Instruction: Why Is Localization Vital

Response:
Did you know that in a world where English is termed as an international language it is only about 40% of the people who can actually speak the language and understand it fully while the other 60% is for individuals who don’t really speak it but understand a few vocabularies here and there? With this kind of knowledge, you should be aware that, having your business and company websites exclusively in one language means that 60% of the world population will not be able to interact with your business because clearly, they are not your target audience.
The sole purpose of starting something like a business is so that it can grow beyond the borders to an international level and bring in more profit. If this is not your goal as a business person then you are doing this whole business thing the wrong way. You might be wondering, how exactly you would make your business relatable to an audience that doesn’t understand the English Language, and that’s exactly what we will be looking at today.
Business owners have been able to take their businesses to the global market through a process known as Localization. Localization according to Wikipedia is: “In computing, internationalization and localization (…) are means of adapting computer software to different languages, regional differences and technical requirements of a target market. Internationalization is the process of designing a software application so that it can potentially be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes.”So basically, what this means is that localization is the process in which you can localize your website into a local language by considering the linguistic, cultural, and technical aspects of your target language in comparison to your source language.  In the business world, marketing and advertising are the two main factors that Localization tends to work on more. It is a way of making sure that a company’s marketing and advertising strategy smoothly adapts to a specific locale and its expectations. This is why marketing localization is more specifically analyzed in context of the four Ps (product, placement, price, and promotion). But in terms of digital media, and more specifically the web, localization entails adaptation based on cultural, linguistic, functional, technical, and other locale-specific requirements.”
Localization is vital in global marketing if you want to increase sales, broaden brand awareness and boost your SEO. ... Your website is the very cornerstone of your global marketing strategy. Failure to localize it for different regions and your global marketing will have little success.But, though you may have heard the term used a lot, can you say in absolute confidence what it actually means? Many people get confused between translation and localization, and it’s not hard to see why. But, while translation takes care of the words and maybe even uses a little creative license with the copy, localization goes way deeper.Your global marketing strategy should be thought out beyond getting your website translated into different site versions and locales. After all, you want a marketing message that speaks to the heart, not a diluted version of your company values that barely makes sense. Your website is the very cornerstone of your global marketing strategy. Failure to localize it for different regions and your global marketing will have little success.
Reasons Why Localization is Vital For Your Business
Capturing your target audience
The Common Sense Advisory found that as much as 87% of consumers who can't read English won't buy products from an English website. Just think about it. Would you buy a product from a Polish website that you couldn’t understand? In a currency you don’t use and with unfamiliar processes? It’s one of the biggest myths in the world that everyone speaks English. In fact, only 9% of the world’s population speaks English. This means, if you’ve got global marketing in your sites, localization of your materials is essential.It’s true that global tastes are merging. But, you’ll still need to break through that language barrier if you want to capture your target audience. When you invest in quality localization of your website, mobile app and marketing materials, you’re investing in extra sales and increased adoption of your brand. What works well for one country won’t necessarily catch on in another. Each new market you enter will need careful research. Images of a happy blond family playing at a beach won’t be appreciated in China or the Middle East.Some countries display dates and times differently and weight in grams and kilos, instead of pounds and ounces. You’ll need to make sure that your shopping cart and quote forms display in the local currency. You'll need your content optimized for SEO. Spanish may be widely spoken throughout twenty-two counties, but that doesn’t mean they all use the same vocabulary or colloquialisms. Your local marketing campaigns need to vary from region to region. People celebrate different holidays and share different calendars and seasons.
Enhancing your SEO
If you haven’t heard about it yet, search engines are becoming increasingly local. This means that no matter how great your SEO is at home if you aren’t localizing your content, your SERP ranking will fall. And that’s a pretty good thing, really. Users used to have trawl through pages of search results that were totally irrelevant to them. Now, major search engines like Google understand that customers want access to local businesses. You know, ones that they actually have a chance of going to. If you’re selling your clothing line in France and your website is still in English, you may as well say “au revior.”It can be hard to compete when you don’t have a local presence, a local office or phone number. But, you can still boost your SEO through content localization. And here’s where marketing localization gets really cool. Instead of just translating your website and marketing promotions from one language to another, you’ll work with carefully studied local keywords and search terms. You’ll collaborate with a team of local experts who can advise you on the right tone and how to optimize your on-page content and marketing copy. You’ll pepper your site with local words and get noticed in search engines. Better yet, you'll craft a message that resonates with your audience and target your promotions to the right people in the right places.
Gaining a competitive edge
With over 7.5 billion people in the world and more than 3.7 billion internet connections, , that’s a lot of potential clients for your business. But that also means that there’s a lot of competition. It’s hard competing in foreign markets when you don’t speak the language and aren’t in the know about purchasing preferences and cultural norms.  Localizing your communications as well as your global marketing efforts will give you a competitive edge like no other. Not only will you be top-of-mind compared to that "other" international company that isn’t localizing. But, you’ll get a leg up on the local competition as well.If you do your job well in each new market you enter, you’ll start winning customers’ trust, repeat purchases and generating good reviews. This means you’ll also start seeing conversions soar and ROI coming back in spades.
Globalizing your brand appeal
When you start taking your brand to the masses, your brand awareness will increase – provided that you do it well. You already know by now that you’ll need to adapt your content to different local audiences. But, you have to figure out how to do it just right so that you appeal to local preferences without diluting your global brand. Different countries have different connotations from colors, images, and icons. While white in the west is associated with cleanliness and purity, in India it’s the color of mourning.One awesome example of a worldwide brand that’s instantly recognizable is Coca Cola. Those trademark colors don’t change for anything! But, they still changed their name for the Chinese market and adapt their local marketing campaigns.
Improving the User Experience
Localized content improves user-experience. When local audiences can navigate your website and receive targeted offers and deals, their satisfaction level goes up. When they read a message that strikes a chord, see colors that evoke positivity and action, and find a site that doesn’t feel translated or foreign to them, you’ll get repeat visits. Remember that you’re up against a lot of competition, only a few clicks away. If you’re users meet with a partially translated website or error messages that don’t make sense, they’ll quit on your site and won’t return again.Aim for success in your global marketing strategy and aim for researched, accurate localization. Make sure that you keep your brand name and values intact while appealing to a wider audience. Know that simple translation is not enough; you need to go deeper and think and feel like a local.
Expand Your Business
Just imagine being a small retail store somewhere in France with amazing products and services and solely marketing and advertising within the confines of France when you have the potential to make your retail store a big franchise. A lot of people make this mistake and after years they realize how much of a disservice they have done for their business.  In such a case introducing localization would greatly benefit your business and take it to greater heights.  Research has shown that people are more drawn towards websites that have their products and services outlined in their Native language more than they are when its outlined in a foreign language. For starters, this will expand your business greatly because your website will reach a lot of potential global customers and with that, you will have penetrated the global market which means more sales possible sales for your business which transforms into great profit. The only way this will be made possible is if you take it upon yourself to localize your websites, software, and applications that target your audience and make everybody feel included. In turn you will gain incredible traffic and your business stands to benefit greatly from the growth of traffic.
Reach a Global Audience
Everybody wants their business to grow and reach global heights but this is not something that comes easy unless you are ready to do every possible thing to make it a reality. If you are a business person who is content with having a retail store on a street in your town and have no need for global recognition then this is not for you. If you are someone who wants to be ranked in the same leagues as big brands like Gucci, LV, Zara, Pretty little thing or whichever big brands that you admire, you must have a plan because I can assure you, it took these brands doing the right things for them to reach global success. One of the things you can do to reach a wider global audience is simply localizing your business. As I mentioned not everyone speaks the English language and those who do speak it, don’t really understand it well. So how do you target them and make sure they relate to your marketing and advertising strategies? You must make sure they feel included by using a language they fully understand and can interact with well. This can only be done by localizing your website.
Improve Customer Satisfaction
In business school, I would always hear the lecturer say that the customer is the backbone of a business and as a business owner, one should always strive to make sure that his or her customers are served in the best way possible. As a business owner now, I can ascertain without a doubt that this statement is nothing but the absolute truth. Localizing your content only means that you care about your global customers enough to make sure that they have an easier time while interacting with your services and products. Personalizing your content in order for customers to have an inclusive experience will ensure customer satisfaction and will consequently gain you and your business trust and increase engagement on your website. Since localization ensures that the cultural, linguistic and technical aspects of a language are taken into consideration, your customers will have a customized experience that is solely for them which means they will highly appreciate the effort knowing very well you are not a local business but still had their interest at heart. Businesses should always leave a good lasting impression to their customers which will keep them coming back for more and this can be made possible by tailoring a strategy specifically for them depending on their cultures.
Cut Down Risk
You should be aware that localization will help you cut down on a lot of risks and avoid putting your business in a compromising situation. A lot of business brands over time have ended up offending their target audience not willingly though because they did not take time to research and know what is appropriate and acceptable in certain cultures and what is not. Localization will help you avoid marketing fails that a lot of big companies have had to go through because of not being keen on coming up with strategies that can be appreciated by people of a particular region. One thing you do not want to do with your marketing and advertising strategy is to offend the people who are your target audience. It is very important to know that certain words in one language will mean something totally different in another language. If you do not do your research well, you might just end up offending the very people who you want to purchase from you. Localizing your content will definitely help in curbing this problem and make sure that your marketing strategy is not failed to the public. You wouldn’t want your target audience to boycott your business before you even get started.
Increase Marketing Effectiveness
A business is as good as its marketing and advertising strategy. Your business will be received well by its target audience depending on how good and well relayed the marketing is. Localizing your content and curating your marketing for a specific local audience, will definitely ensure its effectiveness. If you have a particular service that would be beneficial for people in a particular locale, it is important to come up with a marketing campaign that will specifically target that locale by including the cultural and linguistic aspects of that particular locale. This campaign will be more effective than if you decide to put out a general campaign and expect that the target market will simply come across it when they can. Localizing a marketing strategy for a particular target audience will ensure its effectiveness.
Reduce Costs
Localizing will help you save on a couple of dollars because it is not as expensive as developing a whole new application or software or building a new website. If you already have these things in place, it's only a matter of finding a localizing service provider who will charge you way less to have them localized.I’m very sure you wouldn’t mind saving up on some dollars. Moreover, you can make localization much cheaper if you make it a part of the development process at an early stage (and not leave it for the end as trying to implement it too late never ends well for the project). Using appropriate tools such as style guides and TMs (translation memories) won’t hurt either.These are but some incredible benefits you will be enjoying if you decide to take up localization for your business, A lot of businesses haven’t really taken it up but one thing for sure is that, if you are a business owner then you should localize your content if you want to grow to global heights.
Why Localizing Your Website is Important for Global Marketing
Global customers respond to culturally relevant, localized marketing messages. Are you speaking their language?Today’s digital technologies make it easier than ever for global customers to find the products and services that meet their needs. And they’re searching for that information online, in the languages they speak.If your company’s website isn’t localized to appeal to those customers, you’re blowing a big opportunity to build your business. You’re also giving your competitors a major advantage in the quest to increase market share.Today’s Marketing Is Global Marketing. These days, global customers expect online content in their preferred language. They quickly navigate away from websites and brands that fail to provide it. Genuine Connections Drive Successful Global Marketing. Why does culturally relevant, localized marketing matter so much? For starters, it can make or break your ability to create genuine connections with consumers.For example: Imagine that you’re sharing content with Italian customers about a Christmastime holiday sale. If you advertise to them the same way you speak to your U.S. customers, you’ll have a problem. The U.S. market emphasizes Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as key holidays, while Italy puts its attention on January 6, the Epiphany.A misstep this simple may seem harmless at first glance. But it can undermine your marketing efforts by demonstrating that you don’t quite get the Italian market, as well as other companies, do. Those customers will notice. They won’t like it.When your website is translated and localized for global customers, however, you’re proving you understand and care about them. You create stronger bonds with customers that way.
The Benefits of a Localized Online Experience
Localized websites and other digital content enable you to make genuine, authentic connections with consumers and “level up” into advantages like these:
Increased trustWebsites that reflect the linguistic and cultural distinctions between various markets and their languages of choice show that your brand understands and respects their individual cultures. This fosters customer trust. Easier interaction with your brandCustomers’ lives are influenced by what they use every day—including their preferred social media platforms, mobile sites and more. By making your online presence available in multiple languages, across all channels, your company will be able to reach more people where they live and work. Stronger brand consistency Translating websites for your global markets give you full control of your message, and deliver a consistent brand experience across all markets. It’s easier to ensure your brand messaging is being communicated as you intend, rather than miscommunicated by third-party companies or agencies. Better segmentation Today’s leading website translation solutions make it easier than ever to share customized messages to customers in different global markets. You can keep control of your online message while catering to regional customer needs—and expanding your business’s digital footprint at the same time. More support for in-market teams Localized websites are not only great resources for consumers; they’re great for local sales and support teams as well. A localized site can highlight market-specific products and services, comply with local regulations and legal requirements, and provide information that local marketing teams can draw on as they pursue leads. Driving better online search results Localizing your online presence isn’t limited to what customers can read on your website. With the right translation solution, everything can be localized, images, multimedia, social media, dynamic PDFs and more. Even keywords, metadata, and hreflang tags can be localized to drive better search results for your company.
These days, your company must speak the local languages of your global customers. And you only strengthen your marketing team’s reach and success by offering localized online content across every channel, in every market you serve.To make the most of your online localization efforts, partner with a digital-first translation agency that employs expert human translators’ hand-in-hand with advanced technology solutions to get your marketing message to your customers in the languages they prefer.
- Capturing your target audience - Enhancing your SEO - Gaining a competitive edge - Globalizing your brand appeal - Improving the User Experience
- Increased trust  - Easier interaction with your brand  - Stronger brand consistency  - Better segmentation  - More support for in-market teams  - Driving better online search results
Preparation Steps For Casting A Voice Actor
Voice actors from a critical part of film production. For the longest time they have been existing but behind the scenes and they are the ones who work on some Indy films and animations that we seem to love and interact with greatly.
Below are some steps you should take in preparation to cast a voice actor:
1. Be sure of the specific emotion you are looking to evoke in your audience.
This is one thing that casting directors need to take super seriously. You notice that in all the points there will be a relation to the audience of the film you are looking to dub or the voice recording you want to produce. Just like how when looking for actors for a film you always look for the ones who will bring out the facial expressions with the emotions you plan for different scenes is the same way you do it when looking for voice actors. Since in voice acting, the voice determines the emotions; it is very important to get a character whose voice evokes the exact emotion you are going for. One thing you need to know is that working with only the voice usually becomes hard to evoke certain emotions, so definitely as a casting director you must be very keen not to end up misinterpreting a particular voice.
Voice acting is very tricky because if a character cannot evoke the exact emotion, the audience won't feel anything and this only means that your film was a fail. Whether the emotion you are trying to evoke is that of joy, peace, anger, sadness or assurance you must get a voice actor who's able to evoke all these different emotions through their voice.
If you are trying to evoke a depressed emotion and your character's voice has no depth to depict that, then your scene will not make sense to the audience. As the casting director before you go casting for voice actors make sure you know exactly what you are looking for and this will help you in auditioning all the different voices.
2. Define the core attributes of your Character’s voice.
Planning is very important when casting for a voice actor. Normally you will find casting directors getting into an auditioning room with a lot of voice actors who have different voices and eventually end up not getting the voice actor they were looking for. I refuse to accept that out of a room with over 20 voice actors, you can miss what you are looking for. The reason this happens is that some casting directors never plan, they either don't know how to depict a certain voice and how it would align with a specific character if changed a bit and also rarely know the attributes of the voice they are looking for.
The normal planning process is depicting what gender the voice you are after is. Is the voice you are in search of female or male, is it for an elderly person or a young person? The reality about voice acting is that a woman with a deeper voice can perfectly do a scene for a man and the audience will not even know because all they need in voice acting is the voice. Another attribute to look at is the pitch of the voice. Whether the character has a low or a deep pitch or whether they have a light-camp pitch. When you have determined what the pitch the voice you are looking for has, you are a step closer in determining the attributes of the voice you are looking for. The final attribute you must be sure of is the tonal variation of the voice. This is the manner in which a character speaks. They might be authoritative, enticing, nurturing or conversational. Be sure to get all these attributes in check before you call for a voice acting audition. With these attributes, getting the best voice actor will be so easy for any casting director.
3. Be specific about the regional accent or dialect you are looking for.
This might not sound like something that casting directors should look at but it is very important to plan and be sure of the accents and dialects that you are looking for in your voice actors. You cannot be looking for a voice actor with an American accent and not mention it on your audition advertisement. When you don't make it clear for voice actors, you are looking for a specific accent for a particular character you will end up having people with different accents showing up for the auditions and with this, you will end up wasting so much time auditioning all these people with French and Spanish accents when all you needed was the English language. If you specifically mention you are looking for someone with an American accent, you will only get voice actors with American accents auditioning and from there you can now pick the best one who has all the other attributes that you are looking for.
Also in voice acting an accent showcases immersion and context essential in film. A particular accent conjures social class and origin within seconds of the audience listening to it. If you end up with a pathetic accent, you cannot keep your audience tuning in for a long while unless they really love your work and they want to support you. If you are working on a World War 2 project using a classic High German dialect for your soldier is on par with casting Kevin Costner as Robin Hood. Be sure to not do that. Also, for an epic space project try to use transatlantic English or Euro neutral variants because using any deep country accents will end up killing the original feel of the film. The dialect and accent point also go in line with being sure of your target country. When you have a target country in mind when deciding on the dialect and accent will not be a hard thing.
4. Budgeting–you get what you pay for.
This should have been the first point, because when you are planning for any project, you must have a budget to cater to all the work that will take place. When casting for a voice actor it is important to have a specific budget so you can determine what kind of voice actor you are looking for that will fit your budget. Voice actors are very expensive, they usually get paid as much as actors if not slightly lower, but when looking to hire one or two or even five, you must have enough in your budget to pay them.
Professional voice actors usually have a specific price for their services and if you approach them directly to work with you, make sure you can pay them. An experienced voice actor can control the subtleties of their vocal characteristics. A slight shift in the intonation or pitch can give the character a different feel altogether. Professional voice actors know exactly how to work with their voices to bring the best out of a character, and that is why investing more on your budget to get the best voice actors is the best route to take. One thing I can tell you for sure is that having a low budget will have you working with an amateur voice actor and there is nothing as annoying as trying to work around an inexperienced actor who doesn't know how to control their voice to get the best out of it. It is really frustrating and you Will end up wasting a lot of time on a project just because you wanted to go the cheaper route. Amateur voice actors often appear flat, unconvincing and lacking in personality. You wouldn't want that for a project you are trying to present to your trusted audience.
How To Get The Best Foreign Cast For Your Project
Dubbing is one of the most exciting forms of film production introduced in recent years and as much as I say it is the most exciting, it really is one of the most hectic forms of localization in a film that needs a lot of concentration and accuracy for it to be a success. Synchronization of the lips really makes it tricky but once dealt with then the rest of the work is a breeze if I may say so myself.
When you see a dubbed TV show or a web series being showcased to audiences who speak a foreign language across the globe, then it is good to know and understand all the steps that took place for it to be such a success.
In this section, we will look at some steps that production managers have to take, to ensure that localization is perfect with no errors. The main step that we will look at is how to get the perfect foreign language cast to carry through a film production exactly as its original film is without losing context and meaning.
If you didn’t know, then I will inform you that the hardest part of localizing a film for dubbing is selecting the team of casts that will interpret the film and make it their own in a whole new language. Most times than not getting a perfect fit foreign cast team is not the problem, a production manager might even get the best team and further get one that has the exact voice in comparison with the original film actors but somewhere along the way it so happens that the cast cannot deliver as expected and thus making the production manager go back to the drawing board which means wastage of time.
We will look at the different things you need to note that will provide feedback to your voice-over & post-production studio and as a production manager, you can ensure that your talent notes help lead to a dubbed show that engages your local audience.
Tips To Selecting The Perfect Voice Talent For Dubbing
Did you ever know that certain characters' personas are usually portrayed differently in different cultures? Characteristics like Innocence, aggressiveness, charming, and sneakiness are all characteristics that carry different associations from one culture to another.
What this means is that the sound of a certain emotion in the English language might sound totally off for another language like Portuguese and might lose context of the original meaning when dubbed.
This is true both of the actual voice profile its pitch, timbre and any other physical attributes and the speaker’s tone and performance. In grammar, we were all taught how tonal variation in the pronunciation of words can bring a different meaning and this also applies in localization where different languages have a highly pitched tonal sound while others have a low pitched tonal sound. When you have to localize a film from a higher tonal pitch to a lower tonal pitch, it brings about a contrast in the information's context you are trying to pass. It is good to note that local cultural expectations affect the voice, profile, tone, and performance in how a character communicates. As much as the English language dominant, it is practically very different from other foreign languages.
If the voice fits the way the original actor looks and how they portray themselves, then you have nothing to worry about because the audience would not have heard the original language voice for them to compare with that one of the foreign language voice cast.
One thing production managers need to know is that the target audience rarely has access to the original film before in dubbing to a different language and what this does is that it doesn't give the audience anything to compare with, most times if not all the time they usually conclude that the voice of the dubbed film is and was the original voice used in the film from the get-go.
So if you get a perfect fit voice from a voice cast, then you should use it without thinking twice. When a character has a certain tonal variation and can emulate a certain level of charisma as your original film actor, fits right within the cultural context of the film., and to make things even better they are professional in what they do then you have yourself a voice cast that will provide you with the level of dubbed material that you didn’t expect. Just because you don't think they are the best for that role doesn't mean that they are not best suited for that specific role.
A lot of film production companies usually outsource dubbing services or usually get an in house studio and directors. If you are outsourcing studios and directors, then it means that the people you work with are professionals who know exactly what they are doing and all times they really know and have the expertise to handle what you task them with doing.
It is always good to trust the team you work within your localization works. A professional veteran director knows how to choose cast talents for a specific role according to the cultural locale. They know how to get cast members able to bring out the entertainment and original context of the film that is being dubbed.
Whether it's a comedic take for animation or broad comedies or a more natural one for dramatic or live-action content, it is always good to trust that your studio and studio directors will offer exactly what you are looking for. Be hands-on and ask questions during the whole process of selecting talents and any other choice that has to deal directly with production.
When all Is said and done, do not hesitate or hold back your feedback on how good and amazing a cast member is and how not so good they were.
The reality that is film production is that more times than not characters usually change their character and adapt to a certain scene depending on how it should be depicted, the same should be able to be showcased by a casting talent. Most time you get a cast member who syncs perfectly with a character from episode one to episode five then the main character changes their characteristics in episode six and suddenly the cast talent cannot depict that particular characteristic perfectly. This always becomes a problem because it usually means that another cast talent has to be asked to interpret that change of character, but one who doesn't share the exact voice as the cast talent who has been interpreting the original character for several episodes. You might think the audience doesn't notice, but it notices when different voices they are used to on a character.
It is very important to do the adaptation for a whole character before you get a specific cast talent to localize it, this will make everything a smooth sailing because all the episodes with that character will have one cast talent able to carry through all the voice transitions across the board. This is usually important for TV shows, and movie franchises, which run for a long period. It is good to note though that if you are outsourcing these services; it is good for the service provider to understand and fully know everything about your content. From the emotions depicted by a certain character in all episodes, to how their character bios changes in different episodes and also performance notes.
Before you start on your production process, it is always good to make sure you have everything covered and allow for a full talent selection timeline prior to everything.
It is also good to hold auditions in order for you to have an array of talent casts with specific characteristics that you are looking for, so you have a couple to choose from.
This means that you should be able to do everything in your power before any recording ensures that everything will run as smoothly as possible. It is difficult to get a perfectly localized and dubbed film but if one can ensure that all the steps mentioned above are followed to the letter then getting a perfectly synchronized film is easy. The success of your localized film only means that the target audience will receive it well and enjoy it as expected.
-  Be sure of the specific emotion you are looking to evoke in your audience.-  Define the core attributes of your Character’s voice.-  Be specific about the regional accent or dialect you are looking for.-  Budgeting – you get what you pay for.
A Synopsis Of What Time Stamps Are
I know that time and again you have heard of this word or even seen it somewhere on the internet and you probably never knew what it is and why it’s even being talked about right? Well, that is about to change because that is exactly what we will talk about today in this article.
When watching a movie or listening to the audio, you always pause more times than not when you want to do something else and then come back and continue from that exact position. Can you imagine a life where the pause button was not available, and you either had to sit through a whole movie before you could move or keep on searching for the last scene you watched from the minute it was to the second and other times to the millisecond you left it at? That would daunt and stress you seriously. You might wonder why I came up with that scenario and it's only because to some extent time stamps serve the same purpose that a pause button serves the difference is that when you pause it's automatic that the video or audio player marks the last scenes and stays on it until you come back and unpause it whereas we insert timestamps so you don't forget them. So time stamping, in a nutshell, is when we record different timings of different events and occasions to serve as a reminder of when and what time they happened.Most times the time-stamping many people are aware of is the one is in relation to audio and video files. We use time stamping in filming to create time codes for different scenes and when one wants to mark specific important scenes and speakers on the audio of the video that they would want to come back and look at. Today, though, we will look at the different ways in which we use timestamps in our day to day lives, from the lesser important instances to the most important instances.
Ways In Which Stamping Can Be Experienced.
Normally when we note and record a specific date and time of an event, we refer it as being time-stamped.When a photographer takes photos, normally the photos come out with a timestamp on which the camera captures date and year the photo.Computers always record the date time and year that you changed a document, and it keeps on recording it as it continues being edited and saved.When you post on social media, the date and year you posted the photo or video are always automatically recorded.In an organization, there are bio-metric machines that log the time one gets into the office and when they live, they are also collecting time stamps of arrival and departure time.
We refer to all these different instances to a timestamp because they are specific to the time in which they happened.
We usually create timestamps to help with keeping records online, on when a piece of information has been created, deleted and or exchanged, for example in things like emails and messages.
You might wonder how important the recording of different activities is, depending on how much you cherish memories then you wouldn't really vex on whether there are timestamps available or and to other people, it is important to keep track of when, where, how and when things happen in their lives.
A good example to relate with that happens in our day to lives is that, when you get contracted to do a project or you even get used for a certain job, that contract usually acts as recording to show when you start the project, how long you should work on the project and when you are to have it finished working on the project. That is also time stamping and in this case, it’s a timestamp that would ensure that you carry through a project as expected and also paid for in the long run. Knowing when and for how long that project was due for completion is the most essential part and is a form of a timestamp.


Instruction: It’s good to note that most times things like contracts and NDAs always deal with timestamps which if not signed might cause there being a misunderstanding one party being vilified for not noting that. One needs to prove that the signing really happened and when exactly, and whether the signature is valid. Timestamps that rely on system clocks are not enough, since it’s easy to alter the date and time locally on a machine. Plus, there are a variety of tools online that will allow you to change the changed, created and last accessed date of a document or PDF. So, how do we know if we can trust the timestamp

Context: Learning resources on media production, voice acting and audio-visual translation, dubbing, subtitling and transcriprion

Response:
As we have seen, it very easy to alter a timestamp and this might lead to some legal implications. We will further check out how to know whether a timestamp is trustworthy or whether tampered with. A trusted timestamp only means that one can prove with absolute certainty that the specific time stamps on a document are the original one and they have changed nothing on them.
We generate trusted time stamps in the presence of a neutral third party and we usually do this with the help of secure FIPS-compliant hardware to ensure that they are unmanipulated by a local user.
The reason I mention that their third party must be neutral is that you might find a third party who is more inclined on one side of the agreement, which only means they ate not credible and might lie about the timestamps. RFC 3161 outlines the requirements a third party must meet to operate as a Time-stamping Authority (TSA).
Now that we know how important time stamps can be and the benefits we can get from them, we will look at the different transactions that time stamps would really come in handy for.
It’s important to note that Trusted Timestamps add extra security to electronic signatures, digital signatures, and code.
Scenarios Where Time Stamps Are Important
Electronically Signing Documents.
A lot of companies and organizations are more inclined to using electronic signatures more than the normally documented signatures that we have had in existence for a long time. This reduced the amount of paperwork that one has to deal with. The legally binding value of a wet ink signature to these electronic signatures is very clear, and that is why electronic signatures have to satisfy the law, including compliance and audit-ability requirements. It is always good for the recipients to take into consideration important factors like when a document was electronically-signed, also verify that a document was unaltered after the date specified by the stamp time. By using time-stamping, organizations can protect their intellectual property and use the timestamps as strong legal auditable evidence.
Digitally Signing Documents
It is very important to have timestamps when signing any documents digitally. This is because timestamps are important for ensuring Long-Term Validation of a signature and also adding non-repudiation or confidence around when the signature was actually applied.Do not forget that during a digital signature verification, a content integrity check is included. As much as time stamps offer that benefit of ensuring that a signature has not been changed since the time it was applied, it is not as important as it is with electronic signatures.So what exactly does long-term validation mean, and why is it important? This only means that with LTV one can ascertain when it was applied, regardless of the status of the certificate at that specific time. Depending on the program you used to apply the signature, you may need to include a trusted timestamp with your signature to achieve LTV.  Trusted timestamps support these scenarios because they are applied using independently verified and the auditable date and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) sources. This means they are not subject to tampering like a local system clock is, so you know with certainty when a signature was applied.
Digitally Signing Code
As noted, most digital signatures need LTV's in order for them to be as viable as possible regardless of the position the documents are at a specific time. For digitally signing codes, for the same to be achieved, one needs to add trusted timestamps which will ensure that everything has been recorded somewhere for future use.As you have seen, timestamps are important in this day and age that we leave in because they offer a couple of benefits. Timestamps will always be there, and they will always be important in our lives. If you never thought of how important timestamps are in your life, then I'm sure you can now mention a couple of instances where they have come in handy for you.
Voice Acting And The History
You might have heard about these words a couple of times and you always wonder what exactly they stand for and what they are about. Some questions people ask themselves are:


Instruction: Who is a Voice Actor?What is voice acting?What is the history of voice acting?What are the challenges faced in voice acting

Response:
Definition Of Voice Actor
A voice actor is a person who has the capacity to do voice-overs. Simply put, it is when one is able to provide a voice to be used as part of an audio file.
There are a lot of ways in which one can offer their voice. It can be in a video game, in a cartoon and most commonly for commercials that are used for promotional and marketing purposes. Voice acting might sound like something really small, but in the world, we live in it has been growing at a rather fast pace and it is all-encompassing.
Voice Acting Categories
Voice over narrators- These are a type of voice acting that focuses on the narration of audiobooks, documentaries, explainer videos, educational videos, business videos, medical videos and act as audio tour guides.Voice-over artistes- This type of voice acting can be generalized as every other voice acting type summed under one umbrella but it’s good to note that you can hear them mostly on telephone prompts (IVR) and they are the same ones that are heard welcoming people to a website or guiding road trip as a voice on the GPS.Voice over Announcers-This is the type voiceover that can be heard introducing segments of live television or radio broadcasts such as; award shows, talk shows, continuity, promo, and sporting events.Voice over Actors - These can be heard mostly performing in animated movies, TV cartoons, radio dramas, ADR, video games, puppet shows and in foreign language dubbing.
Voice Talent is a general term for all the above-mentioned types of voice-overs. It is a term that is usually used by agencies and companies which deal with looming for voice talents to do some type of voice over job for a client or for them.
As you have seen, the voice acting really varies from job to job. The different job descriptions would expect you to be a voice narrator and others would want a voice announcer, it really depends on the work that needs to be done. There are different job descriptions that always need voice overseas and they can range from voice over films, TV commercials, radio or audio dramas, video games, audiobooks, live streams to promos, trailers, podcasts, and more areas.
Since a voice actor can only be heard and not seen, it is always advised that the range in the voice of a voice actor has to be really huge.
Definition Of Voice Acting
Voice acting entails a performers' capacity and prowess in interpreting someone else's words. In different countries voice acting really varies, for instance, in the UK, the BBC has a long-standing history of using voice actors for radio dramas, documentaries, and films which have led the UK to be recognized as a country where voice acting is a specialized dramatic professionally. The craft is supported by the British Actors union EQUITY. Many working voiceover artists are members. Similarly, in the USA, SAG/AFRTA supports American voice actors.Always remember though that not all voice acting is the same and not every voice talent can perform all the many types of voice over required. Also to be a voice actor, one requires a lot of practice and input in one’s craft before they are seen as professionals who can handle any form of voice acting.
With that said, we will go further and look at the history of voiceovers and voice acting and see how far it has come from and how far it is going.
The Genesis Of Voice Acting
A little history about voice acting and voice-over state that the first-ever voice over was created by Walt Disney for the famous cartoon Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie."" It is believed to be the first-ever but in reality voice, acting was first experienced in 1900! This historical first belongs to Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor. He was thrilled with Alexander Graham Bell’s new device, the telephone, and set out to create a way to remotely communicate without wires. The beginning of “Wireless!”. "In 1900, while working for the United States Weather Bureau, Fessenden recorded the very first voice over:  reporting the weather. It is generally accepted that he was the first voice on the radio. In Boston, in 1906, during the Christmas season, he recorded an entire program of music, Bible texts, and Christmas messages to ships out at sea.""  So what exactly is voice acting you may ask, for a very long time, we only had traditional means of communication and being able to pass a message at one go to many people needed one to call a meeting at a particular venue by word of mouth to have everybody in one sitting to pass the information? With time the introduction of radio came into existence and I can say that it was the very first ever technological communication development that was ever experienced in the history of communication. As we all know Radio only works through voice and since there were a lot of programs that people would listen in for on the radio we can proudly say that the first-ever voice acting was experienced on radio. Actors would have their voices featured on different programs but you would never get to know who they were unless you knew someone by their voice. The only exception was for eponymous Mel Blanc, a radio personality and comedian, who became known as “The Man of 1000 Voices” for his versatility and is the voice on many cartoons that were made and distributed by Warner Brothers.
Problems Faced In Voice Acting
Many articles online portray the life of voice acting as if actors are basking in their recording studio. It can be true to some extent — such as when a voice actor’s name is on the map. And mostly it is false, as no business is dead easy.
Sure, voice over job is a lot of fun. But it also requires voice actors an ability to deliver a performance using only your vocal cords, a mastery of craft that requires a huge arsenal of talents, and a readiness and willingness to work at the drop of a hat.
Reality check, let’s take a look behind the scenes of the amazing voices we hear over the radio.
1. It’s more than just sitting and speaking
Let’s admit it, it’s usually the initial picture when we try to imagine how voice actors do their job — sitting in a booth for a couple of hours, effortlessly reciting the script to a microphone. Not to mention the burden of having to trudge off a casting agency just for an audition uncertain to lead into a paid job.
Nowadays, to produce a dope voice-over recording still take in countless errands and tools, and yes — some traveling for some cases, added to the process of narrating the script. From mastering the vocal direction, simulating the character, prepping the equipment, editing the recording, and submitting it to the client, to revisions that involve conversing with the client. A voice actor who has worked overnight for a 4000-word script might feel exhausted when it’s time to polish his work.
2. Voice Actors are always on call
Whether actors are at his home studio or out of town for some beach party, some of them are still contactable by clients. At worst, sometimes clients need an urgent revision so voice actors sometimes allow work during a vacation so they have an on-the-go recording equipment to work a project right off the bat to help clients chase the deadline.
When at home, least chances of delay could just be like waiting for the leaf blower guy to leave your street.
3. Voice Actors Can be put on standby-No Pay
There are two scenarios for this. Mostly freelancers, voice actors’ status is called “avail” when they do not have a project to work on at the moment and of course, they are not paid for the avail days unlike corporate employees are.
Another case is when actors agree to reserve a day or two for a recording session. During that time, no one else can book them until they have been released from the project commitment. To add insult to the injury, there are clients who will reserve them like that and just let go of them if they are no longer needed.
4. Unless you are famous, your income has crutches
If actors are non-celebrity, voice acting is not an easy profession to make an instant and steady living. Contrary to popular belief, voice actors are not an instant millionaire.
An average voice actor takes many years of experience before they can have an annual income of at least $90,000. For starters, the lowest to get is $14,500 per year.
So considering the expansion of the voice-over the market, competition is sky-high. The easier and more accessible things have become because of internet advent, the more people entered the industry, and the rest is history. Ironically, it is to some extent, rather more challenging today despite the help of technological advancement to extend your profile exposure.
5. It’s not true that voice Actors’ face is not always shown
A common misconception not just to non-actors but to voice actors themselves is that vocal cords are the only asset involved in voice acting. In reality, voice actor’s facial expressions are valuable both to them and to the clients.
For them to actually be able to hit a stellar voiceover performance, the engagement of the facial expressions and body language are 2 main ingredients.
To clients whose voiceover genre is animation or video games, believe it or not, some of them install a kind of performer surveillance camera in recording studios to capture movement they can use as a reference to animate their characters. Voice actor’s natural gestures as they bring the characters into life play an important role in the visual aspect of the product.
6. Voice actors lose clients, and sometimes the pay
It is possible that your client decides to take a new direction or found a better fit for their voice over project. It can also be that you have habits that make you incompetent which disappoints your client. And so is the dark side of voice acting.
Whether the reason comes from the voice actor or the client, the action item that should be focused on is how to avoid and deal with it.
7. Just like the clients, they stick around
Voice actors also experience being put in hang, affecting their productivity, working pace, turnaround rate. Some clients send out private auditions in an online casting site to multiple talents of their pick and come back after a week or a couple of weeks. Voice actors then submit their audition and do nothing but wait for the client’s go signal to work on the official project.
Clients also have their busy schedule and it creates a barrier to their real-time communication with the talent. Often when they get late feedback from their people, they chase the same talent to work on revisions. On the actor’s part, they have no choice but to extend their service to their client even it it’s out of their schedule.
8. Some actors are hired just for breathing
Sean Kenin, who pops up on Family Guy as the cackling, hyper “Tiny Tom Cruise,” is known in the business as a mimic. He can approximate well-known performers right down to how they sound when they’re gasping for air.
Kenin is a living proof that some voice actors can be possibly hired just for breathing, grunting, different shades of dog barks, wind breezes, laughing, and more.
This is not a problem at all, but it can be a liability to expanding an actor’s skill set and getting more opportunities and can damage voices.
9. Vocal fatigue strike amidst a big project
Vocal or voice over fatigue is a little acceptable but not during an ongoing big voice over a project. It’s a total mess if the actor’s voice becomes hoarse when you’re halfway on finishing a long script.
They are likely torn to throwing in the towel and informing the client about the trouble, or fighting tooth and nail to do the impossible.
10. Replacing an injured microphone
Having a damaged recording equipment is equally burdensome to losing an actor’s voice. Unless the actor is really planning ahead to upgrade their equipment, it’s costly and frustrating to invest in a new one because of an unwanted mishap.
The career of a voiceover artist is not a single predictable path. It is full of challenges, and there is no way to absolutely guarantee that your voiceover career will be a successful one.
As an aspiring voiceover artist, you will definitely want to build a long sustainable career loaded with lucrative financial rewards and personal satisfaction. There are plenty of artists who have shaped their dreams in this industry. But, unluckily, there is another side of the story, as thousands of artists are deprived of this success.
For you, the advancement in technology is a boon, but it also shrinks the number of opportunities that voiceover talents have to spend time together, sharing, learning, laughing, and being exposed to new ideas and perspectives.
Frankly  here, many lines of businesses needed or still need apprenticeships to teach and guide the required skills, expertise, and knowledge. Beginners to a different line of markets such as carpentry, bricklaying, and plumbing worked alongside veterans or masters in their field to learn the art. It took them many years to call themselves professionals in their respective line of
here is no similar system in voiceover industry, but still many successful top artists today had mentors who showed them the road to success
These days, you will find thousands of people who rate themselves as top professionals in voiceover industry. But, I am not convinced with this accuracy. On one side, I find many voiceover talents who have achieved their goals, and on the other side, there are many who are still struggling.


Instruction: So, what is it that allows some voiceover talent to achieve their goals, while others continue to struggle

Response:
The answer to that question may be somewhat indescribable, but still there are many voiceover talents who have already solved that puzzle, and created a niche for themselves in this field.
And during their successful professional journey, they too have faced many of the same questions that you may have. For example;


Instruction: What can I do to ensure my achievement as a voiceover talent?How do I get an agent?What’s the best way to promote myself?Do I need a mentor

Response:
Some Easy Ways To Transcribe Foreign Languages
Anyone out there who is a professional transcriber or has ever worked in the transcription department would outrightly tell you how hard it is to provide transcription services for speakers, for editing. It becomes even harder when the original audio is or was in a different language than the one you already speak.
This means that you will not only be providing transcription services but also translation services, this means that it will be double trouble for you.
We can't ignore the fact that a lot of foreign languages' audio and video content contains important information. Being able to get a transcribed and translated version of the same would really be important.
We will look at different ways in which transcribing and translating foreign-language speakers would be less daunting for anyone who has been tasked with doing it.
Ways To Making Translating Foreign Language Speakers Easier
Be sure to always use an interpreter when dealing with a foreign language. What this does is that it makes it easier for the interpreter to translate the content to a language where both of you understand and then one could transcribe the already interpreted content and create a text document of the target language. What an interpreter usually does is that they make sure that the content they are directly translating is accurate and correct so that when you put the content in word form, it’s ready to go straight to editing and not translation then editing, this makes it possible for producers to skip one step and meet their targets in time. Also, this means that the availability of an interpreter ensures that you get everything right the first time you get a chance, considering the fact that it's very hard to have time to speak with the speaker again. We all know how recording is hard and tiresome when you interview someone, so an interpreter makes sure that the first and only chance is accurate.Another way you can simplify your work when working on transcribing and translating audio files with foreign languages is by splitting your audio and video files into smaller sections. You might wonder how this really helps, for starters, it is very easy to work with audio and video files which a short and precise unlike when working with an audio file with a lot of hours which gets tiresome by the mere thought that is an hour-long video. Splitting the audio and video into 10 minutes’ clips makes them a little less stressing. You can also send the short clips to people who understand the foreign language to help you out with the translation "you know how they say two heads are better than one?""""When speaking with a foreign speaker it is really always advisable to ask very specific questions to get specific answers. Imagine asking open-ended questions and getting a 3 minutes’ explanation of a question that would have been closed-ended and gotten a yes or no answer with a bit of explanation. This is a very important point to note because you are trying as much as possible to get the shortest amount of audio or video to translate so the shorter and precise the questions are the better because they also set a pace on how the speaker needs to answer them. This also helps in transcription, where it is so much easier to transcribe a short-worded answer that transcribing a longer worded audio. Chances are that with a longer worded audio you might get lost along the way and have to restart or rewind the audio. This point applies to every interview, no matter the language spoken by your interviewees. If your questions are too broad, it is more likely that the answers will be long-winded and may wander off-topic.Working with labels always makes work so much simpler, I say this because imagine having a clatter of different topics and not knowing what exactly to put where because you jumbled up everything. So it is good to label all your video and audio clips when working on them. Remember how we talked about splitting audio and video files to make them easier to work with? It is very advisable to label those short clips so you know which one goes where and whatnot. What this does is that it allows you to work at a specific thought process and transcribe and translate it accurately before moving on to another one. This is one point that goes in line with the splitting of audio files.One thing that many people don’t take time to do in any work process is the planning stage. Let's say you have worked on a certain audio or video file that you need to transcribe and translate. It is very important to decide on how this will be possible. Different ways in which you can work on your transcription and translation work is:  Hiring a freelance transcriptionist and translator. This is usually an option for a tiny project which needs only one person to work on it because of its complexity or according to what you would like to achieve.Outsourcing transcription and translation service providers. These are companies that deal with offering these services, and they are the best for large projects that need many people to work on them.Using transcription software, which automatically translates speech to text. These are usually advisable for people who want to do the transcription for themselves. For personal use. The problem with these is that they are usually not as accurate as one would love their work to be.You can also do your transcription work manually at home by yourself. As much as it might tire, it ensures that the scripts are accurate and error-free because you did them yourself.Using any of the above methods provides one specific thing accurate for all of them and that is that it lessens your work by a mile apart from the last one which is working on the audio and video files by yourself. Another way you can make work easier when working on transcription and translation for a foreign language is to make sure you are constantly marking the audio and video clips for easier recording and editing. You can easily do this by using video and audio editing software, which allows one to insert comments on them. This really helps because you can collect more important and informational pointers that the speaker gave and note them down so when coming back for editing it becomes easy to know where exactly those points were at and you can even use them for creating sound bites and what not. If you have never tried this step, try it out because it really is a game-changer in how easy it makes work for you when editing because then you know where a specific point was and where another was too.I’m sure you have heard about time codes and timestamps before. If there is anything I have mentioned before and said is the most important step to note, then this one is also another important step not to forget. What time-stamps do is that one can accurately point out where the speaker talks and stops talking on a specific topic. What this does is that it gives you a heads-up on where to listen for the answer to a specific question and where it ends. This makes editing quick and also ensures that the translation is accurate because you will work with a specific context unlike when it's mixed up. Also, if you are planning to use the transcripts further for dubbing or subtitling, the timestamps will really come in handy. Dubbing the interviews.Depending on what exactly your plan is, you can eventually dub the audio and video files into other languages and sell them or post them online and create a passive income for yourself. Remember the timestamps you had already created and the markings you had made on your script and audio? Yes, those will come in handy on this last step. Depending on what exactly your plan is, you can eventually dub the audio and video files into other languages and sell them or post them online and create a passive income for yourself. Remember the timestamps you had already created and the markings you had made on your script and audio? Yes, those will come in handy on this last step. When you finnish recording for the different languages that they record you for, then editing becomes easy because the file format is easy to work with. Without the timestamps, the recording would really be hard and it would take more time than it normally does.You might find some of these steps easier to work with than the other, it is advisable though to make sure you use the ones you think would be 100% accurate and useful to you. They sure help if used properly.
Overview Of Audio To Text Transcription
Audio to text services is one piece of the productivity puzzle that many companies are adopting as a way to streamline administrative tasks, stay on track with goals and projects, and save valuable time. With accurate, high-quality transcripts of everyday business processes, it is the simplest solution for keeping things searchable, easy-to-index, and even easier to recall at any time. With audio to text for businesses, there are dozens of beneficial ways to save time and money in the long-term.
Finishing up goals is something that everyone can benefit from, personally and professionally. As companies large and small ramp up efforts at the end of another year of business, these goals and resolutions become the most useful and even help to shape key performance indicators (KPIs) for the upcoming quarters.
Audio files are becoming increasingly common online, and some content creators may even prefer audio over text. However, until now, the written copy is still more effective than audio alone. Below are some reasons why.
If you have a lot of audio content, the best thing you can do is to convert them to a text format. Plenty of transcription tools exist, which can help you with this.


Instruction: Who Is A Transcriptionist, And What Is Audio Transcription

Response:
Basically, audio transcription is the process of converting audio into written material. A transcriber prepares an audio transcript in a text that will replicate the contents of a recording. The proceeding in a focus group, interviews, seminars, video explainer, and meetings can be recorded and transformed into highly precise, searchable, and readable text through audio transcription.
A person who prepares audio transcription is called a transcriptionist or a transcriber. These are people who earned their skills through years of experience practicing their craft. A native speaker is a must but not all who apply meet the grade, there are criteria to meet to be eligible for audio transcription
Ways To Convert Voice Recordings Text


Instruction: Let’s begin with the obvious question: Do you need to easily convert audio recordings to text

Response:
Lots of people use transcription at some point in their lives – from taking down notes in business meetings to transcribing witness statements in court proceedings, doing interviews, keeping a diary or just creating ideas. Whatever the need, converting recordings into text produces some form of documentation for use.
Why Audio To Text Transcription Is So Essential
In this digital age, it’s easy to convert recordings to text. Online dictation software and machine transcription can digitize what you say, in real-time or after the fact. You can also download a transcription app to meet your transcribing needs on-the-go. Finally, if you’d rather not fuss with the process you can outsource your recordings to a professional transcription service.
Easy accessibility A reader can easily scan through copy, find and digest the specific information they are searching for. Also, a reader can navigate swiftly and more easily through articles, grasping the gist of it all, than having to handle an audio file to find the most relevant parts. SEO benefits When you post text online, it becomes discoverable by search engines. Also, it will start ranking for relevant keywords. When that happens, you get long-tail traffic (niche searches or long-tail variation keywords) that will make your website even more popular. Re-purposing content When you transcribe audio to text, you can easily create more content for your blog. In turn, that allows you to populate your blog at a faster pace. Moreover, at a later date, you can repurpose that content, making the best use of your time and resources. Get social shares Audio files are not compatible with social media snippets. However, text and images, needless to say, are. That is why, when transcribing audio-to-text, you can get more social shares, resulting in more traffic. Easy content creationTranscribing as compared to typing is effortless. If you want to populate or publish more content on your blog/website, transcribing is the best option. The more relevant content you have on your site, the better your website authority will be.
Tools For For Audio-To-Text Conversion
Audext
Audext is the most effective and easiest way to convert your audio files to text online. It uses machine learning technology, ensuring it adapts to the voice in the audio. As a result, the accuracy is on the higher side. The software can identify among many different speakers in the same audio file, which will reduce your editing work.Audext text is suitable for media, podcasts, and even educational lectures. The versatility makes it a pretty good option. Also, a fast transcription speed due to AI helps you convert large audio files into text easily and quickly. It supports various audio files and has a text editor, allowing you to make additional edits if needed.In summary, everything you might look for in audio-to-text transcription software is available in this tool.
Features:
Online toolUses machine learning and AI technologyHigh accuracySupports various audio formatsDetects multiple speakersEasy to editAllows you to upload and export files quickly
360Converter
360Converter is an audio-to-text transcribing tool online. You can easily attach the audio and select its format/type and convert it to text. 360Converter offers you reasonable accuracy and quick results. The only problem is that you will have to devote some time for editing. If you’re ready to do that, it is a pretty good tool to use. As it’s readily available online, you don’t have to download anything on your computer.The interface of the tool, however, leaves a lot to be desired. It’s oversimplified, and at times, it can seem mundane. In spite of its long history, it is not as accurate as Audtext, and that is why it takes second place on our list. While on the ease of use basis 360Converter might score higher, but the average precision of the tool does not help.
Features:
Online toolReasonable accuracySupports various file formats
Sobolsoft
If you don’t mind downloading the software to transcribe audio to text, Sobolsoft is a reasonably good option. You need to download the client on your computer and add the MP3 files that you want to transcribe. Also, it allows you to add multiple MP3 files.The limitation, however, is that it supports only the MP3 format. If you have the audio in any other form, you will have to first convert it to an MP3 file without distorting the quality. During the transcription, the part below will continuously notify you regarding the transcription time of the entire file.Sobolsoft requires little resources, meaning you can easily install it on any computer. If you have the audio in an MP3 file, it’s an excellent tool to use.
Features:
Suitable for MP3 filesFacilitates easy conversion to textEasy to monitor the progress
Temi
Temi is speech recognition software that supports audio-to-text conversion. It’s an automated software that allows you to convert 5 minutes of speech into text. You can easily edit your files to get the output you want. You can export the output in MS Word, PDF as well as other file formats.The transcript quality is dependent on the audio input file. If your audio file is noise-free, the tool works smoothly.  Temi has a unique feature where it asks you about the audio file you are uploading. It asks you questions like whether it is noise-free, whether the speaker was close to the mike, whether the conversation is clear or whether there is an accent in the audio. Accordingly, it transcribes the audio into text.The advantage of this questionnaire is that it provides accuracy when the audio quality is not up to the mark. Thus, it’s a decent tool to transcribe audio to text, but the five-minute limit can be a hindrance for many.
Multiple export optionsConverts 5-minute speech into textSuitable for noise-free audio files
Braina Pro
Braina Pro is one of the best audio to text transcription tools out there. The voice to text app has a clean interface. You can transcribe not only the audio files but also edit them. It uses artificial intelligence to facilitate precise dictation. You need to keep in mind that it’s a bit slower compared to other tools. Also, it requires clear audio to transcribe the text accurately.One feature making Braina Pro a good option is multilanguage support. If you’re not transcribing audio files to English, you can consider this option. You can also program the software to set alarms and reminders for you. It can read e-books as well.The software can work as a personal assistant. The problem is that with so many features on offer, the speed takes a knock. That is why transcribing is a bit on the slower side. If you don’t mind the long transcribing time, go with this tool.
Features:
Uses artificial intelligenceProvides an interface to editMultilanguage support
Audio-to-text transcription can help you build your websites in more ways than one. The above tools will support you in developing content for your site. Among the five different options above, Audext is the best choice due to its speed and precision. The others follow closely, but Audext is the winner.


Instruction: Why Do You Need Video Marketing For Your Business

Response:
If you ask someone which is the best content format for engagement and hype in the digital realm, without batting an eyelid the person would answer, “Video”! Yes, video content is the most favored and used content marketing format these days and there’s no stopping to it. And thus, marketers everywhere crave for robust Video Marketing tips. Anyone spending a significant amount of time on the Internet can swear and tell that videos have taken the lead position in the types of content people enjoy.
Not long back, videos were considered to be just ‘extra’ that was nice to have but not actually needed, and now it is imperative for business success. This had to happen of course. Given the change in the taste of people, graphics and texts alone cannot make it big.
Creating marketing videos do not come cheap, so we must shift all our focus on getting the most of it. You may post your videos on your company website and share it on social channels. But what can you do beyond that to smell the success in video marketing? As a business owner, you must be aware of the trends in the videos people see, like square videos are less liked by the audience than horizontal videos.
Another trend is the sudden popularity of live videos. By now we all know that producing videos for social media channels are not just for the sake of engagement, but have a far-reaching effect on any business. Having videos at your disposal sets the stage for you and puts you in an advanced position than your competitors yet lagging behind.
12 Video Marketing Tips That Will Bring You Success
Don’t ‘Share’, ‘Post’ your Videos Natively So you are all set with your highly engaging video. Start posting it on every relevant social media channel owing to the growing usage of social media these days. Don’t stop yourself to one or two channels only, find the entire platform you assume to be optimal and post your videos there. Keep in mind to ‘post’ them, and not just ‘share’. Posting your videos as native content will fetch 10X more shares than YouTube links.  Sharing YouTube links don’t work much as compared to posting your videos natively on Facebook or other platforms. A direct feature in your audience’s feed has almost 135% increases in organic reach than third party links. Also, you can create a video roll or a video gallery when you post your videos on a single platform, that’s much easier for your audience to navigate the contents. You may also choose a featured content if you may, edit the videos, choose an apt thumbnail, enable autoplay, incorporate the subtitles in your preferred language and also put a call to action urging the viewers to act.Put Captions or Subtitles for better Audience retention and SEO Most of the videos posted on social media channels play automatically without sound until the ‘unmute’ button is clicked. So isn’t it better to let your audience comprehend what’s going on in the video before they watch it with sound? Captioning your video and translating it into another language that your audience prefers, is a good way to charm your audience. Captions or subtitles help a lot to understand the motive of a video or a film, and that’s the reason all the regional movies we get to see in the global Film Festivals, have subtitles. In fact, you might be surprised to know that 80% of viewers, who have no hearing loss, prefer videos with subtitles. Though one may argue how come people so prefer captions and subtitles in the times of visual contents. Well, there is always an answer for you.  Yes, it’s true that the human brain perceives visuals more than texts, but sometimes when the text is in sync with what’s going onscreen, texts do help. It is easier to understand the visuals, as well as the narration if there are captions at the disposal. And not only this, having captions in your videos add to your SEO arsenal too. Because you are giving the search engines spiders something to crawl and rank you in the search results. Your videos would rank better with subtitles as you are helping Google (or any other search engine) in indexing and relevance. You just have 3 secondsThanks to the evolving technology, But this fact could be detrimental for your video to perform adequately amongst your audience. You just have 3 to 5 seconds in your hand to grab their attention and make a mark in their mind. Your target audience expects that you kindle their interest, but fast enough. So, you need a good hook to keep them hooked.  Stunning visuals, highly engaging content and a thrilling background score – Your ingredients for a short but sweet video that grabs the audience’s attention within seconds. Videos that tickle your funny bone get more shares and likes because they have a charisma to grab people’s attention right from the beginning. And with Instagram joining the league with IGTV, your video marketing could go to the next level, but with videos under 60 seconds.Place your Branding through StorytellingOften aspirant marketers, who have just taken up video marketing, forget one thing. This mode of marketing is not always about bragging about one’s brand or driving sales. Video marketing is a way to generate awareness about your brand through a series of stories. Stories that are not purely focused on sales topics, and which connects with the audience. Create the script in such a way that they resonate with your audience making them feel familiar with the situation shown in the video. This is one of the most vital video marketing tips that a marketer must keep in mind. Know how to put your brand message and how your brand can help them through storytelling that they enjoy. Don’t always push your latest promotion on social media, rather reach out and engage. Play on their psyche while they relax and show something they find connecting with them. Thereby you can generate brand awareness because Facebook or other social media platforms are all about raising brand awareness and not direct response.Share more Live Videos along with the pre-recorded onesTalking about shining in video marketing in 2018 and beyond, go Live! Yes, live videos are all the rage nowadays and have a greater outreach than any other form of video. Why are people going gaga over live videos? What secret sauce do they have in them? All because of the personal touch. The more there’s a personal touch, the higher is the connection. And the more a connection gets intimate; your videos tend to have a higher chance of carving a niche of them. Live videos are the best form of creating a personal connection with your audience because what they see is what they get. Live videos are excellent engagement tools because there are no hour-long editing involved. It’s more like an uncut or unpolished version of what you what to show to your audience. Be it a product launch, or promotion for a new release, or a behind the scene, clip of your company operations. This touch of real-time factor works so well for this generation.You may also opt for a live Q&A session that will gather some substantial momentum from your target audience. Facebook Live, Instagram Stories are all being used by individuals and companies like hotcakes, so why don’t you leverage these tools too! Find out the marketing influencers of your field and go for a live interview with them and webcast it. Your subscriber base will hit it big. Bring your Videos to Full Circle… Err, Square! Everything is changing. Even the pace of change is changing. The world has taken a drastic shift towards mobile from desktop. Hence your videos must cater to the available real estate on the screen of a smartphone. Square videos with an aspect ratio of 1:1 are now a vital part of video watching on smartphones. These videos are gradually outperforming landscape videos as the former cover more screen space at one time – 78%. Thus views, likes, shares, and lastly engagement are much higher pertaining to square videos. So as your video marketing strategy for 2018 and the coming years, start optimizing your videos changing the aspect ratio to square, as people are 67% more likely to engage with a square video than a horizontal one. Create Videos around the most Common Marketing Mistakes people make To err is human. So it is quite reasonable for people to make mistakes. Similarly, several marketers make such blunders that cost them heavily. Find out the most common mistakes people do while they start using the Internet for marketing, or while they take up social media marketing. Talk about those mistakes in your videos, and offer solutions to them. This is a highly significant topic to be made into a video that will elevate your stature to a marketing expert.  Because when you talk about blunders and how to avoid them, you fix your position as an expert in that particular field. This increases your fan bases that are in a desperate search for a solution. Thus driving them to come to you and watch your videos more and more. For 2018 and the years to come, start planning to create video content that emphasizes common blunders and how to avoid them. A small step from you can lead to a big leap for your business altogether.Apply relevant Keywords in your script and optimizeGive something to the search engine spiders to crawl upon. As we all know, for a good page ranking we have to satisfy the algorithms of a search engine. To get this done you must optimize your videos in such a manner that they show up in the search results. How would you do it? Stack your script with relevant keywords that both your users and search engines will find useful. Don’t use them too much or it will be superfluous. Find a perfect balance to put your keywords for indexing purposes. And since YouTube is the biggest online video streaming platform, ranking higher on the platform is the most coveted thing today. The more you rank high; the better is your chance of getting seen by your audience and your success in video marketing.Find out the actual purpose you want to serve with the Videos Ask yourself, why exactly you watch a video? What do you expect from a video to offer you? Be in the shoes of your audience and understand the ultimate purpose you want to serve with your content. Whether you are aware about your brand or generate trust through a video testimonial of happy clients! Or do you want to promote an upcoming event? Find out the purpose you are investing in your videos. Get the sense of what exactly goes inside the audience’s head while they watch your contents. Only then you would get solid traction from your audience. The art of storytelling goes a long way and has been a proven factor to arouse interest. Use the storytelling art and keep your script informative but in a narrative manner. Once your videos start serving the actual purpose, relationships will build and engagements will happen. How-To Videos or Process Videos bring more VisibilityShow a process or a strategy through your videos that help the users achieve a task or a goal. Often people find themselves at a loss as to how to proceed with something they want to. At that moment, if your video gives those answers and shows the process, definitely you will get more views. Standing in 2018, one can swear and tell that it’s way challenging to cope up with the trends. Trends that change with every passing day.A process video or a “How-To” video guides a person and shows a linear way to accomplish a task. It may be showing a step by step process to create a YouTube account, or a handy guide to create some DIY stuff. Or maybe a process to drive your leads to your sales funnel. Or it can be a stepwise process video showing how to use After Effects properly. It can be anything. Gear up and start planning for your next process video to bring more visibility to your brand.Create Videos with Emotion, not just Marketing MessageFor a remarkable video marketing success, one must create videos that ooze with emotion, entertainment and information. Striking a perfect balance between the three is the key. A video content that plays on the emotional quotient of a viewer is certain to be liked and shared. More than a video that focuses only on sales pitching and a terse topic devoid of any emotion. Showing a heartwarming story through your video will hook the audience till the end because they will wait to find what happens in the end. So apart from marketing videos, also publish videos that touch the heart, not only the brain!. Don’t forget to include CTAs in your Videos Do you want your audience to sign up for your weekly newsletters? Or download a promo coupon? Or should they visit your website? For every action, your video must have a CTA button. A strong call to action acts as a Launchpad for the viewers to take their action in a jiffy. Hold the CTA text on a still frame with a single color background highlighting the text. Include a CTA within the first 10 seconds of the video. The last few seconds can also be used.Placement of an apt CTA, aka, Call -To -Action is of paramount importance these days. And as the competition tightens, the more you urge people to take action is better. Don’t let people forget you as soon as the video ends, instead keep a permanent mark in their mind. In any case, don’t ignore these actionable texts as those will help in conversion.
Wrapping Up!
There is no fixed formula or marketing tip to smell success in Video Marketing. It is a thing of persistence and patience. You must keep on trying until you reach the summit. But yes, you must ensure that your methods and techniques involved are correct and on the track. More and more people are shifting to video contents alike so your effort should entail engagement and connection. Build trust and relationship through contents that really matter to your target audience.  If you think video marketing is tough and yields no fruitful result, you would make a mistake. It is all about organizing and planning your steps before entering the battlefield. With a proper strategy, you can make your pre-production and post-production smoother and cost-effective than ever. Keep your content short, informative and entertaining, add a pinch of humor, find a purpose and share content with emotion, optimize the videos for each social platform and include appropriate CTAs. That’s all. Follow at least one of the video content marketing tips mentioned above for a month and you will get to see a visible change in your traction, views and engagement rate.
Trends In Video To Look Out For
Video Era!  Every year is the year of video, but that should (hopefully) come as no surprise! In all seriousness, I’ve seen a huge uptick in the adoption of video by marketers and salespeople alike in recent years, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Better yet, there’s been an explosion of creativity in the business video world as of late, and I’m chomping at the bit to see what happens next!
That’s why I thought it would be fun to look deep into our metaphorical crystal ball at the emerging trends in video I think I’m sure to dominate the scene in the future. So, get that space suit out of your closet, ’cause we’re about to blast into the future!
People often say that video content is taking over, but the truth is that it already has. Users want to see videos more than any other type of content, and video is projected to take up more than 80% of internet traffic this year alone.
Content marketers need to be on top of video trends if they hope to stay competitive. The industry has begun to take notice of the full power of video, but the platform of video continues to change and evolve. It’s not enough any longer just to use video to market your product; you need to be using video the right way to speak to the right people.