The batch upload process is currently being redesigned for the new FirstVoices. Check back later for information about the new batch process when it is ready!
What is a batch?
Members of a language team can submit multiple words or phrases in batches via a spreadsheet format (.csv), allowing many entries to be uploaded to their language site at one time. Alphabets are also uploaded in a spreadsheet format.
The spreadsheet format allows you to work offline to prepare your content, and once you are familiar with the process it can save you a lot of time.
Overview and video tutorial
To upload text-based information, for example a word, its definition, and notes, then you only need to submit a spreadsheet (.csv file) as part of your batch.
To upload media files, such as audio recordings or images, then you will also need to submit your media files to FirstVoices alongside the spreadsheet. The batch upload process has strict file name requirements for media files which you will need to review carefully.
Overall preparation steps
You will work offline to prepare a spreadsheet containing the details of all your entries, and to organize all of your media files. There are very specific requirements for how your files and data should be formatted into this spreadsheet so please carefully look over the preparation instructions below.
Once you're ready, double-check your spreadsheet and all of your files to make sure they are in the correct format. If you are including media files, collect them into a single folder.
Then you'll submit your spreadsheet and media files to FirstVoices through a SharePoint link, and inform us via email when it is ready. To get started with this, or if you need an alternate solution due to internet speed issues, please email hello@firstvoices.com.
As long as there are no errors in your documentation, the FirstVoices team will then upload your files and send you a confirmation email once it has been completed.
Attention to detail
The batch upload process does require very keen attention to detail and as such, some users prefer to add entries individually using the online form. If you like data entry and proofreading, batch uploads can be a really efficient way of uploading entries.
How many entries in a batch?
For your first batch, we require that you submit a small batch of 10-20 entries to familiarize yourself with the process before investing large amounts of time.
Subsequent batches should be 50 entries minimum.
For words and phrases, most teams opt for 100-200 entries per batch as an efficient but still manageable size. Batches can have hundreds or even thousands of entries, but it can be hard to spot or correct errors in a larger spreadsheet.
Preparing and submitting your batch
At this time, FirstVoices accepts the following content to be uploaded in a batch:
Batch upload for words and phrases on the new FirstVoices is coming soon!
1. Before you start
As a team, decide on what information you want to include as part of your batch upload. In general, the more information you can provide, the more useful the language site will be in the future, but the longer the batch may take to prepare.
For example:
Just the basics:
word/phrase in your language, and its translation (for words/phrases)
alphabet characters and their order (for alphabet characters)
Sample pronunciation audio for each word, phrase, or alphabet character
A part of speech (words only)
A reference or citation
Additional explanatory notes
2. Review file-naming requirements
If you are submitting media files such as audio recordings, you will need to prepare your files in a specific way so that they can be accepted by our uploader. Our batch uploader is not as flexible as the FirstVoices website, and has more restricted file name requirements.
Spaces and special characters are NOT PERMITTED in any files or folders to be uploaded.
The ONLY accepted symbols are letters (a-z, A-Z), numbers (0-9), hyphen (-), underscore (_).
Please keep this in mind and make sure that ALL files and folders you submit follow these rules.
| Not accepted: | Try this: |
|---|---|---|
Basic letters and numbers only! | 20200131-gṑdan.wav | 20200131-go-1dan.wav Replace special letters, including letters with diacritics, with the basic Roman letters (a-z), or come up with your own conventions. |
No spaces! | 2018 Joe Smith ahthenno.mp3 | 2018_Joe-Smith_ahthenno.mp3 Replace any spaces with - (hyphen) or _ (underscore) |
No other special characters! | 1.ha'a~martha&bill.wav | 1_ha7a_martha-bill.wav Periods, apostrophes, and other symbols can be replaced with hyphens, underscores, or letters/numbers. |
Note: MP3 files are smaller and are the preferred choice for uploading to FirstVoices and for downloading. WAV files can be used for master copies.
3. Create your spreadsheet
The batch spreadsheet captures the metadata and documentation about your files and is required for the batch upload. You'll need a spreadsheet application to proceed with this step.
The FirstVoices team recommends Open Office because it handles the Indigenous special characters best. You can download Open Office for free at https://openoffice.apache.org/.
Review the specific preparation instructions for the kind of batch you are working on:
Upload words and phrases via a batch spreadsheet(coming soon!)
From the “Resources” section of the instructions page, download a template spreadsheet and save it on your computer.
Open the template spreadsheet on your computer. If you are using Open Office, ensure that ONLY the box next to "Comma" is checked before clicking OK.
(Optional) Add or remove columns in the spreadsheet to match the field information you plan to upload.
If there are optional columns in the template that you do not plan to use, you can delete or “hide” them. For example, you can delete columns relating to image files if you are not using them.
You can add additional columns to the template if you wish. Please note that your additional columns WILL NOT BE UPLOADED unless the column header matches a column listed in the instructions.
DO NOT change the names of the column headers in the template.
Enter your data into the appropriate columns below the headers. Take great care to avoid typos. Any errors you make in the content of this spreadsheet will be uploaded to your FirstVoices language site or may affect the success of the upload.
When you are finished and ready to save, save your spreadsheet in CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv) file format.
Give the file a practical name with no spaces or special characters, following the rules in step 2.
Example: denekeh_september_2019_words.csvDo NOT save as an Excel file (.xlsx) or a regular Comma Separated Values (.csv) – these cannot be processed and may break special characters in your data.
More information on saving your spreadsheet with correct Indigenous special characters can be found here: Save spreadsheets in UTF-8 CSV format
4. Prepare your media files
To include media files in the upload, copy your audio and other media files into one folder on your computer.
Give the folder a practical name related to your batch. The name should follow the rules in step 2 (e.g. NO SPACES.)
Example folder: denekeh_september_2019_words_mediaName your media files using the same format. The names should follow the rules in step 2. (e.g. the only special character should be the period before the file type, such as .mp3 or .wav).
Example filename: 2018_joe_smith_word1.mp3Enter the exact filename of the media into your spreadsheet where it belongs, along with other information such as the title.
5. Double-check all your files and the spreadsheet
It's important to make sure your files, metadata and documentation are correct before you submit them. Take particular care to match the filenames in your spreadsheet exactly as they have been named in your folder. Any typos in filenames may affect that row being successfully uploaded.
Work with your language team to double-check and proofread all entries before sending them in. You may wish to send it to another team member, who can open it up and make sure it saved correctly.
Once the batch upload has been submitted, any errors from typos will need to be fixed individually online by your team.
6. Send to the FirstVoices team for processing
Format your spreadsheet and media folder as such:
| Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
Spreadsheet | sitename_month_day_year_[words/phrases].csv | ktunaxa_august_2_2021_words.csv |
Media folder | sitename_month_day_year_[words/phrases]_media.zip | ktunaxa_august_2_2021_words_media.zip |
If your upload is large and cannot be attached by email, you can upload these files to FPCC’s custom Sharepoint in a folder designated for your team. To set this up or get access to the link, email hello@firstvoices.com.
It is ok to zip your folder of media files for easier upload.
How to zip your media files on a Mac
Locate the folder to zip
Right-click on the folder
Click "Compress"
Find the newly created .zip archive in the same location on your computer
How to zip your media files on a PC
Locate the folder to zip.
Right-click on the folder
Click "Send to" and then click "Compressed (zipped) folder"
Find the newly created .zip archive in the same location on your computer
Once the upload is complete, email batch@fpcc.ca with your files attached, or by letting us know that you uploaded them to Sharepoint. The subject of the email should match the name of your spreadsheet – so for example, if the spreadsheet you uploaded was ktunaxa_august_2_2021_phrases.csv, that should be your email subject.
Please note that it may take us longer than usual to process your batch uploads, as our FirstVoices development team capacity has been significantly reduced. If you don't hear back in the normal 1-2 week time period after sending us a batch upload, please don't be concerned — our team is working diligently to get them completed in a timely manner, and your batch will be responded to and processed as soon as possible.
If you normally send multiple batches per month, we would appreciate it if you would consider sending one larger batch per month instead. This would reduce the amount of time it takes for us to process multiple batches, and speed up the process for everyone.
7. Review uploaded content
Once FirstVoices staff has uploaded your content, we will notify you by email.
Then, you should review the new content to make sure it uploaded correctly. For words/phrases, the entries will be visible only to your language team until you approve them.
Congrats, you have uploaded a batch!
Workflow Tips
Always keep your original media files in a safe, secure place. Servers and password-protected external hard drives are always good places to keep a back-up.
It's important to have a workflow that clearly identifies new entries from ones that have already been uploaded. One easy way to do this is to move files to a folder marked DONE or UPLOADED after uploading.