Commons:Voice intro project
A project to make audio recordings in which Wikipedia subjects speak their own name, and introduce themselves.
First suggested in a blog post, "Requesting open-licensed, open-format recordings of the voices of Wikipedia subjects for Wikimedia Commons" by Andy Mabbett (User:Pigsonthewing).
Why?
So that we know how a notable person pronounces their own name, and what they sound like. The sound of their voice can be helpful, for example:
- as a way of identifying a person for people that have a vision impairment
- to confirm a person's identity, if you've heard them on, say, the radio
- to distinguish them from someone else with the same name
The pronunciation is useful:
- if you are about to meet them
- if you are about to mention them in a presentation or on air
In fact, you’d have the canonical pronunciation of their name: their own.
What to do
If you are the subject of a Wikipedia article, or a Wikidata item, please upload an MP3, FLAC or ogg audio recording of your own, normal speaking voice - you can use the Upload Wizard to do that.
If you're a Wikimedian working with notable people, you can do that for them.
If you are (or your subject is) fluent in more than one language, please record a separate file in each.
Try to find somewhere quiet to make the recording - even taking a few steps away from other people's conversations helps. If you're outdoors, get out of the wind.
I can't do that
If you can't make an MP3, FLAC or ogg file (or don't know what that means) you can e-mail us a recording in whatever format suits you and release it under an open licence. If the file is too big to be e-mailed, you can use file sharing or sound hosting services like SoundCloud or Vocaroo. We'll do the conversion for you. You're welcome to drop a note on this page's talk page if you have questions or need help.
Another alternative is to contact a volunteer on WhatsApp - please ask for contact details.
What to say
Typically people say:
Hello, my name is [name]. I was born in [place] and I have been [job or position] since [year]
Please include a brief pause between "my name is" and your name.
You're welcome to say more!
Listen to some of the examples, in the project's English-language category.
What not to say
- Don't mention that you're making a recording for Wikipedia/Wikipedia Commons
- No advertising, pitching for work, advocacy, proselytizing or politics
- Nothing time-dependent (so not "I am currently...", "ten years ago", or "This year..." - your recording is for posterity!)
Further steps
- Add a link to the recording, from the subject's page on Wikidata, using P990, with a qualifier specifying the language used.
- Transcribe the recording, as Timed Text captions.
The files
Files are sorted into categories, by language. See a list of categories, at Category:Voice intro project.