The art of dubbing involves replacing the original soundtrack, which may appear in films, TV series or computer games, with a new recording in another language. The quality of the translation is, of course, very important, but there is much more to dubbing than the mere translation of words. As well as conveying the sense of the dialogues, the voice actor also focuses their efforts on conveying the emotions, intentions and cultural contexts of the original production.
Dubbing as a form of translation is used all over the world – especially in countries where foreign-language films or TV shows are popular and have a large audience. In audiovisual translation, we can use voice-over or subtitling, depending on the needs.
One of our customers approached us with a request to carry out a translation with dubbing. Importantly, they were keen for the text to be translated into American English. The dubbing itself, due to the nature of the translated text and the protagonist of the original text being a child, was to be performed in a child’s voice.
To meet the expectations, we initially prepared a voice sample for them. Then once they had accepted the voice actor, we proceeded with the translation.
The translator ensured not only the quality of the translation, but also that the length prepared and the spacing of the subtitles were appropriate. The cultural context of the translation was also taken care of – including changing the units of weights and measures appearing in the original to make them appropriate for a recipient who speaks American English.
Once the translation process was complete, the text was then sent to a native speaker, who helped to refine all the linguistic nuances, before we returned the finished translation, prior to dubbing, to the customer. This allowed them to review the text and make any corrections they felt were necessary. After receiving approval for the submitted material, we proceeded with dubbing and voice editing.
The character of the child this time was played by one of our adult voice actresses. Thanks to her skills, she came across as extremely convincing in this role. We remained in touch with the customer on an ongoing basis to check whether they found the material we created to be satisfactory. After making some minor adjustments, they received the finished material, and since they were very satisfied they soon approached us with a request for a dubbed translation into Brazilian Portuguese.
Male voice, female voice or maybe a child’s voice? If you need professional dubbing, Skrivanek rises to the occasion! What sets us apart is our knowledge related to the specifics of audiovisual translation and our individual approach to all your needs. Come and see what we can do for you!
