Professional transcription, voice-overs, and subtitling
Professional transcription, voice-overs, and subtitling
Transcription, voice-overs, and subtitling
KERN is your professional partner for subtitling, dubbing, and transcriptionin various languages. We offer customized solutions for companies that want to make their content accessible to a global audience. Our experienced linguists and audio professionals are at your disposal to accurately translate, dub, and transcribe your videos and audio content. From subtitling films to dubbing commercials, we offer a wide range of services to ensure that your message is heard and understood worldwide. Learn more about how we can help you present your content to an international audience.
Transcription service
Transcription: the process of writing down spoken text and conversations from audio or video recordings. These can be audio CDs, DVDs, and MP3 files, or other file formats if necessary, such as Wave. KERN offers a professional transcription service to create written records of German or foreign-language audio or video material.
A wide range of texts can be recorded in writing:
- Video conferences
- Telephone interviews as a data collection strategy and in social research
- Interviews for film and television productions
- Lecture series
Transcription, voice-overs, and subtitling—we are happy to advise you
Our experts provide you with subtitling, voice-overs, and transcription services—tailored to your needs, multilingual, and reliable.
FAQs about transcription
How many pages are in a transcript?
Experience has shown that an hour of audio material produces approximately 20 to 30 standard pages of typed text.
How long does a transcription take?
Thetranscription time depends on several parameters. Depending on the recording quality, speaking speed, and the degree of accuracy required for the intended use, the time required to transcribe audio material can be estimated using a factor from five to nine.
How much does a transcription cost?
| language | Price examples |
|---|---|
| German | from $1.29 per audio minute |
| English | from $1.49 per audio minute |
| other foreign languages | from $2.39 per audio minute |
What factors affect the transcription service?
The relatively high effort required is due to the speakers’ dialects. Background noise that requires repeated playback to understand sentences must also be taken into account.
A transcription of the audio material that contains no gaps or errors, and in which even small verbal details are recorded, including when speakers’ utterances overlap, requires the highest level of concentration.
What are the special features of a transcription?
Appropriate transcription guidelines must be taken into consideration, depending on the purpose of the transcription.
- Verbatim & detailed transcription: Unless otherwise requested, the transcription is verbatim, not phonetic, and detailed (not summarized).
- Non-transcribed elements: Dialect inflections and vocalizations such as “um,” “uh,” etc. are generally not transcribed.
- Adjustments to written language: Language and punctuation are adapted to written language.
- Pauses & emphasis: Longer pauses are indicated by ellipses, and particularly emphasized passages are underlined. Interjections by other people, laughter, or sighs are noted in parentheses.
- Indication of speaker changes: Speaker changes are indicated by blank lines and, if necessary, an anonymized reference to the name (speaker 1, speaker 2).
- Consideration of external characteristics: External characteristics of an interview situation may be of interest and can be noted upon request. That could include someone entering or leaving a room or a telephone ringing.
- Post-processing of texts: After the texts have been transcribed, they are always spell-checked and, if desired, formatted according to customer specifications.
- Optional translation: Once the texts have been recorded in written form, a translation can also be provided if desired.
What information is required for the transcription service?
We offer professional, high-quality transcriptions. To ensure that transcriptions can be completed more quickly and the process runs smoothly, it is advisable to provide comprehensive information right from the start.
- What is the audio material format?
- How many minutes/hours of audio material are there?
- What kind of audio material is it (interviews, sections of presentations, etc.)?
- What is the purpose of the transcription?
- Do you have any particular formatting requests or transcription rules?
- What file format is required for the transcribed text?
- Do you require a translation after the transcription?
Why choose KERN's transcription service?
When you have your audio and video files transcribed by KERN, you can expect professional transcriptions by experienced linguists. From gaming to legal documents to specialist texts for the public sector, we work with a wide range of industries and know what matters in each individual case.
KERN’s vision is to provide our customers with the highest quality services. As an independent family business, our customers are always our top priority. To ensure our success, we combine proven methods with innovative approaches, thereby constantly setting ourselves new challenges. Our commitment to quality benefits our customers—in transcription and beyond.
Professional transcription service for the written recording of audio and video material
KERN offers a professional transcription service to create written records of German or foreign-language audio or visual material.
Automatic transcription: Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
Recording, post-editing, and publishing work online: Creating media content has never been so simple. Apart from being used in media production, audio and video content plays an increasingly important role, particularly in business communication. However, the new possibilities also pose new challenges for companies. Often, they need a quick overview of what has been said so they can make the right decisions.
With KERN’s machine transcription service, we can create a rough transcript in just a few clicks. The subsequent human editing even more reliable – it offers up to 99% accuracy! Our experienced language experts listen carefully and transfer the content into all the desired target languages for you, where necessary.
Advantages of machine transcription
Machine transcription automatically converts spoken language into written text in real time. It uses complex algorithms and machine learning to analyze large amounts of data, recognizes patterns and structures in spoken language, and converts them into accurate text documents.
Efficiency and time savings are the key advantages of machine transcription. Instead of manually taking notes during meetings, conferences, and interviews, machine transcription allows you to receive a complete written text during the event. It eliminates the need for subsequent transcription work, allowing you to concentrate fully on the discussion and interaction.
Machine transcription also provides you with an accurate and detailed record of the content. It captures not only spoken words, but also nuances such as pauses, intonation, and pitch. This level of detail allows you to easily identify important information and key messages and use them later for analysis, reports, or reference purposes.
Accessibility is another important aspect of machine transcription. People with hearing impairments can benefit from machine transcription to understand and follow spoken content in written form. That ensures inclusive communication and allows people from different backgrounds and with different abilities to participate equally in the exchange of information.
FAQs about Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)
How does automatic speech recognition work?
Automatic Speech Recognition, ASR for short, is a technology that converts spoken language into written text. It uses complex algorithms and machine learning to analyze and interpret audio signals by recognizing spoken words and transcribing them into text.
ASR systems usually consist of two main components: an acoustic model and a language model. The acoustic model analyzes audio input and attempts to match the speech sounds with phonetic representations. Factors such as pronunciation, accent, and background noise are taken into account in order to accurately identify the spoken words.
The language model, on the other hand, focuses on the linguistic aspects of speech recognition. It uses statistical language modeling techniques to predict the most likely sequence of words based on the context of the language. This helps improve the accuracy and comprehensibility of the transcribed text.
Automatic speech recognition is used in transcription services to automatically convert audio or video recordings into written text. It is particularly useful in industries such as health care, legal, and media, where accurate and efficient transcriptions are important. Afterwards, the automatically transcribed texts can be checked and improved with human expertise. This is called human post-processing.
When is human post-processing needed?
Human post-processing (post-editing) is advantageous for transcriptions that need to be translated or that will be used for subtitles. Along with the required foreign language, subtitles must include the time code so that they appear at the right moment. The length of the text is critical here, and the highest level of precision is required in the translation. KERN’s translators and transcribers KERN are trained for this and have many years of experience in the area of subtitling. We take the special features of your transcription into account and we will be happy to advise you on the appropriate services for your project. Just get in touch!
Why order machine transcription from KERN?
Our machine transcription technology is extremely versatile and scalable. It can be used in various fields and industries, including educational institutions, research centers, companies, and medical facilities. Whether you need it for lectures, training sessions, interviews, or medical reports, machine transcription offers you fast and accurate text recognition. Contact us for professional machine transcription!
Dubbing and voice-over
Dubbing audiovisual material in a foreign language is a complex process that requires the collaboration of various specialists. Transcribers, editors, text translators, casting specialists, editors, professional voice actors, sound engineers, and linguists work hand in hand to ensure the quality of foreign-language recording. A state-of-the-art recording studio is essential for this.
Full-service solutions for first-class dubbing and voice-overs
KERN works closely with experts from various fields and offers high-quality voice-overs as a full-service provider. The new audio can be provided either as a voice-over or dubbing. The foreign-language translation of the original text is specially adapted to the requirements of the respective medium. The results can easily be compared with recordings produced in the target language.
Customized voice-overs for powerful corporate videos
KERN produces high-quality voice-over recordings. One example of this is our successful collaboration with Dental Union.
Using a YouTube video as source material, our experienced staff were able to create a complete, high-quality voice-over. We produced the customer’s film in the local language according to the client’s specific wishes, thus delivering a tailor-made solution.
FAQs about dubbing & voice-overs
What is voice-over?
Voice-over is a form of dubbing in which the original voice is synchronized in the target language. This technique is often used to make films (film dubbing), videos, or presentations accessible to an international audience. The process begins with the creation of a transcript based on the film file. This transcript is then translated into the target language by professional native speakers and subsequently overlaid on the original audio track or used to replace it.
What is film dubbing?
Film dubbing is the process of replacing the dialogue in a film with voice-overs in another language. This is a demanding process in which important elements such as lip movements, gestures, and tonality must correspond precisely to the original version.
To achieve authentic, high-quality film dubbing, experienced voice actors work closely with translators and linguists. They ensure that the newly recorded dialogues are not only correct in terms of content, but also reflect the emotional nuances and intentions of the original actors.
Professional sound engineers and editors ensure that the audio tracks are seamlessly integrated into the film. The result is a successful film dubbing, where viewers feel that the characters are actually speaking in their language.
Why request a voice-over from KERN?
With KERN, you receive customized voice-over solutions that meet the highest quality standards. Our professional voice-over artists have extensive experience in the voice-over industry and are fluent in their native language. They are able to sensitively interpret the mood, tone, and intention of the original voice and convey it in the target language. By using state-of-the-art recording technology and carefully processing the audio tracks, we ensure that the voice-over blends harmoniously with the visual content and achieves an impressive overall effect.
Our team at KERN is also ideally positioned in the field of film dubbing. We work with talented voice actors and an experienced production team to ensure first-class dubbing that integrates perfectly into the film.
Transcription, voice-overs, and subtitling—we are happy to advise you
Our experts provide you with support for subtitling, voice-overs, and transcription—tailored to your needs, multilingual, and reliable.
Subtitling: Translating your audiovisual content
Making media content such as films or videos available to a broad international audience requires subtitles in various languages. Subtitling enables the seamless transmission of audiovisual content across language barriers. Spoken words are translated into different languages and displayed as text on the screen. These subtitle translations enable viewers worldwide to enjoy movies, TV series, and videos in their native language while experiencing cultural diversity.
At KERN, we not only create subtitles, but also provide professional subtitle translationthat is linguistically precise, culturally adapted, and technically flawless.
Subtitle translation by experts
Ensuring the quality of the subtitles and the accuracy of the speech/dialogue in the foreign language requires the expertise of professional translators. Translating subtitles therefore requires not just linguistic skills, but also expertisewith subtitling software. KERN’s experts have comprehensive experience in the area of subtitling and can provide you with outstanding support for your long-term as well as short-term projects. All we need is your video material, and then our translators can get started!
FAQs about subtitling
What needs to be considered when translating subtitles?
When translating subtitles, many different aspects need to be taken into account.
- The subtitles may not exceed a certain length or character count. Otherwise, they will cover the picture.
- The subtitles must be displayed in sync with the speed of the speaker(s).
- The translation of the dialogue/speech must be short and concise.
- The speakers’ intentions, moods, and emotions must be reproduced carefully.
- Special software is necessary to create, edit, or adapt subtitles.
For which films does KERN offer subtitling services?
Corporate films and promotional films of all kinds can benefit from subtitles. Product advertisements, training videos, and company presentations can be made accessible through subtitles, making information available to an international audience. This improves communication, increases reach, and promotes understanding among different language groups. We offer subtitling services for the following film formats, among others:
- Training videos
- Image films
- Product presentations
- Tutorials
- Company videos
- Promotional films
- Webinars
- and much more
Do you have any other ideas or plans for subtitled films? Please feel free to contact us so we can find a solution together!
What special features need to be taken into account when subtitling?
Subtitling promotional films requires special consideration to convey the message effectively. Depending on the genre of the commercial, whether it is informative, emotional, or humorous, the subtitles must support the desired mood. The target audience is crucial: teenagers speak a different language than businesspeople, for example, so subtitles should reflect the tone of the target audience.
Dialects can pose a particular challenge in advertising films. Local dialects can create a close bond with certain markets, but may require some simplification in order to be understood. Humor and wordplay should be translated carefully to preserve the humorous intent of the original. Rhymes are often difficult to translate into other languages, but require creativity to preserve the sound effect.
Why order subtitling from KERN?
KERN offers professional subtitling services from a single source—precise, tailored to the target audience, and technically flawless. Whether it’s an advertising film, a training video, or a series production, we ensure your content is conveyed in an internationally understandable, stylistically accurate way. Our many years of experience and high quality standards make us a reliable partner, providing you with efficient support for implementing your projects.