Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Seth Gecko]

Anyone know what the going rate is to do voice recordings? I was approached to do so by someone who has written an ESL book. Simple reading of questions and answers.

I don't think that a percentage of the take is an option.

Any ideas ?

[posco's trumpet]

[Seth Gecko]

Thanks posco's trumpet. Not a bad fee.

Anybody else have any experience with voice recordings?

[Derrek]

Get what you can.

I voiced TV commercials in the USA for 8 years, and it all depends on your ability, and what you demand for payment. Ask too much, and you don't get the work. Ask too little, and you make less money.

I think if you were paid 70,000 an hour, that is acceptable. A business in orea was paying that this month -- they needed foreign voices for handphone voice recognition equipment.

If it's too much to ask, then work for less -- whatever you are comfortable with. When it comes down to it, they will just get another foreigner (unless you have a great voice and they really want you).

[Kyrei]

I do voice recordings all the time, since 1996 at least -- and I'm sure you've heard my voice if you have ever watched Arirang TV or listened to TOEIC tapes. There is quite a market for voice acting in Korea, but you have to know the right people to get in on it -- it is a tight circle of people and we guard that information jealously so that we can keep working.

FYI, the standard is between 50,000 - 70,000 for an hour (or part thereof) of standard recordings (TOEIC, kids stories, etc.) and for commercials/documentaries/dubbings it is usually 100,000 per hour.

If you can find the work, good on ya. Make sure you negotiate the fee ahead of time and are paid on the spot for the work. Getting a manager is a good way to go if you want to do a lot of this work. He or she can arrange the work, set your schedule, and harrass people for the pay. But be warned, the percentage paid to a manager in Korea is much higher than a standard manager/agent fee back home. (You are looking at 30%.)

Kyrei

[Zyzyfer]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[Kyrei]

That is indeed a good question.

Some of us make the corrections and some of us do not. I always make the corrections, and have walked out of recordings when they do not accept grammar/pronunciation corrections. There are times however when one is fed up with fighting a moron who refuses to accept the fact that the native speaker might know better how to say/pronounce/conjugate something. It is highly frustrating to be told to say "lucky-lee" instead of "luckily" or that the proper (read: according to a crappy Korean-English dictionary) pronunciation of the word "ancient" is "anshient", or that "should equals must, they are same-same" and not have the correction accepted. Put it this way, you think things are bad now, you should see what they look like on the script!

Personally if my voice is going to go on record for something then I want it said/spelt/pronounced correctly. Others look at it the way some view teaching -- who cares if it is good, they are paying me right? Professional is as professional does I guess.

Kyrei

[Kyrei]

[BTM]

Oh lord, even thinking about the Arirang voice-overs makes my blood pressure rise.

No offense, Kyrei - I'm sure you're good at what you do, but my god the stilted scripts they make you people read! I've done some voice work too, in Busan 5 years back or so (100K for a 90 minute session, since it was asked upthread), and if I was forced to actually record that Arirang stuff rather than just listening to it, I'd go snake-r00ting insane!

[kimcheeking]

two people at my school got paid 80,000 won for something school sponsered. Took them about 45 minutes I think...

wish I could get into it, but I don't think I have the voice everyone is looking for.

[Zyzyfer]