Have you ever tried to do voice over for a presentation or other project? It is very hard especially if you are not a professional speaker or actor, try doing it in French. Since the pandemic began online programs have become popular to the point that this looks like a staple for the future even when the pandemic ends. For our business this may be a good thing and translation is something that we do all the time, but voice over work is more of a challenge.
My husband received a project to do a voice over for a large company. It was a safety program and being a natural behind the microphone created a great voice over of the presentation that was stunning. After all he has two podcasts, two television shows, a radio station, and is a trainer and professional speaker. Voice over – no problem. In addition the subject matter he was voicing was something that he trains people on all the time so was able to add some flare to it that most people can’t. At this point we thought the project was complete until he got the call.
That’s right the client called and said to him, “Do you know anyone that can do the same thing in French? Matter of fact I do!” He turned to look at me. This is where it became different, I am not the voice over person that my husband is, unfortunately he doesn’t know French. Now I have done voice over work before but it was work that I was familiar with and had translated. This presentation was translated by another person and I think the hardest part was it written as if a presenter would be presenting it live. When the recipient will just be watching it on a screen it changes the way sentences are created. The other challenge is that I couldn’t get the flare that my husband had thrown in because it isn’t material I am familiar with.
It only took me five times to get it right after being edged on by my husband to add more personality into it. The other issue is thankfully we have the equipment to do such a project as you need a decent microphone and software to create a voice over. With a full studio here it is easy to get projects like that completed quickly. I now see why they have actors do voice overs for animated work, it is no easy job. If you need voice over work in French for your project we can handle it for you.
About the Author
Carmen Outridge is the owner of Outridge Translation Services and has been translating documents between English and French for over 30 years. Carmen is from Eastern Townships part of Quebec and understands the language and dialect of Quebec. To learn more about Outridge Translation Services or to get help with your next project visit www.outridgetranslation.com
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