Professional Voice Guidance Localization for Dashcams and Navigation Systems
Discover how Hansem Global provided comprehensive localization, from translation to professional voice actor recording, for Thinkware's voice guidance service.
Project Summary
Thinkware is a company that leads the field of connected services, focusing on location-based services, and has an unrivaled presence in the domestic Automobile AfterMarket. Based on Thinkware’s location-based service know-how accumulated over 25 years, we provide live content that provides real-time precise maps and traffic conditions, and to develop more user-friendly services, we provide voice guidance services applied to dashcams and navigation. It required recording by a professional voice actor rather than a machine voice. Hansem Global provided localization services ranging from translation to professional voice actor recording for the localization of Thinkware products
Challenges
Short phrase text for voice guidance
Since this is voice guidance used in dashcams and navigation, it requires short sentences that convey only the main point. If the voice guidance phrase is long, users may be tired of listening and there is a risk that key content will not be conveyed.
Professional voice actors required for each country
Since voice guidance cannot be listened to repeatedly, clear communication must be possible with a single guidance. If you are not a voice actor who specializes in voice guidance, it may actually damage your brand value.
Natural tone & manner
If you record a voice actor rather than a machine recording, there is a possibility that the voice guidance will be completely different depending on the gender, tone of voice, and manner of the text of the voice actor you are pursuing. Detailed instructions are required to implement the tone and manner that Thinkware pursues.
Our Solutions
Multilingual translation progress for short phrases
Before recording professional voice actors, the phrases spoken through voice guidance are translated into 11 languages worldwide. First, it is translated into English by Hansem Global’s in-house language experts, and then translators with high expertise in each country carry out multilingual translation.
We provided detailed instructions to provide a concise and clear translation by considering the product’s characteristics to which the phrase will be applied. We refined it into appropriate sentences after review by a native speaker with knowledge of the field.
Sample recordings and guidance
Before proceeding with full-scale recording, we performed sample recording to achieve the quality desired by the client. The sample recording reflected the overall guide for voice guidance pursued by the customer and was used as a reference when conducting full-scale recording.
Continuous feedback loop
Given the nature of voice recordings, there is a risk that they may be perceived differently by different listeners. Therefore, not only the sample recordings but also the final recordings were reviewed by native speakers of each language. We strived to improve overall quality by focusing on compliance with tone and manners, clear pronunciation, and natural connections between stems. Even after delivery, feedback on the final recording was continuously shared to be applied to future work.
Outcome
- We have improved the quality of voice guidance phrases by providing detailed voice guidance, and by exchanging sample recordings and continuous feedback, we produce quality results that match the direction pursued by the customer.
- Helps provide services that fit Thinkware’s brand ideology and provides whole services from translation to recording.
Conclusion
Through the collaboration between Hansem Global and Thinkware, we have succeeded in providing a friendlier and higher-quality voice guidance service to customers who use dashcams and navigation systems. Professional voice actor recording played an important role in improving the brand image by giving users the feeling of receiving friendly guidance. By adhering to a simple and gentle tone and manner, we contributed to creating a positive brand image.
Hansem Global’s localization area, which includes translation services and voice actor recording, is expected to expand gradually, and we hope that cooperation between the two companies will further develop in the future and have a positive impact.