Speaker's text - Recommendations for design

You would like to have your speaker's text from Spokesperson is easy to read and can be presented in a way that is easily understood by the target group?
Then the following tips for creating an optimal speaker's text in preparation for voice recording may be very helpful for you:

 

formatting:

• 1.5 line spacing.
• Font size at least 12 pt.
• Optimal font: Helvetica / Arial.
• Page breaks if possible not in the middle of a sentence.
• Always print on one side only, otherwise turning the pages will take too long and cause unwanted noises.

 

File format:

• Document format best as .doc and not .docx, because many speakers work with Open Office or Libre Office, where the XML formatting is lost.
• Very elegant would still be, the parallel sending as PDF as security.
• PDF only is not so good because some speakers would like to reformat the document (e.g. to enlarge the font for better readability).

 

Text organization:

• File numbers with several digits (e.g. 2-digit or 3-digit etc.) should be padded with preceding zeros (e.g. 009, 010, 011 etc.), otherwise there is a risk that some programs will not sort the audio files correctly later on.
• If the client is not present during the recording, please include pronunciation instructions in [square brackets] (also whether certain terms are pronounced in German or English, how certain abbreviations are spoken, etc.).
     
  If many pronunciation notes are required, they can also be in the form of a table. Example:

  Running. No.	Text	Pronunciation instructions
  001
  002

 

• At Video dubbing it would also be helpful to create a table to the left of the take in which the time code with start and end time of the take is listed. (Time code in hh:mm:ss format is sufficient - frames are usually not required).
• If you are using non-Latin scripts, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Asian scripts or Cyrillic, a table is helpful, in which the respective German or English equivalent is listed next to the language to be recorded.
  The additional numbering as the running number of the takes facilitates communication with the speaker.
     
  Example of a table with non-Latin fonts and time code:

  Running. No.	Time code  by (hh:mm:ss)  until (hh:mm:ss)	German	Chinese (Mandarin)
  001	00:00:10  00:00:23	Welcome to your online training.	本课程向您全面介绍。
  002	00:00:43  00:01:07	You will get to know the basic functionality and learn which processes run in the background.	围绕系统的流程是自动化的。

 

Text design:

• Use as short or non-interlaced sentences as possible (is above all more memorable to listen to and is therefore better received by the target group).
• Avoid characters like "/". (The slash, for example, could mean three things: "and", "or", "or").
• Use brackets very sparingly, as they interrupt the flow of text, which is difficult to listen to.
• "etc." and "etc." as this can disturb the flow of text or the rhythm of speech.
• 100 and 1000, because you can speak "one hundred" or "one thousand" or "one hundred" or "one thousand", depending on the centre of gravity.
     

 

Do you have any questions or suggestions regarding the design of speaker texts? Please contact us:

• E-mail: info@worldvoice.de,
• Phone: 030 - 61 70 28 70, or
• contact form.

 

Optimal speaker text - © Wordvoice GmbH - 2019