“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was spot on: If you want people to learn something on a deeper level, you really can’t teach or tell them about it. They need to experience the lesson to understand it. This is one reason audio guides are so popular when it comes to retaining information about history, government, art, and any other topic.
We bring this up because we recently wrote about an important celebration coming up in the spring of 2025 – America 250. America’s 250th birthday will be an entire year of nationwide events coordinated by the federal government and states to showcase unity and pride in our country. Already, museums, public institutions, libraries, federal agencies, corporations, cities and towns are gearing up to create learning experiences for visitors who are expected from across the country and the globe. If your organization is planning to be involved, you should consider creating an audio guide to attract and immerse your audiences. It’s one of the best ways they can learn about your organization and our country! And we can’t forget to mention the cost savings involved. Audio guides reduce the amount of printed materials needed and eliminate the demand for a large number of tour guides. They can also be a great source of extra income through rentals and app purchases.
See Samples Of Our Voice Overs & Subtitles:
Modern Audio Guides Provide Rich Learning Experiences
While audio guides have been around since being broadcast on shortwave radio in 1952, they’ve evolved significantly over the decades. Entertaining both young and old, English and foreign language-speaking visitors, and listeners at different comprehension levels – they now utilize modern technology and engaging voice overs to bring lessons to life.
Many studies, including one by Harvard in 2019, have found that people gain more knowledge when they interact with subject matter materials rather than just listening to someone teach – no matter how engaging the teacher is. Interestingly, it was the COVID pandemic in 2020 that forced educators to begin using “active learning” techniques instead of traditional lecturing. For example, when colleges had to switch to online learning, professors realized that students could barely tolerate 75-minute Zoom lectures. They needed to find digitally interactive ways to engage them – which often worked better than lecturing.
This active learning concept is true outside of the classroom as well. When someone visits a museum, landmark, public institution, or even an America 250 event, they show up with the intention of learning. So, it should be your goal to present the information in a way that will help them maximize their knowledge. In this case, audio guides can provide a hands-on learning experience about a topic, allowing visitors to understand the “who, what, where, when, and why” that are often missed when taking a tour without a narrative guide. This is especially helpful when there’s a lot of information for people to process. For example, an audio tour of the U.S. Capitol is about 95 minutes. Imagine exploring the Foyer, Exhibition Hall, Senate Theater, and other areas without an audio guide to spark your imagination with stories of the past. You may lose interest or feel overwhelmed with information without the guidance of a digital narrator.
Listen To Our Audio Guide Samples:
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What Types Of Technology Can Enhance Audio Guides?
When expertly designed, creative audio guides can make both in-person and online learning experiences more personal, interactive and accessible. Visitors can tailor experiences to their schedules, learning at their own pace and pausing when they need to, so they don’t miss anything. And with advanced technology like VR and AR, the possibilities are endless.
Digital audio guides can use augmented reality (AR), allowing visitors to explore virtual art galleries complete with narration and sound – simply by downloading an Adroid or iOS app. For example, MOMA took a very interesting approach by creating audio guides for children. This way kids can check out art pieces and absorb information on their own terms.
Multimedia production techniques such as adding music and sound effects to professionally produced voice overs can result in captivating storylines, no matter how complex a tale is.
GPS tracking can also be used with digital audio guides. Whether you’re driving or walking, your location can trigger the audio to begin. These guides can even be downloaded in advance of your audio tour, so you won’t have trouble listening offline.
Of course, we can’t talk about technology without mentioning AI! For example, an AI chatbot combined voice recognition can be used in audio guide design, allowing people to ask questions within an audio tour and receive immediate feedback. AI is also an excellent tool for data analytics, giving you the information needed to improve your visitors’ experiences. There are two things we don’t recommend AI for, however: audio guide translation and narration.
Why You Should Use Human Translators & Voice Artists
While AI translation and voice over tools can be tempting to use due to their cost and speed, human translators and voices remain the gold standard for creating both localized and emotionally engaging audio guide experiences.
When it comes to translation, it’s not enough to translate word-for-word using AI. Content must always be localized to reflect the nuances and cultural touchpoints of the target audience. This can only be accomplished using human translators.
Similarly, only a human voice can connect with and gain the trust of listeners by conveying tones and giving them depth and expression. Professional human voice actors can interpret scripts and add their own unique flair.
Cultural sensitivity is also a big aspect of utilizing human voices in audio guide narrations. Professional voice over talents are experts in specific languages and regions and can pronounce locations, terms, and names accurately. They also understand the emotional aspect of sensitive topics such as historical tragedies and can deliver them with appropriate tone. Human voices add the touch for diverse audiences such as children or history enthusiasts. When native speakers narrate content in multiple languages they create cultural relevance.
Ready To Start Your Audio Guide Project?
If you’d like to find out how we can help you translate, localize and narrate your audio guide project, reach out to us today. We’re a NYC multimedia post-production agency that specializes in translation, localization, casting, voice over & subtitling services. We’d love to help you create unforgettable stories for your listeners!