The world is expanding for all of us. We now have ways to stay in touch with people from across the world. This has been amazingly helpful for all aspects of life, from entertainment to social matters to business opportunities, too, well, anything you can think of. However, there are some difficulties that arise, such as the language barrier. How can we get the most out of communication with others across the world if don’t speak the same language? Translation, of course.
And if you work primarily with the spoken word, you may have already looked into using audio translation services to help make sure that everyone can understand what you are saying. However, it is not always as simple as just sending off an audio file – sometimes you can get back a translation that is missing words or has inaccuracies. In this post, let’s look at what you can do to help get the best audio translation possible.
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1. Get a clear audio recording
One of the biggest and most important things to remember is to get the best audio recording you can. If the speech you need to be translated isn’t clear, you risk not getting a good translation. To make sure your audio recording is good quality, it is best to record your audio in an empty room without other background noises – especially without background chatter.
This means that you probably want to avoid making recordings in places such as cafeterias, where there will be a lot of other people speaking. If you want to record outside you should also try to avoid places or times with a lot of wind, as wind noise can interfere with microphones. The best place to record audio is a quiet room where there are no other sounds. This is of course not always possible, but any improvements you can make to get a clearer recording will help make sure that you get a better translation.
2. Check your recording equipment
The ideal way to record audio is using a proper microphone with a breath shield on it. However, this may not be possible for most people to get hold of, especially if it is a single recording, or if you need to move your recording setup to new locations to get audio from different people.
If you can use a microphone, you will probably find that this is better than a smartphone for recording audio, but even a smartphone can get decent quality recordings if used properly.
First, make sure that the microphone is pointed towards the person who is speaking at the right angle. Microphones, especially small smartphone microphones, can pick up sounds very differently depending on the angle the noise is coming from. You should also make sure that your audio recorder is picking up the speech at the right volume. It is best to do a test recording before you start recording your audio properly. If you can hear the words clearly, then so can your translator.
3. Prep your speaker
Not everyone is used to the same accent, dialect, or the same speech pattern that your speaker uses, so your translator may find it harder if the speech is too fast or not clear enough. It is always worth prepping your speaker to make sure that they speak clearly. This can include asking your speaker to speak slowly and enunciate each word clearly.
You should absolutely make sure that your speaker does not mumble. Encourage them to keep a good volume throughout the recording, even if they are unsure of what they are saying. Again, the clearer the recording is, the better your translation will be.
4. Get a great audio translation service
Once you have a nice clear recording of the audio that you need a translation of, the final step is finding a great audio translation service. You can find experts in certain fields and people who have years of experience translating audio.
Whoever you go with, whether it is a freelancer, a translation agency, or another type of translation expert, having a good quality audio recording can help make sure you get a great finished translation of your spoken files.
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