What Does a Sound Designer Do? Explained in Simple Words

What is voice dubbing? And how does it compare with voiceover services? Let the premier voice dubbing studio demystify it for you.

The short answer is that voice dubbing is ubiquitous. No matter what video format you watch, if it has a human voice, it requires voice dubbing. Voice dubbing may not garner the same attention as music. However, it is truly vital to the viewer’s experience.

Voice Dubbing Defined

Voice dubbing is a fairly straightforward concept. It has the following 3 steps.

  • ⦿ Translating the video’s original audio into the dubbing language
  • ⦿ Creating the new audio in the dubbing language with native speakers.
  • ⦿ Including the newly recorded audio in the video.

    Voice dubbing helps because native speakers of the target language can enjoy the video without reading subtitles or understanding the original language of the video. A voice dubbing studio has a roster of native speakers who can speak the dubbing language in an authentic accent that sounds perfectly natural, polished, and professional.

    There are 3 classes of voice dubbing.

    • ⦿ In lip-synced dubbing, mouth movements in the video are followed closely.
    • ⦿ In time-synced dubbing, time stamps are followed instead of mouth movements.
    • ⦿ In non-synced or wild dubbing, the most accurate translation is prioritized. Matching mouth movements or time stamps does not    matter in this type of dubbing.

      Voice dubbing done right can be a key plus point. But to make it happen, you need capable voice actors. A reputable voice dubbing studio can give you access to such talented individuals.

Voice Dubbing Done Right

Absolutely seamless voice dubbing that matches mouth movements perfectly may not be possible. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to make voice dubbing look almost seamless just like the real thing or as close to it as possible. This will greatly improve the viewing experience. Voice dubbing studios have the know-how to make it happen. The following conditions have to be met.

 The translated audio should match the time stamps or timelines of the target video. At least they should appear to match them almost faultlessly.

  • ⦿ The tones of dubbing actors should closely match those of the original voices.
  • ⦿ The translation must capture the context of the original. Appropriate substitutions must be made for idioms and slang. This of course requires in-depth knowledge of both the translation language (the voice dubbing language) and the translated language (the original language of the video).
  • ⦿ Trying to capture cultural references is also vital. The audience may not be aware of the cultural reference being made in the original. Translating in such cases can be challenging.

So translations do have their nuances and complications. However, a good voice dubbing studio will have you covered.

Voiceovers Explained

This is all well and good. But how does voice dubbing differ from voiceovers?

Voice-over is a subset of dubbing. In the voiceover, an off-screen narrator does the talking.

So the main difference between voiceovers and voice dubbing is this. In a voiceover, an off-screen narrator (who is not visible in the video) speaks, while voice dubbing is the translated speech (in the dubbing language) of on-screen characters who can be seen talking in the video.

Hence, voiceovers seem to be more narrative in nature. This is unsurprising since an off-screen speaker describes what is happening in the video. Voice dubbing on the other hand seems to have a richer depth of emotions. As a result, voice dubbing can be more challenging compared to voiceovers. It requires a much higher level of training and expertise to sound more natural to viewers.

Highly acclaimed voiceover services give you access to native speakers with great accents who can narrate in style.

When to Use Voiceovers and Voice Dubbing

Voice dubbing is certainly more challenging compared to voiceovers. Although voice dubbing may sound more natural and have a greater depth of emotions, it does not mean it is optimal for all video types. For documentaries, news, and other such informative content, voiceovers may be more feasible than voice dubbing.

Besides objective reporting and news-style narratives, voiceovers can work quite nicely for storytelling as well. Likewise, voiceovers can be the ideal option for documentaries, training content, and news segments.

But that’s not all. Even for films where voice dubbing is the default mode, voiceovers are often a much more viable choice for monologues. That is, voiceover can illustrate the inner thoughts of the character who is currently the focus of the video. Leading voiceover services can give you the best voiceover talent there is.

Voice dubbing also has several use-case scenarios besides films and dramas. For example, it often makes a good choice for educational content since you are more likely to remember what someone speaking directly to you has explained. Hence, voice dubbing can allow for better training outcomes.

That said, voiceovers are a great option for translations of formal speeches. Voice dubbing sounds less authentic in certain cases, like translating the US president’s speech. In this case, voice dubbing does not sound quite right. But voiceover is a different story.

With a voiceover for a formal speech at the White House, you can hear the president’s actual voice for a second or two and then soon after, the narrator will be heard speaking in the target language. The timing mismatch is by design since it helps to create an intended effect. You are allowed to hear the subject talk naturally for a few moments to get an idea of how they speak. This lag also helps viewers know that the voiceover is another vocalist’s speech and not the subject’s voice.

One more thing you will notice in the voiceover is that the narrator’s speech has less emotion and is less animated compared to the actual speaker’s tone.

Top voiceover services can take care of this and more.

Wrap Up

Whether it is voice dubbing that you seek or voiceover, you can rely on Hagger Audio the premier voice dubbing studio that provides some of the best voiceover services around.

The eminent studio unlocks access to some of the finest voice dubbing and voiceover talent you will find.

So you should wait no longer. Reach out to us for your voice dubbing and voiceover needs.

Contact us today.