Audio and Video Translation

World Translation Center can translate any promotional, training, or instructional audio, video or film to over 150 languages for any market. We use professional translators, directors, voice coaches and professional native speakers to create absolute authenticity. World Translation Center is a trusted resource for dubbing and creating the perfect voiceovers in any language, or for subtitling your video.

We will work closely with you to determine the best way to translate your audio or video project to assure that your project achieves the best results in your target country and market. We will assist you in casting the best speakers for your project and budget from our large selection of professional bilingual voiceover talents.

World Translation Center has completed audio and video translation projects for governmental organizations, not-for-profits and businesses of all sizes.

We bring you high quality and accurate audio and video translation, cultural diversity, technical expertise and outstanding customer service at competitive prices. We will make certain that the new language version is equal to the original in all respects.

Our production services include:

• Transcription
• Translation
• Casting with voiceover demos
• Dubbing
• Lip-synching
• Narration
• Foreign language coaching
• Subtitling
• DVD authoring
• Flash animation

Transcription

If no script of your audio or video is available for translation, we can transcribe your video or audio file and then proceed to translate it.

Transcription is converting the audio of your video into written text. This includes all types of digital audio and video formats. Transcribers are professional and accurate, producing an easily readable word-for-word script in a side-by-side format.

For more information on transcribing your project, visit our pages on transcription.

Translation

Your audio or video script will be translated into the requested languages, including, in the case of videos, the translation of all on-screen text.

People speak differently than they write; most languages also use a different style for written text as compared to the spoken text. It is important to use translators who have that audio expertise. World Translation Center uses experienced audio and video translators who are familiar with recordings and who will make your project sound as if it originated in the selected language. An additional consideration is that many languages use a different number of words to convey the same meaning; French, for example, uses about 25% more words than English. Our audio translators understand the importance of keeping the translated text as short or as long as the original so that it can easily be recorded in the time available.

Our translators have been selected based on their field of expertise so that there will be no guesswork with respect to terminology or subject – the translation will have technically appropriate terminology. We recommend using two translators per project. The first translator translates the text and the second translator proofreads and edits it. The voice coach or voice talent often take on the role as proofreader as they are specialized in language flow and tone and can make certain that the correct meaning and tone is conveyed. Translators always receive a copy of the audio file as reference.

If there are several characters on a video, different speakers per character should be used to make the video and the characters sound interesting and authentic. Often one voice talent can take on two or three characters, especially if their roles are short. Our audio translators are familiar with such differences and can apply different speaking styles to each character.

Voiceover

Our Voice Center contains over 2500 voice demos covering 150 languages, sorted by both language and country. You can select speakers and download their demos or we can select speakers based on language, gender, age and budget and send you their demos. Our voice talents are all native speakers of the target language. Speakers live and work in their native country and therefore speak a clear, accent-free language. Recording is done with professional recording devices in studios around the world.

Dubbing

An already produced video is recorded in other languages, taking original timing into consideration and time synching the new production to the original film. If a speaker is on camera, the speaker can record as lip sync, as phrase sync or as voice over.

Our services include narration, voiceover, lip and phrase syncing, mixing and authoring of videos, DVDs, Flash files and websites. For more information, visit our pages on dubbing and narration/voice over.

Timing/syncing

Synching the new voice recording with the video is essential for a perfect outcome. When the speaker is in the studio, he or she listens to the original sound through a headset in one ear and records the script and listens to his or her new recording at the same time in the other ear.

Casting

When you produce a movie or video, you try to match the actors to the description of the people in the script. For a young girl, you select a young actress; for a scruff man, you would select an actor who has that scruff look and a deep voice. Producers cast many actors to find just the right ones. Casting is normally handled internally and demos of the selected speakers sent to you for evaluation.

For more information, visit our pages on casting.

Narration

World Translation Center can provide you with comprehensive voice over narration services. We distinguish between two main types of narration:

• Narration of a new original production
• Narration of an existing production as voice over

Narration of a new original production is reading a script without any consideration to a guide-track. The narration of an audio book, the recording of the notes pages of a PowerPoint presentation, an e-learning narration, recording of tutorials and audio podcasts are considered new original productions.

Narration of an existing production as voice over is reading and acting of a film or video script as a narrator of that film, but keeping the existing length of the original speaker. For more information, visit our pages on dubbing and ­narration/voice over.

For more information, visit our pages on narration.

Subtitling

Any video can be subtitled into any language.

Our translation experts are professional, human translators, who can handle all your video subtitling projects with expertise.

Subtitles are delivered as individual graphics files for your authoring system or we can encode your videotape, digital file or DVD and even format as web files. To learn more about our process, visit our pages on subtitling.

Native Speakers

Our Voice Center contains demos of professional native foreign-language voice-over and dubbing artists, all of whom record in their mother tongue. Most of our voice talents live in their native country and record in studios there. This assures their authentic native accent. For more information, visit our page on native speakers.

Voiceover demos

World Translation Center works with speakers and studios to find the right talent for your video and your budget. Voice talents are professional actors who can manage and change their voice to reflect the style of the original actor.

For more information, see our page on voice demos.