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Translation and V. O. recording rates
Thread poster: Thayenga
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 14:24
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Oct 20, 2016

Dear colleagues,

I've been asked to do not only the subtitle translation for a video, but to also provide the voice over recording. The subtitle translation rate is no problem. However, never having done the V. O. recording of the same video, I'm wondering what to base my rate on.

Do you normally charge for each job separately, or do you offer a "combined" rate for both services? Also, do you charge per audio minute (perhaps not a good idea) or per hour of the time requ... See more
Dear colleagues,

I've been asked to do not only the subtitle translation for a video, but to also provide the voice over recording. The subtitle translation rate is no problem. However, never having done the V. O. recording of the same video, I'm wondering what to base my rate on.

Do you normally charge for each job separately, or do you offer a "combined" rate for both services? Also, do you charge per audio minute (perhaps not a good idea) or per hour of the time required to do the recording?

Any information you can provide me with will be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Thayenga

[Edited at 2016-10-20 16:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
Lianne van de Ven
Lianne van de Ven  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:24
Member (2008)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Unusual request Oct 20, 2016

I don't have a direct answer to your question. I do think though that the request is rather unusual, because VO services are professional services. Do they know what your voice sounds like and what your skills are in this area? And of course, also, do you know how to do this? I am sure there is a whole range from just a recording of a translation to highly professional audio jobs, so that also makes it hard to answer your question. Other than that, it seems easiest to propose an hourly rate.
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 14:24
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
My thoughts Oct 20, 2016

Lianne van de Ven wrote:

I don't have a direct answer to your question. I do think though that the request is rather unusual, because VO services are professional services. Do they know what your voice sounds like and what your skills are in this area? And of course, also, do you know how to do this? I am sure there is a whole range from just a recording of a translation to highly professional audio jobs, so that also makes it hard to answer your question. Other than that, it seems easiest to propose an hourly rate.


Hi Lianne,

thank you for your reply.

You're speaking my mind because - never having done this before - I am also wondering whether my voice might be what they want, especially since my client has never heard it.

You are correct, such a recording should be done by professionals only and not by someone who has basically no experience with such tasks. Therefore, you are confirming my feeling to just say "no" to the recording part, even though my client might not like it. However, possibly delivering poor recording quality might ruin an otherwise very good business relationship.
 
dropinka (X)
dropinka (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
English to Italian
+ ...
+1 Oct 20, 2016

Lianne van de Ven wrote:

I don't have a direct answer to your question. I do think though that the request is rather unusual, because VO services are professional services. Do they know what your voice sounds like and what your skills are in this area? And of course, also, do you know how to do this? I am sure there is a whole range from just a recording of a translation to highly professional audio jobs, so that also makes it hard to answer your question. Other than that, it seems easiest to propose an hourly rate.


It takes more than a nice voice!
 
Nadia Gabriel
Nadia Gabriel
United States
Local time: 08:24
Member (2014)
English to French
V.O. recording script? Oct 20, 2016

Hi, could they be talking about translation for V.O. recording? That is, they're not asking for your voice, but for a translation 1) for subtitling and 2) for voiceover (i.e. what will be the comedians' script). That said, I don't know how this is billed either.
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 14:24
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
The complete package Oct 20, 2016

Nadia Gabriel wrote:

Hi, could they be talking about translation for V.O. recording?


Hi Nadia,

well, my clients made it perfectly clear that they want me to translate the subtitles and then do the V. O. recording. So it's not that I'd be asked to translate the script for V. O. recordings, I am asked to actually do the recording itself.

Yes, this type of assignment, the recording, is best charged per hour. Yet I've decided not take take on the recording part. Perhaps at a later time, once I've learned how it's done properly and have gained the proficiency required to offer this type of service.

So thank you for your replies.
 
Paris Brooker
Paris Brooker  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:24
Turkish to English
You need to invest in decent equipment to get anywhere near a "good" recording... Oct 21, 2016

A good mic: $400-$500
An audio interface: $200
Sound treatment for your recording room (if you're in a small room with flat, painted brick walls, you'll have echoes bouncing all over the place): $300 (depends on room size/configuration)
Sound editing software: You can get this for free, but I'd venture a guess and suggest you don't know how to use EQ and compression to process the recording to make it sound right...
 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 14:24
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Oct 21, 2016

Paris2083 wrote:

A good mic: $400-$500
An audio interface: $200
Sound treatment for your recording room (if you're in a small room with flat, painted brick walls, you'll have echoes bouncing all over the place): $300 (depends on room size/configuration)
Sound editing software: You can get this for free, but I'd venture a guess and suggest you don't know how to use EQ and compression to process the recording to make it sound right...



Thank you for the approximate costs involved list. I do appreciate it.
 


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