Cochrane podcasts summarise Cochrane Reviews in an audio format that can be listened to on cochrane.org or iTunes. Podcasts can also be download, so people can listen to them offline. You can see the full list of Cochrane podcasts here: http://www.cochrane.org/multimedia/podcasts/
Each podcast consists of:
- the main audio summary of the Review,
- an audio ‘top’ and ‘tail’, which is the introduction and ending of the podcast, and
- a brief introductory text, which is displayed on cochrane.org along with the podcast.
Podcasts can be translated and recorded in any language. The process includes two main steps:
- Translating the English transcript, and
- Recording the audio version in your language.
If you want to translate a podcast, you should be able to download the script from the page containing the English version on cochrane.org. If you cannot find it, please contact Paolo Rosati, (prosati@cochrane.org) so he can send you the English transcript.
Translating the podcast script
- Check if the Plain Language Summary or Abstract related to the podcast have already been translated into your language, and take a look at it to ensure translations are consistent in terms of wording.
- The English transcript is usually recorded by one of the authors of the Review, so tends to be written in the first person, using ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘our’ pronouns. For a translated podcast, the script should be translated in the third person, if the person doing the recording was not one of the Review authors. It should be clear that it is a translation, and that the speaker is not the person who conducted the research. For example, any mention of ‘our Review’ and ‘our results’ should be modified to ‘the Review’ and ‘the results’.
- In the introductory text, the sentence mentioning the speaker and their affiliation should be removed, and replaced with the name and affiliation of the new speaker. If the new speaker is not an author of the Review, adapt the text to something like: ‘Andrea Cervera from Cochrane Iberoamérica translated and recorded this podcast.’ The same applies to any mentions of the author or speaker in the audio ‘top’.
Recording the podcast
- The English script is set out for two speakers: one who records the ‘top’ and ‘tail’, and another one who records the Review summary. If you cannot find a second speaker, it is fine for one person to record the whole translated podcast. But please make sure to adapt the podcasts script accordingly to one speaker only, so that it makes sense.
- You can record the audio file yourself. If you have a Windows PC you can use the ‘Voice recorder’ app in Windows 10. It is under Programs > Accessories, and it allows you to save the file in WMA format. If you have a Mac, you can make the recording using ‘Garage Band.’ Alternatively, you can use an online voice recorder, e.g. https://online-voice-recorder.com, or an app on your smartphone. The quality of the recording should be acceptable with any of these apps or devices, but please make sure to avoid background noise and to use a reasonably good microphone.
- Alternatively, you can arrange a Skype call with Paolo Rosati (Skype ID: rstpaolo), who can record you reading the podcast during a call.
Publishing the podcast
When you have translated the script and webpage introduction, and recorded the podcast, please send all of the below to Paolo Rosati (prosati@cochrane.org):
- The introductory text that appears on the cochrane.org webpage (usually the first paragraph of the podcast script) in your language, making sure you have added a line at the end that says ‘This podcast was translated and recorded by…’ to be clear it is a translated version.
- A final version of the written transcript, including top and tail, in your language.
- A picture of the person who recorded the podcast. The size of the photo should be no larger than 160 pixels wide by 160 pixels tall, ideally in portrait layout, and saved in JPEG format.
What happens if a Review with a podcast is updated?
Whenever a Review with a podcast is updated, an invitation is sent to the authors of the updated Review to ask them whether a new podcast is required.
- If yes, then the authors produce a new podcast and the regular procedure is followed. All teams who translate podcasts regularly are informed of the publication of the new podcast.
- If not (say because the update was minor), then the existing podcast is linked to the updated version and its publication date is updated, too.