Your audiovisual partner for professional voice dubbing services

Dubbing is the replacement of the original language of an audiovisual work (film, series, product description, etc.) by another language, more precisely by the language spoken by the population to which the work in question is broadcast. Less commonly, dubbing also allows the voice of an actor to be replaced for artistic or technical reasons, while keeping the same language as that of the filming. It may also involve studio recording of dialogue that has not been recorded live. Dubbing simply consists of replacing the spoken text in the original version of the film with another language (spoken by a dubbing artist).

For optimum results, the voice of the dubbing artist must correspond with the characteristics of the original actor (gender, age, origins). The two voices must therefore resemble each other. The voice of the dubbing artist must also be in sync with the movement of the dubbing artist’s lips (known as lip-sync).

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The voice dubbing process

The voice dubbing process follows a number of key stages:

1. Preparation of the script: the original text is transcribed so that it can be read at the same time as the film is viewed. This stage is called detection. The detector transcribes the text, specifying the verbal flow of the actors on screen and using conventional signs to indicate lip movements, laughter, breathing, changes of shot, etc.
2. Adaptation: this is the translation of the script written by the detector. The adaptor is a specialised professional translator whose job is to translate the script while ensuring that the translation is synchronised with the speed of the actors’ speech and lip movements on screen. To respect these constraints, they sometimes have to deviate slightly from the script without neglecting or distorting the original meaning.
3. Selection of voice talents: each dubbing artist is carefully selected to match the actor they are dubbing as closely as possible. The most significant criteria influencing voice are gender (male or female), age and origin.
4. Recording in studios: the sound engineer in charge of the recording, the artistic director and the actors meet in a studio. The actors then read their lines in front of the film projected on the screen. So they have the facial expressions, emotions and lip movements of the actors they are dubbing right in front of them.
5. Final edit: the final edit is carried out by the technicians, who superimpose the film’s original soundtrack over the voice recording of the dubbing artist, ensuring synchronisation.

The dubbing process is therefore rigorous and involves several people (translator, technician, dubbing artist and editor). Opt for Swisstranslate’s high-quality voice dubbing and benefit from a made-to-measure service that lives up to your expectations. We’ll see your project through from start to finish, and we’ll be on hand after final edit to make any necessary changes, until you’re completely satisfied with the result. Your satisfaction is our priority.

Advantages of voice dubbing: accessibility and localisation

Dubbing enables an audiovisual work to be broadcast internationally while guaranteeing an immersive experience. The emotions and intonation of the original actors are respected, while offering a wider audience the chance to view the work in their own language. Dubbing plays a major role in a film’s international success.

Dubbing is also an opportunity to localise the work. For example, the European dubbing artist may speak in euros even if the original American actor speaks in dollars. The original meaning is not affected and the target audience benefits from better understanding, as the dubbing is adapted to the target culture.

Dubbing is also aimed at a wider audience than subtitling, as some people are not comfortable reading subtitles at the same time as watching the film. It gives a wide audience access to audiovisual works.

Rely on Swisstranslate’s linguistic and technical expertise

Film dubbing, cinema adaptation, radio advertising, video games, trailers, documentary voice-overs, etc. Swisstranslate has been helping its clients with all their language and audio projects for almost 10 years. Thanks to our team, we can offer you services in over 100 languages, from the best-known to the lesser-known.

Swisstranslate is staffed exclusively by experienced professionals. Our dubbing artists guarantee quality results, in particular by following the movement of the actors’ lips and conveying emotion and nuance through the voice (joy, astonishment, sadness, sensuality, etc.). Despite the difficulty of the exercise, they know how to adopt a tone and intonation appropriate to the situation, thanks to their artistic skills.

As a leading translation and interpreting agency, the Swisstranslate team is made up of over 3,000 language experts who guarantee you a professional, high-quality translation of the original script. That’s essential for quality dubbing in terms of content and substance. Our script translators scrupulously respect the indications in the script, in particular the length of each sentence, which must be equivalent. The text spoken by the dubbing artist must not be longer or shorter than the original text spoken by the actor. This sometimes requires a slight departure from the script, but the translation must remain faithful to the original meaning. It’s a special and complex translation exercise, Swisstranslate’s experts can handle your project from start to finish, guaranteeing you a top-quality dubbing!