The optimal speaker text
- the manuscript
Writing and speaking are two very different things—and writing for speech is a special form of text. This guide will help you write in a way that allows voice talent to concentrate fully on their speech. To do this, they need a script that is easy to read, error-free, and unambiguous. This makes the process easier, faster, and therefore more cost-effective for everyone involved.
"Come on, let's eat, Peter," or "Come on, let's eat Peter" – a small but huge difference. 😉
(Oh dear, a smiley face – how are we supposed to interpret that?)
Please note the following for the optimal speaker text:
• Formatting
• Emphasis
• Font size and type
• Spelling of special characters
• Spelling of numbers
• Use of abbreviations and proper names
• Pronunciation guide
• Timecode
• File naming
• File format
We - the VOX-OVER team - have successfully managed large and small projects (over 1000 of them) for many customers in recent years and have found suitable solutions for all tasks and questions. We are also happy to be there for you!
Trevor Hurst & Markus Löhr
Our promise:
- Personal support for your projects
- Guaranteed quality according to EBU standard (European Braodcast Union)
- 100% native speakers, voice talent TV and radio quality
- Timely implementation
- Trust through NDAs with suppliers
- Legally compliant usage rights and licensing
- Archiving and problem-free continuation of all projects
The formatting
The font must be easy to read, e.g. Arial, font size 12 point with a line spacing of 1.2. The text should be formatted flush left and have a margin of about 1/4 page (4 cm) on the right for notes. Please refrain from annotations or production notes: They are distracting.
The emphasis
If certain terms need to be emphasized, please mark them in bold or underlined. Experienced voice talent usually know how to emphasize, so only very important passages should be marked. Pauses are best indicated by paragraphs.
The spelling of special characters
Slashes are often written, but how do you pronounce them? "Notes/information" can be pronounced in five ways:
– Comments Slash Information
– Comments and Information
– Comments or Information
– Comments and/or Information
– Comments or Information
Here you can see how important it is to write exactly what should be said, without any room for interpretation. The same applies to additions in brackets, for example "reader(s)". It should:
– Readers or
– Readers or
– Readers?
The spelling of numbers
The pronunciation of numbers also needs to be defined. Should 520 be pronounced as "fünf_zwei_null" or as "fünfhundertzwanzig"? It is best to put the pronunciation in brackets after the number, i.e. 520 (five hundred and twenty). Dates and years can also be clearly described in this way: 2017 (two_thousand_seventeen or twenty_seventeen), 4.7.2011 fourth_seventh_two_thousand_eleven).
Dealing with abbreviations and proper names
How do you pronounce "ICE"?
– "I_C_E"
– "Intercity Express" or
– "Ice"?
If "ICE" is the abbreviation for Intercity Express, it is best to write "I_C_E". The underscore marks a short pause.
If abbreviations such as "e.g." or "see below" are to be pronounced as words, write "for example" or "see below"; otherwise, the voice talent speaker will say "e.g." or "see below."
If proper names or brands are to be pronounced in a language other than the target language, please indicate this in the document. For example: "Merck" is a company name that can be pronounced in both German and English. Even specialists disagree on the pronunciation of some technical terms, so a recorded audio file can help.
On Forvo, for example, you can find solutions to the trickiest pronunciation questions.
Thepronunciation guide
If a text contains a lot of abbreviations and technical terms, we recommend providing a pronunciation guide in table format. This allows the speaker or voice talent to look up the correct pronunciation voice talent doubt.
If terms are to be spoken in languages other than the target language, please make a note of this in your voiceover manuscript. In technical texts, it is often the case that many technical terms are pronounced in English, even though the target language is a different one. However, it is helpful for the reading flow if you do not have to look up the correct pronunciation too often and it is already in the reading text.
Tip: Read the text aloud to yourself, then mistakes, repetitions, and linguistic weaknesses will quickly become apparent. But please don't read too quickly! Experienced speakers and voice talent usually voice talent more time and make the text sound good. Another tip: 400 words correspond to approximately 3 minutes of read text.
And be careful: even small spelling mistakes can completely change the meaning of a sentence. (Come on, let's eat, Peter. / Come on, let's eat Peter.)
Thetime code
If the text is synchronized to the image, timecode information at the beginning and end of each text block helps. Please note that texts in other languages may be longer or shorter. It is best to take this into account at the translation stage.
The file names
If the voice recording is to be played out in individual files, please label these with file names in the text, preferably with comprehensible and logical names. It is easiest if the names are numbered consecutively. This also simplifies queries and correction loops.
The file format
It is best to send us the text in PDF or Word format. This ensures compatibility on all operating systems and devices - so your text is guaranteed to arrive in the desired format.
And now we wish you every success!
🙂
