Lost In Translation
Paul Strikwerda
If you'd like to follow along with the audio, the text is below.
AN EMERGING TREND: TRANSLATORS LOST IN VOICE-OVERS
In the past few years I have noticed an international trend that I find both worrying and promising. Let's start with what worries me. In a search for cheap, foreign voice talent, some agencies have started to penetrate the databases of on-line marketplaces where translators and clients find one another; sites like translatorscafe.com or proz.com.
Linguists and interpreters are now receiving emails asking how much they would charge for a "simple voice-over job for a major international corporation". I'm a voice-over professional first and a translator second, and I was recently contacted by a company from Bulgaria, claiming to hire voice talent for "Google, Microsoft and IBM". Really…?
As soon as I told them about my rates, they immediately backed off and said that my fees were absolutely outrageous. When I politely informed them that I make a living as a professional narrator, the project manager confessed that they weren't really looking for voice-over pros. They were hoping to hire native speakers at translation rates.
Asking a translator to record voice-overs, is like expecting someone with ordinary penmanship to do calligraphy without any training, experience or special instruments. Both jobs require very different skill sets, preparation, equipment and know-how. Yet, I found out that more and more translators are starting to advertise themselves as voice-over providers.
One rainy afternoon I took some time to listen to a number of their so-called 'demos'. If you ever want to get a good impression of how not to record voice-overs, I invite you to repeat my experiment. I have one word for what I heard: it was embarrassing.
Some folks had used that cheapie mic that was built in to their computer; I could hear cars accelerate and doors open and close; there was hiss and hum and pops and mouth noises, heavy breathing in hollow rooms… and that was just the technical aspect. The people I listened to might have been highly credentialed linguists; it didn't mean that they could actually read.
Why would intelligent people with academic degrees believe that their background would be enough for them to venture into the world of professional narration? To tell you the truth: they aren't much different from all the other folks who believe that there's nothing to it.
Talking to translators, I have noticed a few persistent misconceptions about the voice-over business:
FIRST MYTH: Believing that all you need is a cheap microphone, recording freeware and a voice, to market yourself as a voice-over professional.
REALITY: voice-over pros use expensive, state-of-the art equipment and have had years of training in order to sound like what they're doing is easy. Trust me: it's not! Believing that anyone with a voice could do this, is the same as saying that all an actor needs is good looks to make it in Hollywood. As far as I can tell, only Tom Cruise pulled that one off.
SECOND MYTH: Believing that since anyone can read, anyone can record voice-overs.
REALITY: Even though most of us have the ability to sing, only a few of us can actually make a living as a singer. Just because I'm a native speaker of a certain language, doesn't mean that I should advertise myself as a professional translator or interpreter.
THIRD MYTH: Believing that it's okay to charge translation rates for voice-over projects, and that voice-over rates are determined the same way translation fees are negotiated.
REALITY: voice-over projects have many variables and many price tags. If you charge translation rates, you're exposing yourself as an amateur and you're undercutting your voice-over colleagues. More importantly: you're leaving a lot of money on the table!
FOURTH MYTH: It's fine to put in a blind bid on a project without knowing the specifics of the job or the outsourcer. REALITY: Some low paying voice-seekers have either been banned from voice-over casting sites or they're not having much success finding talent. Now they are turning to translation sites, hoping to find ignorant and cheap labor. Remember: bargain prices attract bargain shoppers. Low paying customers are usually high maintenance customers. As one freelancer put it: "People that are only willing to spend pennies will argue over every cent, while people willing to spend whatever it takes, care more about the result than the bill." My advice: always do your homework before you put in a bid, whether it's a voice-over or a translation project. There are people out there, waiting to take advantage of your lack of knowledge and experience… and might I add… your desperation to finally land a gig.
VARIABLES Quoting a voice-over job is not as simple as plugging in a per-word translation rate. Before you come up with an informed quote, here are some of the variables you should take into consideration. All of these could drastically change what you would charge:
PROJECT LENGTH: (minutes), word count or pages
PROJECT TYPE: -Commercials: radio, television -Narration: corporate, medical, educational -Telephone system recording -Audio book -Film/video/documentary -e-Learning -Podcast -Animation/Cartoon -Video game -Promo/Trailer/Imaging -Website, on-line tutorial
MARKET: local, regional, national, global
ADDITIONAL SERVICES: -Translation -Editing
ADDITIONAL INFO: -Language, Accent, Impersonation -Buyout/royalties I started off by saying that I find this trend of hiring translators for voice-over work both worrying and promising. Here's the promising part. If you happen to be one of those translators, and you're really interested in becoming a voice-over pro, I can tell you from experience that there's a market for you. In fact, being able to translate a script as well as narrate it, could be your unique selling point, and it definitely makes you a double threat…. As long as you can do both things on a professional level.
My translation work has brought in voice-over clients, and my voice-over work has lead to translation and proofreading projects. That's turned out to be especially useful when things were slow…. You know… in the old days when I had yet to become the international voice-over sensation I am today…
This business can be highly unpredictable: when it rains, it pours and when it doesn't, you need a plan B. I knew that I could always fall back on translation work as my plan B, C and D.
So, what to do if you're a translator hoping to break into the wonderful world of voice-overs? Where can you find information about the right equipment, about voice-over rates, about how to give your clients the read they need? Where can you find practice scripts, watch professionals do demos and get quality feedback on your recordings?
Well, there's this site called Internet Voice Coach… It's there for you 24/7, packed with practical information, and it's backed by a team of dedicated professionals, committed to helping you every step of the way. You should look it up some day and give it a try. There's this Dutch voice-over guy who runs the international department at IVC, and he knows exactly where you're coming from because he also works as a translator!
Paul Strikwerda © 2010
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