blog
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The English language in 24 accents!
Hi folks! Today we are going to talk about accents, all languages have accents, and the English language could not be less. The following video has been recorded by a little chap that is, indeed, very good with accents and has a very good ear for them. Check it out!
What was your favourite accent? Do you think you could do it in your language?
C’mon, give it a try. We will post the best videos in here.Category: accent, language, voice over | Tags: humour | Comments (0)
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Ken Lee - Without You?
It is quite amazing how everyone seems to be totally hooked onto “singing” competitions like the X Factor - Do you think you have the X factor? What is the X Factor? Does the following contestant has it?
In the Bulgarian version of the show, in the casting stage, our star wannabe has a very unusual way of singing in English - subtitles needed
so needless to say of her performance, and yes it wasn’t a cover of the song translated in Bulgarian, but the original anthem.Do you happen to recognise the lyrics: “Ken Leee, tulibu dibu douchoo, ken leee, ken lee meju more”?
Judge it for yourself… she seems to be pretty convinced she’s doing a good job - and in a good English accent - wouldn’t dare to say if she sounded more English or American
Category: humour, singing | Tags: subtites, x factor | Comments (0)
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Voice Overs: Remember, you get what you pay for!
A realistic approach to the voice over and localisation industry.The future of the voice over industry brings to my mind the image of a cloud getting on top of someone’s head… Recently it seems that clients are being pushed into a corner – they have extremely tight budgets and yet their expectations of the quality of the recording are higher than ever.
It is obvious that the industry is rapidly changing and that some artists are catching on to this and are setting up their own studios and recording from home, with, I would say, a very good quality considering the environment – their home.
It seems like some clients want to abolish the hourly rate, and go for a different approach, replacing the hourly fee in the studio for a per word or per minute of finalised audio.
If you are a voice talent, beware of this. It is me who is telling you this - an agent of a voice over agency – it could not come from a more reputable or honest source.
Think carefully of rates per minute - just get a piece of paper and try to work out how many wild words you would do in an hour and divide this into minutes. This way you will have a chart of rates that will tell you exactly how many words you can voice in a minute and also an average of the number of words that a minute can contain.
Be very careful when you agree to a fee per minute. Know the exact total word count of the project and take into consideration how long this will take to record.
Recently, professional voice over talents have been offered ridiculous rates, which makes me believe that someone out there is actually taking on jobs at those silly rates and in a way bringing the whole industry down.
By way of a simple analogy, voice over talents are like cars. There are many different types of cars: Porsches, Audis, Rolls Royces, Renaults, Smart Cars, Clios, mini vans, etc… you wouldn’t expect to pay the same price to rent or buy a Porsche as to rent or buy a Smart. It is obvious that a Porsche is more powerful, reliable and looks a lot better that a Smart Car… at the same time it also consumes more fuel. The Smart Car, on the other hand, will take you from A to B, but that is about it, and then again the fuel cost is certainly lower than for the Porsche.
So if we apply this to the voice over industry, you really get what you pay for.
If you are a client, do not expect to have a final product which resembles a Porsche if you are only prepared to pay for the fuel to run a Smart car. And if you are a voice talent, value yourself. We all know - you voice talents yourselves know - exactly what category you are in. Do not let clients bully you into accepting ridiculous rates, and let’s teach each other that good cooperation, fair rates, friendliness, and a personal touch make all the difference.
Are you comfortable using a Smart Car or would you rather go for a flashy Porsche? Would you compromise quality/price in a recording?
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Category: voice over | Tags: Localisation, voice talent | Comments (5)
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Translation vs Localisation
Translation vs Localization, or Localisation, if we Localise for the Brits Or Translation vs Localisation, or Localization, if we Localise for the Yanks
As you can see, we were not even able to get through the title of our article here before we started to feel compelled to localize (localise) it. It only takes a brief moment of investigation to start to be able to differentiate the terms translation and localization. While many people see the two terms as virtually interchangeable synonyms they are actually not even particularly close synonyms at all.
In Robert Graves’ poem, The Naked and the Nude, Graves explains:
For me, the naked and the nude
(By lexicographers construed
As synonyms that should express
The same deficiency of dress
Or shelter) stand as wide apart
As love from lies, or truth from art.Basically, Graves makes the point that one’s view as to the similarity or difference in the meaning of any two synonyms may have much more to do with a person’s perspective than with the actual difference in meaning between the two words or phrases.
Graves’ point may be well taken in relation to the difference in meaning between the two words translation versus localization (localisation), but in this case, the literal definition of each of these words is as distinctly different as any difference that might be implied by the perspective of the user/reader. Beyond that, there is the issue of localization (localisation), itself, which repeatedly rears its ugly head even as we try to explain the not-so-subtle differences between the words.
So without getting mired further into issues of localization (localisation), suffice it to say, the word localization (localisation), is a significant, specific and specialized version of the word translation. One can have translation without having localization (localisation). In fact, localization (localisation) recognizes significantly greater variables than the literal translation of any given word or sentence. For instance, localization (localisation) will actually recognize the difference in monetary symbols between two different countries, even within the very same language. Localization will address and correct the form in which a date or address is written. Localization could literally extend to changing graphics, in order to be more representative of the country for which the graphic intends to display meaning.
Translation is interpreting the meaning of a word, phrase or document into another language or language variation. Localization (localisation) is actually rewriting a document as if it had been written in another language or language variation and then representing it considering that geographical, cultural difference as well.
Category: translation | Tags: Localisation, localization | Comments (2)
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Seasons Greetings from golocalise
seasons greetings from golocalise
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Category: xmas | Tags: e xmas card, merry xmas | Comments (3)
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Toy Story 3 - Spanish Buzz
And one of our International voices, Javier Fernandez-Peña, is staring in the Toy Story 3. See the following click and let us know what you think of his performance.
If you would like to book Javier for a recording we can organise this for you. Now you can say Spanish Buzz has voiced your product, corporate video or animation - how cool is that!
Category: animation, voice over | Tags: Disney, spanish, Toy Story | Comments (0)
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GoLocalise Animation - Mandarin Chinese
I hope you all had a great weekend. This is the final language version for our GoLocalise/Goanim8 movie. Translated, adapted and also given it a pinch of Chinese local humour, our dearest Deborah has done an absolutely amazing job, thank you so much! And we cannot forget Weiliang, who is the voice of our Chinese animation. What a great team!
Let us know what you think. Very soon, we will update the website with a new section - Goanim8! So watch this space! Take care and have a good week guys. xoxo
Category: animation, humour, voice over | Tags: chinese, goanim8 | Comments (0)
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GoLocalise Animation - Japanese
挨拶 Hello everyone, another week goes by and it is the turn for the Japanese version of the GoLocalise animation. Our friend Yutaka has translated and adapted the text, and the talented Dait has voiced the animation. Many thanks to you both, a pleasure working with you both. Have a look at the animation and let us know what you think of it.
I think Dait’s cartoon-ish voice works wonders with the animation and our friend Dave surely wont have any problems in the Japanese market after this new introduction. Hope you guys are all OK and in good spirits. The summer is almost here. Take care and see/read you soon. xoxo
Category: animation, marketing | Tags: goanim8, japanese | Comments (0)
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Bausch and Lomb
What’s in the mix this week? We have done the latest advertising promo campaign for Bausch and Lomb, called “Two Little Windows“, beautifully shot and directed not the typical promo, but it certainly grabs your attention with stunning landmarks of cities, landscapes and beautiful people
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Sneak-a-peak of the English version!We have version this in several different languages, including French, Italian, German, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. Let us know what you think, more to come soon, take care guys.
Category: promo, voice over | Tags: bausch and lomb, english | Comments (0)
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GoLocalise goes Goanim8
The key to any sales and marketing exercise is to get your audience excited about what you have to offer. The age-old question to this is how to use the most effective method for maximum result! The spoken word is the norm, but according to Jay Conrad Levinson, the renowned father of Guerrilla Marketing: “A sales pitch made to the eye is 78% more effective than one made to the ear.” In other words, a demonstration of your idea is better than just talking about it!
A demonstration of your idea wrapped up in a fun and engaging story is the ultimate. It gives your idea, service or product the edge over your competition.
GoLocalise has developed a fresh, innovative idea, combining proven marketing methods for maximum impact on your new and existing client base.
Have you seen GoLocalise’s animation? - It’s new, fun and effective! And now you can get one done for your company - goanim8!
Category: animation, marketing | Tags: goanim8, video production | Comments (0)
