Frazier in Action at the University of Geneva

Hello Alexander, please introduce yourself briefly!

I am a professor at the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Geneva, where I also head the German department and am responsible for courses in audiovisual translation. The University of Geneva is the only university in Switzerland that offers translation, conference interpreting, and multilingual communication management. In the Master’s programs in Translation and Multilingual Specialized Communication, there are courses in audiovisual translation, and I have been using Frazier for the audio description modules since the autumn semester.

How did you conduct your courses before Frazier?

We tried various tools. I started in 2015 with freely accessible software that only worked in combination with YouTube. That wasn’t practical for me. Then, a year ago, in 2024/2025, we got the audio description module additionally unlocked in our subtitling software. However, it quickly became clear that this software was not specialized in audio description. Defining in and out points was extremely time-consuming, and then there wasn’t enough time left for the actual task, writing the script.

What then led you to Frazier?

I asked colleagues from other universities who also teach audiovisual translation. Then I got in touch with Marco Agnetta from the University of Innsbruck, who had already used Frazier and was very convinced by the software. For me, it was important to hear how things were going at other universities and that the software worked well. An important point is support. Sometimes questions arise three or four hours before class, and I depend on getting a quick answer. That was assured to me and also works excellently.

And thirdly, the price-performance ratio is right. You get modern audio description software that is intuitive to use, with professional support at a fair price.

How quickly could Frazier be used in everyday course work?

Very quickly. The Frazier team presented the tool in a 30 to 40-minute Zoom session, and the students immediately started working afterward. I also find the manual excellent; it really helps. It is formulated in easily digestible language with very good instructions. I was able to work with Frazier the following week with the certainty that it would work. So, everything went smoothly from one week to the next.

What are the biggest advantages you see today?

The decisive advantage is that students can concentrate on writing the script. Audio description is significantly more complex than subtitling, and that requires time and mental space.

In addition, Frazier is a cloud solution. We have many distance learning students, including from Arab countries. With desktop software and a wide variety of setups (Mac, Windows, various countries), this would simply not have been manageable. With Frazier, everyone accesses their projects from anywhere.

The AI voices are also a big advantage. Previously, students had to record with the old software in the browser, the quality was often poor and difficult to evaluate. Now there are reliable synthetic voices in different languages, which benefits us greatly.

Was there a particular “aha!” moment?

I was amazed at how simple and uncomplicated this software works. Also for myself as a lecturer. After the first introductory week, I asked the students to note down any problems they had with the application on a Padlet. The Padlet was empty. No technical problems, only positive comments.

I am really grateful for that. Because, as I have seen, that is not the case everywhere.