script length in words.
· Up to 10 mins of audio is less than 1500 words.
· 30 mins of audio is a script between 3000 and 4500 words
· 1 hour of audio is a script between 7500 and 9000 words.
What’s new?
The future of voice-over translation will be a combination of AI and human voice recording. AI-generated voice recordings will allow a voice-over actor to produce a recording quickly, and then edit it to correct any mispronunciations or other errors in the generated audio file. Into23 is also planning to offer synthetic voice recording services by 2022. We shall collaborate with some of our voice actors to provide this as a service. It will result in faster turnarounds, guaranteed high-quality output, and lower costs. For more details regarding our voice-over translation services, contact our experts now!