Are you looking to hire multilingual voiceover translation services? Do you know where to begin, and how to prepare?
If these are questions you’ve asked yourself, you are not alone. Looking to hire a voice actor or video dubbing services for your project can be daunting, especially if you need to find ones in various different languages. You’d think that doing a Google search would be a good starting point, but you’ll soon realize that there are too many search results to sift through and most of them are not straightforward enough to help you hire voiceover talent. So, let’s start with what preparations to make first.
Preparing for your voiceover translation services project
When you start contacting voiceover translation services providers, you’ll be asked a few questions. Below is a checklist of information you’ll want to have to make the hiring process more efficient.
1. Do you have a script?
The first and most important thing you need before contacting any voice talents is to have a script – and it should be the final approved version. If you need voiceovers in other languages, then you also need to have the translated scripts ready as well. Changes in the script after the recording has started should be avoided because it means extra charges by the voiceover talent and extra time which causes a delay.
2. Which languages do you need the voiceover translation services for? Do you need a specific accent or variant of a language?
Most voice videos have a target audience that dictates the spoken variant of the voiceover. This means you need to choose a voice talent who can speak that variant with the appropriate accent. For example, there are several English-speaking target audiences: English for USA or UK or Australia, to name a few. The Spanish spoken in Spain is different from that spoken in Latin American countries. Even within Latin American Spanish, there are different accents, depending on the geographical region, such as Mexico or Argentina. For Chinese, the Mandarin spoken in mainland China is different from that spoken in Taiwan. There are many more examples of such language variations. So, it is important to know which accent or variant you need before you even begin to look for voice talent.
3. What will the voice recording be used for?
The type and purpose of your video determine how the voice talent will charge for this project. For example, if your video is part of an eLearning course that will be used to train internal staff, then most voice talents will not charge a ‘usage’ fee for their voice recording as it’s for internal use only. If the voice recording will be used in an explainer video, there may be an extra fee for its licensing use. This fee policy varies across different voice talents so it’s best to be prepared for it.
4. Do you need a male or female voice?
If you don’t have a preference, that’s fine, just make sure that is communicated at the outset.
5. What’s the delivery deadline?
It’s best to know the due date when you’d like the voice recording delivered. Since most voice talents are freelancers, they work on a project-by-project basis, and their schedules can be booked suddenly for urgent jobs or blocked off for weeks due to a huge project.
If you have more questions at this point, please reach out to us and ask away! In our next blog, we’ll be discussing where to find voice talent. Stay tuned.
