English Narration

Guest Blogger – Allison Schneider of StudySync

November 4, 2016 by Brian Amador

allison schneider guest blogger It’s our great pleasure this month to feature a guest blog by one of our favorite clients, Allison Schneider of StudySync, developers of digital Language Arts curriculum. The entire ABVO family (Rosi, Brian, Sonia and Alisa Amador, plus our honorary Amador, engineer Camilo) have had the pleasure of recording a LOT of wonderful literature for Allison and her team in English and Spanish.

About StudySync

Allison here with StudySync. It’s a joy to share a bit about the work that StudySync and the Amadors do together. As a digital English Language Arts/English Language Development curriculum, StudySync engages students with media and technology. One of the foundations of our product is a growing library of over 1,200 text selections, many of which include voiceover readings to help students better access and understand the text. That’s where the Amadors fit into the StudySync picture, and it’s where they’ve made a lasting impact on students across the country. I’d like to share a couple of particulars about what makes our collaboration with them so rewarding.

Engaging Students Through Literature

In their work with StudySync, the Amadors engage and inspire students through great works of literature in English and in Spanish, exposing them to the works of prominent multicultural authors including Sandra Cisneros and others. The voiceovers provided by the Amadors help bring Spanish-speaking students along on Tom Sawyer’s adventures by voicing a Spanish translation of Mark Twain’s beloved work. They’ve contributed several dozen voiceovers to StudySync, and with each one, they strengthen our ability to inspire students of diverse backgrounds.

A Shared Passion

StudySync’s work with the Amadors is especially strong because they share our passion for education. That shared commitment shows in every voiceover that they create for StudySync. It makes every project that we work on together meaningful.

A Family Affair

When you work with the Amadors, you’re working with family. Working with the Amadors and their team is a true family experience. First, you don’t get just one talented voiceover artist—you get five! Second—and most importantly—they make you feel like you’re a part of the family. The Amadors don’t just bring talent to the table. They bring friendship and a collaborative spirit.

As StudySync’s curriculum continues to grow, we look forward to having the Amadors along for the journey. Gracias, Amadors, for sharing your talents with us!

Two Sides to “Bilingual”

May 18, 2016 by Brian Amador

The growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. (17.4% of the population in 2014) has brought with it an increased demand for Spanish and bilingual content in all genres of voiceover, from commercials and explainer videos to Elearning, corporate narration, promos and more. And the increase in demand has brought an expansion of VO talent offering services in Spanish, from eloquent native speakers to people who took a little Spanish in high school.

I think anyone serious about doing Spanish or English-Spanish bilingual voiceover work would agree that a person shouldn’t sell themselves as Spanish-speaking talent if they’re not able to speak the language fluently, expressively and with an impeccable accent. In this regard, there are obvious advantages to hiring talent who were born and educated in a Spanish-speaking country.

But it’s not an absolute necessity. There are U.S. born Spanish speakers who are completely bilingual – native speakers of both English and Spanish, and able to switch effortlessly between the two.

Fully Bilingual = Value Added

In my career as a bilingual voice actor, my standard when voicing in Spanish is exactly the same as in English: perfect, native pronunciation and expression. I find that sometimes being a native English speaker is as important as being a native Spanish speaker. Being fully bilingual has its advantages.

It’s important to recognize a bad translation and to be able to make suggestions for correcting it. Sometimes English expressions are translated directly into Spanish; being familiar with the colloquialisms in English can make it easier to find the best way to express them in Spanish.
Some translation problems are due to grammatical errors or ambiguities in the source text. Having a complete command of written English makes these errors easy to recognize and correct.
In overdubs, translation errors can be due to the translator having misunderstood spoken English words due to the speaker’s accent or dialect. Being a native speaker of English enables me to understand many different accents (although I still watch “Masterpiece Theatre” with the subtitles on!)
For projects that need to fit into a specified duration, having a full command of both languages makes it easier to adjust translations to fit in time and still retain the meaning of the source copy.
It’s an extra perk for the client to be able to use the same voice in English and Spanish, and for both to sound natural and conversational.

Quality is What Matters

Given the number of Spanish-speakers in the United States, and as a matter of principle, the standards for Spanish and bilingual voiceover should be every bit as high as they are for English. For producers of content in Spanish, as in English, it’s important to find voice talent that speaks the language perfectly, whether that talent is “domestic” or ”imported”. There are two sides to “bilingual”. In some projects, mastery of English may be just as important as mastery of Spanish.

Narrating Inspiring Hispanic Literature for Teenagers

February 25, 2015 by Rosi Amador

Real life stories about Latino immigrants, inspiring first person accounts, the story of César Chávez, and poems authored by iconic Hispanic writers, poets and thinkers.

That’s what BookheadEd Learning approached Brian and me about recently. The company creates an award-winning web-delivered product (called StudySync), to improve reading, writing, and critical thinking with award-winning lessons aligned to the Common Core Standards for grades 4-12 in the U.S.

This is precisely the kind of project that inspired us choose voiceovers as a career in the first place! Using our voices to make a difference is our passion. Thank you to content coordinator Allison Schneider, whose testimonial I included below!

Brian and I had the privilege of voicing stories for high school learners by these extraordinary Hispanic authors/poets:

Excerpt from Elegy on the Death of César Chávez – Poem by Rudolfo Anaya
Narration: Brian Amador

From her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
Narration: Rosi Amador

“Rosi and Brian are voice over dynamos. Their creativity, friendliness and talent simply can’t be beat. I cannot recommend them highly enough—they are true gems in the voice over industry! Thanks!”

– Allison Schneider, Content Coordinator BookheadEd Learning, LLC

I echo Brian’s sentiment: “This is material you can really sink your teeth into to give a dramatic read, plus it gives you the satisfaction of knowing that it’s being used to expose students to the literature of Hispanic America and beyond.” It was particularly poignant for Brian to read fellow New Mexican Rudolfo Anaya’s poem. For me, focusing on themes of social justice and human rights has always been a part of my life since my activist days in the Central American solidarity movement in the 80’s.

I hope you enjoy these samples of some of our work for BookheadEd as much as we enjoyed narrating them! We welcome your feedback always.

Gracias mil,

Rosi

Rosi as Narrator for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

December 24, 2013 by Brian Amador

Rosi Amador was Selected as bilingual narrator for U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services’ Healthcare 411 en la Radio.

Through a highly competitive audition process, Rosi was selected as the new female narrator of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ weekly news series called Health Care 411.
[Read more…] about Rosi as Narrator for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Children’s Audiobook ‘Mañana Iguana’ Narrated by Rosi and Brian Amador

March 10, 2010 by Brian Amador

WINNER 2010 “Notable Children’s Recordings” Children’s Audiobook Narration by Rosi & Brian Amador ~ Original Compositions: Brian Amador

“A comical takeoff on the familiar Little Red Hen story, this upbeat read-along is brought vividly to life through Brian and Rosi Amador’s tandem narration. There is so much to enjoy here: the familiar motif of three friends who can’t be bothered to help industrious Iguana prepare for a fiesta, a southwestern desert setting, Spanish words sprinkled throughout, and a creative and positive ending.
[Read more…] about Children’s Audiobook ‘Mañana Iguana’ Narrated by Rosi and Brian Amador