Does Language Shape The Way We Think?

Everyone with a background in linguistics will have heard of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis – the theory according to which language affects the way we perceive the world, and even, in its strongest sense, determines the way we categorise what surrounds us. This is also known as linguistic relativism and, as a student, I was so […]

Copyrighting a Language? Patak!

Languages are fascinating. I know, it’s a general blanket statement that means nothing. Yet, it is the truth. How languages have evolved over the years, decades, centuries, with their grammar, expressions, vocal tones, and how they have come to represent groups of people and distinct cultures, is nothing short of remarkable. We take it for granted on […]

Happy World Voice Day!

World Voice Day is an annual event that has been celebrated since 1999. It was first put forward by the American Academy of Otolaryngology and since then, more American and European otolaryngologists and language pathologists have joined the cause in order to raise awareness of this tool that makes us so different and unique. Now this day is […]

Why come into the studio?

There are many positives and negatives with trusting the talent to record from home. Cost, for instance; with their little home studio setup it reduces the need and cost of bringing everyone into a hired studio however, in some cases quality is sacrificed. In a professional recording studio, the voice talent will have a producer […]

Voice Over: Emphasise This

For a voice over, emphasis is very important. There are many ways to emphasise a word, including changing the pitch, speaking the key word more slowly, stretching vowels and pronouncing the first syllable of a key word louder than other syllables. Below is an example of a popular nursery rhyme with notes showing how changing […]

What makes a great Voice Over Artist?

First and foremost, it’s important that voiceover artists are good at their trade; the ability to shape their voice to meet the clients needs and deliver that crisp narration first time is the Holy Grail in any busy studio environment. But there’s also much more that helps the session run smoothly. When those difficult scripts […]

Subtitles and the Art of Subtitling

Everyone knows what subtitles are. What everyone might not know is that the job of the subtitler is far from being simple and some subtitlers like to call subtitling a form of ‘art”.  For example, one of the questions we are asked most frequently is why subtitles do not correspond exactly to the original dialogue. […]

Quintessentially British – A Few English Words And Their Origins

Many of us pride ourselves on being British; we have a fondness for all things British like cricket, baking and the Queen. But many of those things that we love so much, as British as they now are, have in fact come from a very foreign past. The English language has evolved and transformed to […]

Communicate Your Message More Effectively On Facebook

These days, technology and social media are deeply ingrained into our daily lives. Yet somehow I feel that we still tend to think in quite small, local terms despite the potential for a global reach. The great news is that it will soon be a lot easier to accurately reach speakers of different languages. Facebook […]

Audiovisual Translation: Pay attention to the video

Translating is not a process that can be considered simple or easy. It is widely agreed that translation must focus on the smallest details in order to achieve the best result. The main aim of translating is to express the same message in another language. While translating, the translator must be creative in order to […]