________________ TWB Speak Instructions _______________
Introduction
TWB Speak is our app to work on voice-recording projects such as voiceover.
This app was initially developed by the CLEAR Tech Team for recording audio for glossaries, but in fact it supports long sentences as well. Any type of audio recording of text should work on this platform.
At the moment, the system creates a recording per segment, .wav or .mp3 file format, the recordings are stored on the platform and can be downloaded from there.
Equipment and recording environment
At Translators without Borders, we understand that our translators may not have access to professional-grade recording equipment, and so we opted for adopting cell phone recording as the preferred method.
For this, it is important that recording conditions remain as constant as possible over the course of all your recordings. In order to achieve these, translators should keep in mind and manage the following aspects:
Environment
- Consistency: Try to record in the same environment and at the same moment of the day throughout all your sessions.
- Minimize echo: choose a small quiet room with as little echo as possible. A room with lots of plush surfaces (i.e., a bedroom, rather than a garage) works better. You can also stand in the corner, facing the corner, for better acoustics. Building a pillow fort around the microphone or phone or throwing a blanket over your head helps.
- Environment noise: Turn off everything that may create noise or other sounds (computers, TVs, electronics, air conditioning, fans, music, etc.) Also, close any windows or doors and record during quiet times of the day, so as to minimize external interference.
Set-up
- Position the cellphone on and around soft items to provide better acoustics (cushions, for example). We recommend not holding the phone in your hand during recording as this will result in unwanted noise being picked up
- The microphone should go slightly to one side to avoid any “popping”.
- You should be approximately 25 cm away from the microphone, sitting in a comfortable and straight position. Try to avoid moving during the recording process.
General tips for the recording process
Here are a few tips to help you get the audio files just perfect:
- Do a short test recording to make sure everything is working adequately.
- Grab a glass of water, you will get thirsty!
- If there are any mistakes or loud noises during the recording, stop and re-record the section.
- Remember you are not reading but talking, so speak normally. Speak clearly and use your regular voice (speaking out loud and recording yourself for a few seconds before beginning usually helps!)
- Remember to record exactly what has been written. Don’t skip or shorten any words.
- It is also important not to go too fast when recording.
- No chop-offs! Press the button to start recording and wait a bit before speaking. Once you finish, wait a bit again and then stop the recording.
Recording of a term
To record a term/segment, click on Actions - Record term:
Click on Record, wait a second and start recording the segment:
When you finish the recording, wait a second and click on Stop. The segment has already been recorded. Always check your recording. Click on the play button to listen and check that the audio is clear and complete.
After you check the recording, select the corresponding button whether its a female or male recording:
Once done, the software will prompt you to the next step. If you click on Actions you will be offered to record the segment again, listen to a previous recording, go to the next term or go back to the glossary.
If you go back to the script page, you will see that the recording is already available:
Deleting a recording
In case you need to record a term again you should click on the recording number and then on Actions - Delete recording:
- Important: Under no circumstances should they click on Actions - Delete on the main link with all the segments as it will delete the entry and it can’t be recovered:
