1. Choose Wisely - Who you choose to deliver your message is the first and possibly most critical decision you’ll make. The voice talent should personify the attitude and style of your company, product or character and should relate to your target demographic. Keep in mind that the talent should be able to communicate your message quickly and efficiently. Choose a voice talent who can deliver your copy with few mistakes or pickups. Just because audio editing is easier and faster than ever, doesn’t mean extensive editing should be required to get the result you want.

2. Check Your Script – Before your session, read your script out loud and use a stopwatch to time it. This process will help ensure that you’ve fixed any mistakes, grammatical errors and any other stumbling blocks that the voice over talent may encounter. Using a stopwatch while reading aloud will prepare you for the possibility that you may need to cut or add copy to fit your message within the time limits required for radio and TV commercials.

3. Formatting – The way your script is formatted plays a big role in the ease in which it can be read. Double spacing allows room to make copy edits when necessary. Use of punctuation is a must. Also be aware that WRITING IN ALL CAPS IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ. Only use ALL CAPS, bold type, italics or underlines to indicate emphasis.

4. Numbers - Using actual numbers (1,2,3) rather than writing numbers (one, two, three) is helpful. However, in the case of a monetary value that is complicated to say or that can be said multiple ways, writing the number the way you would like it said is best.

5. Communicate - Communication is what this is all about… right? Let your voice talent know right from the beginning what your ideas are for your script and the approach you had in mind. Most of the time, the copy itself will indicate what approach the voice talent will need to take. Other times several approaches could be considered viable options. This brings us to…

6. Be Flexible - While you were getting ready for the session to begin, the voice talent was also preparing. Professional voice over talent will look over the script, read it to themselves, then read it aloud and anticipate what delivery will be best based on the script, the client, and any written direction that may have been provided. Oftentimes the talent’s approach will be very close to what you were thinking. However, the talent may also deliver something slightly different or even completely unexpected. These differences could lead to results that are better then what you had imagined. Be open to what the talent brings to the table. It’s one of the reasons you chose him or her.

7. Ask For Help - The audio engineers, producers and the voice talent are all there to help you get the most out of your production. Everyone involved wants the production to be a success. If while in a recording session you are not quite sure about direction, script construction, copy edits, or have questions or concerns about the audio itself, then allow the talents and experience of these professionals to help you achieve your goals.

8. Be Specific – Vague terminology is confusing and not very helpful since it often requires further explanation anyway. “Make it blue” is not a clear direction and can be interpreted in several ways. “Bigger smile” and “descend on that word” are examples of very precise directions that the voice over talent can easily understand.

9. Keep it Positive – Everyone appreciates positive feedback. If the talent is communicating your message effectively, let them know it.

10. Make It Fun – The best and most memorable recording sessions are the fun sessions. They usually involve fun, creative scripts and people who love listening as their productions come to life. Even if the script is informational and straightforward, there is no reason the session can’t be fun while the work gets done. Sometimes, it can be so much fun… it seems strange to call it work. How’s that for getting the most out of a session?

In our two previous articles about getting the most out of Spanish voiceovers and script translation, we focused on the importance of using fully bilingual, native speakers throughout the process, and the practice of using a neutral Spanish dialect versus regional dialects.

In this third installment, we will focus on different ways that timings affect Spanish voice over sessions.

You know that feeling you get as a writer/producer/creative director when your beautifully worded radio spot times out at 75 seconds on the first read through?  It surely didn’t seem that long when you were writing it and mumbling the words under your breath, as you sipped the finest of coffee beverages.  So in the session, you sigh as you realize the need to remove some words, and you condense other lines to retain the necessary information, but you’re now doing so using a time saving strategy.

Well a similar situation may occur when you translate an English radio/TV/video script into Spanish. Even if the English version times out at sixty seconds or under, if you get a direct translation of your script, the Spanish version could easily balloon to seventy seconds or more.  And for longer scripts, the Spanish translation will generally expand at the same rate.

How can this be?  Simple answer – Spanish generally requires about 20% more words than English to say the same thing.  That’s just the way it is – due to syntax, sentence structure, lack of contractions…all the little things add up.

So again, we go back to the main objective in getting a great translation – translating for content while taking timing, phrasing, meaning and understanding into account.

Before beginning a Spanish-language voice over production, you should think about a few factors that can help guide your approach:

• Is your voice over for a broadcast Radio/TV spot where you have strict time limitations of 10, 15, 30, 60, 120 seconds?

• Is your Spanish creative an entity unto itself, or are you matching the creative elements of a corresponding English audio production – using the same transitional cues such as music edits, sound effects, graphics or on-camera action?

• If your production is for a TV spot or long-form video, do you need the Spanish voice over segments to match the timings & transitions of an existing English version?  Or will you prefer that the Spanish audio times out to its natural length, and then you go back to re-edit the video to match the pace and length of the new Spanish VO?

Generally speaking, if you just get a word-for-word translation, you should expect that the Spanish version will be a longer piece.  But if you’re aware of this as you go into your project, you will have a better idea of the approach you want to take, and you will have an idea of some of the obstacles associated with producing a Spanish language voice over.

So taking all of this into account, there are two basic approaches you could follow:

• Be sure that your experienced translator is aware of any timing constraints, and have them translate the content to meet these marks.  Sometimes that will mean condensing the essence of the message into a smaller space.  Thus the importance of working with someone you can trust to boil down content and rephrase it effectively to retain your message.

• Make sure that your editor/engineer/producer/director is aware of the situation…whether they need to hit specific marks or cues as the voice is being recorded, or will they be re-editing the background elements to coincide with the length of the new read?

You should be ready with one or both of these approaches, because making seventy-five seconds of Spanish voiceover fit into a sixty second hole is not easy…some may say it is downright impossible.

Foreign language voice over production can be intimidating, but by following these simple guidelines you can make your production a great success.

To recap the basics for getting the best out of a Spanish voice over, you should:

• Be aware of timing issues when doing a foreign language VO.

• Decide if you will use a neutral/standard Spanish dialect.

• Use a translator and director who is totally bilingual and who is familiar with voiceovers and the recording process.

• Use a native Spanish speaker as your voice talent.

If you follow these steps, you have a good chance of wowing your client with your production savvy. Using the skills of a seasoned professional is helpful, as this person understands all the things that can go right or wrong during a recording session, and they can come into it with contingencies in mind.  So relying on the experience of others can make your job that much easier.

Best of luck with your next Spanish voice over project.  You are now free to go enjoy a café con leche & write your next award-winning piece.

Ciao Amigos!

In our previous article about getting the best out of Spanish voice over and translation, we discussed the importance of using native speakers, and the use of Neutral Spanish as the generally accepted dialect for most projects in the Western Hemisphere.

In this installment, we will delve further into the importance of using fully bilingual, native speakers for translation and voice talent, as well as the importance of using a native-tongue director to get the best out of a Spanish-language voiceover session.

While using a native speaker for your foreign language voice over project is key, don’t just take the first person you find on the street.   A translator who has a firm grasp on the English language, as well as their native Spanish, has an even greater ability to provide a spot-on translation.  Phrases go both ways, and a truly bilingual individual should understand the way to phrase things appropriately for each language.  For instance, if your English script uses colloquialisms or slang, you want someone who can replicate that in Spanish by using appropriate and corresponding phrases.  The key is to use someone who translates the message, not just the words.

As most of you reading this may know, ProComm is a phone patch studio.  We have our clients online to direct their sessions 99% of the time.  We prefer to work this way, so that the client can direct the talent into just the right read, and we can get the best out of the talent in every session.

The same goes for Spanish voice overs – we want the client to be involved in the recording, but we also prefer that there is a native speaker online to direct the Spanish-speaking voice talent.  It is important to have a bilingual director involved, as they can critique the delivery, diction and overall performance of the voice talent, as well as confer with the client and talent to fix any poorly translated areas of the copy.

Whether the native-tongue director is supplied from the client side or hired by ProComm, it is important to have this person available during the session.   Generally speaking, it is difficult for a voice actor to act in two capacities during a session, as they should focus on their delivery and not try to also act as an independent observer.

Another reason to have a native speaker helping to direct the talent is a very simple one – it is difficult for an English-only director to critique the Spanish read.   In my opinion, emotions do convey the same in Spanish as in English.  You can tell from listening if someone has a smile on their face, or if they are speaking with a stern tone.  So that is not the main obstacle.

But just imagine if the talent is presented with a poor translation (who knows where it might have come from), and they look to the director for assistance with the translation or word choice in a particular area of the script.  An English-only director would often times be helpless to offer suggestions or changes due to the challenges of not being fluent in the language they are directing.  Talk about a sticky situation, especially when the clock is running on the studio time and you have to get your audio out the door in 2 hours.  In that situation, you would surely want to have that bilingual director there by your side to help in the midst of such a vocabulary crisis.

One thing to remember though…not all voice actors are good translators & vice-versa.  That could stem from simple factors like: a great voice could have poor grammar skills, or they may have a more limited grasp of English, or some other issue that would not make them an ideal candidate for conducting rewrites on the fly.  Or a translator with sharp grammar skills may not be able to read the script, breathe properly, explore emotion and dynamics, or generally “play the part” as a professional voice actor could.

At ProComm, we have carefully vetted the individuals we use to fill these roles, and by focusing on these nuanced specifics, we have had much success in the world of Spanish voice over.   Hopefully these tips will help make your next Spanish VO project go smoother than ever.

In our next (and final) installment of this series, we will focus on the ever-important aspect of timings, and how that comes into play with regard to Spanish translation & voice over.

See you then, amigos!

As the Hispanic demographic has grown in the United States, the broadcast advertising industry has taken notice, and more companies are becoming involved in Spanish-language voice overs.

As with English-language advertising and corporate communication, there are many different levels of production and quality control that you may encounter on the way to finishing your Spanish voice over project. Considering a few extra factors before getting into Spanish-language audio production can make the process much more streamlined and economical.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will review some of the basics that will help with achieving the final goal – translating your message for your audience.

This first installment will focus on two main aspects of doing a Spanish voice over – The importance of using a native speaker, and the ‘flavor’ of Spanish you might use for your project.

When In Rome

If you want your voice over to be authentic, it is best to go to the source and use a bilingual translator/voice talent who grew up in the Hispanic culture. There are many ways to express one’s self, and knowing the idioms, customs and native expressions of a culture can make a big difference in relaying your message in a smooth and effective manner.

A translator or voice talent who was born and nurtured (or possibly just immersed for many years) in a culture as they learned their language skills will have an unconscious advantage over a non-native speaker.  They will have more phrases to draw from in their vast vocabulary and be better at picking the right word, phrase or attitude depending on the message, tone or situation. A native speaker will have a much better grasp on the basics of the language as well as the nuances that will really help drive your message home.

Take a look at this English translation…

As the example above illustrates, a poor translation can be good for laughs, but not great for conveying information in a useful manner. Clearly those instructions were not translated by a native English speaker.

¿ Comprende? Who Will Understand My Spanish Script?

While it is true that there are many different dialects of Spanish worldwide, that is not a unique situation. The same occurs in English. As someone from the Midwest may say, “You guys take care” with a slightly staccato delivery, a southerner may say, with an elongated drawl, “Y’all take care”…someone listening to both –though they sound fairly different – will understand both speakers.

In applying this principal to el Español, there is a Standard Spanish (also called Neutral Spanish) that is understood by all – without regional dialects or specialized words and phrases associated with a specific region. Standard Spanish is typically the way to write a Spanish voice over script, unless you are targeting a very specific niche audience – then by all means, getting a translation in that style and a voice over with that dialect may be beneficial – or at least it would not detract from the message.

But for a message with a broader audience – whether it be an east coast resident of Cuban descent or a west coast resident of Mexican or Chilean descent –  Standard Spanish is the way to go. Heck, even an Anglo student who has studied a few years of Spanish should be able to understand the basic message.

So when targeting a wide demographic, leave your clipped S’es, swallowed D’s and other regionalisms out of the equation and stick to Standard Spanish. A good Spanish voice talent & translator should already understand all of these things and be able to tweak them as needed.

By starting with these two basic guidelines in translating & voicing in Spanish, you can save yourself some unforeseen headaches when it comes time to record, mix and create your masterpiece. It is all pretty straightforward, though possibly some new things to think about, if you are not yet accustomed to foreign language audio production.

So soak up this info…and tune in during the next week or so, when we explore more deeply the importance of using Native speakers and bilingual professionals for your recording projects…and taking timings into consideration when branching out into foreign language voice overs.

Nos Vemos, Amigos!