Don’t get stuck for Voiceovers during the Olympics

During the busiest days of the Olympics, the number of journeys in London could more than double with up to three million more travellers on the busiest days of the Games.

This could make it very difficult for voice artists and broadcasters to attend London studios during this period.  Luckily for you Matinée are just outside the black spot area, and only 25 minutes from London:

With three Pro-Tools equipped studios and a database of thousands of voice artists in over 80 languages to choose from – Matinée are ideally placed to help you.

Please take a moment to listen to voice samples on our website: http://www.matinee.co.uk/languages.asp

Doctor's Caring Documentary Goes Global

Dr Ranen Sarma, a medical practitioner of more than 30 years, asked Matinée for help in translating his documentary film "From London with love, a doctor's message home" from English into Assamese and Hindi.

The documentary focuses on true stories that reveal the sufferings of millions of schizophrenics in India and also demonstrates effective 'shared care' treatments to help cope with the challenge of schizophrenia.

The 'shared care' policy put forward by Dr Sarma in Assam is on the lines of a policy by the same name implemented by the British government in England.  Dr Sarma is hopeful that the new approach to treat the mentally-ill by a general medical practitioner and a psychiatrist in India will heal millions of schizophrenics in a country where the Government simply can’t cope.

For Matinée, it was a pleasure to be a part of such a worthwhile project we took extra care in selecting the most suitable voice artists and translators.  Very precise lip-sync recording and audio editing was required to ensure the voiceover was matched perfectly to the 25 minute video, we’ve provided a short clip below.

In this short example you can hear the Hindi voiceover.  The finished DVD contains a language selection menu so you can hear it in English, Hindi or Assamese.

The documentary has since been garnering support across the globe, and has already been selected for screening at this year's New York Independent Film Festival.

 

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year everyone and welcome to the the year of the Dragon!

Matinée will still be offering Chinese Translation, Voice Over and Subtitling services during this time, but they may take a little longer to turn-around than usual. 

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4710 begins on Jan. 23, 2012.

Chinese months follow the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

How are you enjoying the celebrations?  The Glasgow based Matinée sales office are enjoying the annual Takeaway China film festival: http://www.takeawaychina.com

11 things you need to know for a video translation quote.

The cost of translating video depends, not only on the method of translation chosen, but other factors, including:

1. The number of video files.

2. The length of the video.

3. The number of voices required.

4. The language used in the original video.

5. The language(s) required for translation.

6. The method of translation preferred.

7. If the transcript is available, and if it has been time-coded.

8. The format the video is being supplied in.

9. If the video source files are available.

10. If any on-screen text or captions are being translated.

11. The format the translated video is to be delivered back in.

What method of translating video is best?

There are four standard methods of localizing video and which method you choose is a matter of budget, taste, the objectives of your video and your audience’s preference.

Lip-syncing

What is it? The actor’s voices are replaced (dubbed) with foreign actors. Commonly used in video games, animations, film.

ConsiderationsLip Syncing requires extensive preparatory work to adapt the translated scripts, not only to fit within the original audio’s time constraints, but also to ensure the translated audio mimics the actors lip movements as closely as possible.

Producing lip-synced recordings is a very time consuming process and the final result can be questionable - you never get a perfect lip-sync. Modern cinema goers generally prefer to hear the original audio with subtitles/captions, but lip-syncing could be the best option if the audience aren’t likely to read.

Cost? Lip-syncing is generally the most expensive method, due to the studio time and acting it requires.

Voice Over

What is it? The original narrator (off-screen voice), is replaced with a translated voice over.
Commonly used in documentaries, and corporate video.

ConsiderationsWhen translating the voice over script it’s very important that the translators reference the video time constraints, so that the translated voice over isn’t longer than the original voice over.

Voice Over is often used in conjunction with subtitles, UN style voice over, and/or localising on-screen text and graphics.

Cost? It can be a cost-effective option, but will primarily depend on the voice talent selected.

UN Style Voice Over

What is it? The original voices can still be heard in the background and the translated voice over acts as an interpreter. Commonly used in documentaries, talking heads, and interviews.

ConsiderationsA UN Style voice over, is a perfect fit for films with a serious subject matter, which is why it’s often used in documentaries and in news broadcast. The translation summarises what is being said, without altering the meaning. As with voice over translation, it’s important that the scripts have been translated referencing the time constraints in the original audio.

Cost? The cost will depend on the number of voices required, but a UN style voice over is generally less expensive than lip-syncing.

Subtitling / Closed Captioning

What is it? A written rendering of the dialog, typically placed in the bottom-centre of the screen. Commonly used in broadcast, films, news and corporate video.

Considerations Subtitling is the most cost-effective way of translating video, and is often a preferred alternative to Lip-Syncing, or UN Style voice over i.e. it’s ideal use is where you have actors/presenters talking direct to the camera (Talking Heads). However subtitles require a commitment from the viewer, and aren’t always the best option if your audience is passive e.g.TV Commercials, promotional corporate video etc.

Cost? Subtitling is generally the most cost-effective way to translate video.

Matinée are expert in translating audio, video and multimedia projects. Contact us for a FREE QUOTE NOW.

Talk Turkey this lunchtime - a Merry Christmas from Matinee

Help Ed & Gus escape the chop this Christmas in the Matinée Turkey run game!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all the team at Matinée.

Are professional voice overs really worth the cost?

Sadly, at best most of us have average enunciation.  That is; we often mumble or slur our speech, and we’re just not that interesting to listen to!

However, an articulate speaker, who engages with their audience, is crucial to modern business communications.  Whether it’s presenting an idea to investors, training staff to use software, or guiding a caller through to the right department…an attractive voice is vital to success. 

At Matinée we firmly believe a professional voice over will give a return on the investment. Keeping your audience interested, motivated or reassured.  To demonstrate how dynamic our voices are, we created a short video featuring our voice artists perform challenging tongue-twisters!  And if you Vote for your favourite voice artist in our Facebook poll, you could win a basket of TongueTastic muffins!

 

We’ve already posted some popular English tongue-twisters.  Do you have any favourites of your own that you’d like to share?  And, if you are feeling brave, record your own tongue-twister and share it via our Soundcloud group!