Audio translation services

What are audio translation services? Simple. The source for an audio translation is a sound file. For example, a client might send an .mp3 file in French to an audio translation services provider. Then the vendor produces an English document from it.

By contrast, the source for a “regular” translation is a document. Here, the provider receives a document in French and produces an English text, for example.

See a recent Chinese-English project that involved audio translation services.

In another RedLine project, we received six hours of source audio. The audio was in French and Italian. We were asked to translate it into English and Spanish. However, the word count in the final English document was very high. (The average rate of speech is 150 words per minute.)

What’s the big deal about word count? Well, it’s how most translation is priced. The high word count meant that document translation (English to Spanish) was too expensive. Instead, RedLine offered the client its audio translation services. We worked from French audio into English and Spanish, and from Italian audio into English and Spanish.

Audio translation services: option 1

Below is the process that the client first asked us to use:

1. Audio translation: French audio → English text
2. Audio translation: Italian audio → English text
3. Document translation: English texts → Spanish texts

Audio translation services: option 2

Below is the same end result without any document translation. RedLine can get significant economies of scale with audio translation services. We then pass those savings on to the client.

1. Audio translation: French/Italian audio → English texts
2. Audio translation: French/Italian audio → Spanish texts

The client’s deliverables were still English and Spanish documents. However, we hadn’t needed the document translation phase. The result? RedLine saved its client over $5,000.

Should you purchase audio translation services?

Do you need audio translation services? If you don’t know, just ask yourself two questions. Do I need a transcription plus a translation? (Here, a text in the same language as the audio source is created, then translated.) Or do I need audio translation services? (Here, a document is translated directly from the audio source without the transcription.)

If you have questions about audio translation services, contact us.

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Matthew Kushinka is the founder and principal of RedLine Language Services LLC. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the company helps commercial clients create, revise, and translate their written content. Send your questions or comments to matthew@redlinels.com or connect with Matthew on Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

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