Free Turn: Bringing Berlin to Life in Dutch for Big Bus Tours

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About the client

Free Turn, an entertainment company specialising in TV, film and audio production, partnered with Big Bus Tours, the world’s largest operator of open-top sightseeing tours to transform traditional sightseeing narration into immersive, story-driven audio experiences across 27 cities worldwide. 

The Project

Services: Casting, Translation, Voice Recording & Mixing 

Language: English → Dutch

Big Bus Tours wanted audio guides that do more than inform as they wanted them to entertain and inspire. For Berlin, Free Turn designed tours delivered by three distinct “tour guides,” each with a personal connection to the city, creating an authentic and dynamic experience. 

Building on the success of the initial multilingual rollout, VSI was entrusted to localise the Berlin tour into Dutch. The project involved adapting approximately 26,000 words of original scripts for three characters (two female, one male), ensuring the Dutch version captured the same energy and personality as the English original. 

Our Approach

  • Local Expertise: Partnered with a trusted studio in the Netherlands for casting and recording, combining local talent with VSI’s global standards. 

  • Client Collaboration: Remote recording sessions gave Free Turn full visibility and real-time input, ensuring every line hit the right tone. 

  • Quality Assurance: From translation to mixing, we maintained consistency with Big Bus’s brand voice and technical requirements. 

  • Technical Delivery: Delivered final audio in MP3 (320kbps) and WAV (44.1kHz, 16-bit), optimised for in-bus playback and licensed in perpetuity. 

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Outcome

The Dutch localisation was a resounding success: 

  • Delivery speed: We delivered over 500 (524) assets in 5 weeks, which included customised casting, script translation of over 25k words with approval stage, recording and post editing. 

  • Client satisfaction: Rated [10/10] by Free Turn and Big Bus Tours. 

  • Quality assurance: We fixed 16 out of 524 assets for minor mixing adjustments. The client was very impressed with our quality and sent positive feedback.

Both Free Turn and Big Bus Tours praised the natural performances and seamless production. The project ran smoothly thanks to strong collaboration and clear communication throughout.