How to Add Voice Over Dubbing to Video

Looking for tips on how to add voice over dubbing to your video? Audio producer Randy explains the process in this helpful video.

In this article

1. All About Dubbing
2. Getting Started with Voice Over Dubbing
3. How to Add New Voice Over to Video Through Dubbing with Voice Actors
4. Translate or Localize Your Original Script
5. Successful Rewriting: Doraemon
6. What Makes a Successful Localized Film?
7. Voice Cast for the Dubbing Project
8. Record the Translated Script
9. Sync the Dubbed Audio
10. The Trend of Dubbing for International Markets
11. The Popularity of Fandubs
12. Voice Dubbing Done Right: Okko’s Inn
13. Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to add another language of voice over to your video to translate it for a new audience, then you’re looking to “dub” your video. Rest assured, the tips Randy provided in the video still apply to dubbing services, especially when playing with the pacing of existing audio for the voice over.

Learn how to add voice over to a video, dub it into another language and find out how dubbing is quickly becoming a mainstream media trend. Language replacement involves replacing the original audio with that of a voice actor speaking in a different language.

All About Dubbing

Dubbing removes the video’s original spoken audio track and replaces it with a new one in another language while retaining the same tone as the original language version. This process is a dubbing technique also known as “revoicing.”

Lip sync dubbing is crucial for creating an immersive viewing experience by matching the new language soundtrack to the lip movements of the on-screen characters. Voice replacement dubbing is more cost-effective than full lip-synched dubbing. It provides a visual experience for the audience, but also requires the best casting and lip-synching, making it an expensive option for translation.

Getting Started with Voice Over Dubbing

Mitigate these possible issues with good planning:

• A badly dubbed video can end up looking like a parodic version of the original. If you aren’t looking for that quality then it’s really important to pay close attention to the entire process.
• While dubbing is worth it to bring your videos to new audiences, it can be a time-consuming and costly process. Any mistakes will surely increase your overhead costs.
• Most importantly, your video’s new audio should be recorded by a professional dubbing voice actor who can deliver the same rhythm and timing of the original audio. This ensures that it seamlessly syncs with the video footage while delivering similar messaging.

Before starting, here are the things you will require:

• Original character sketch: This will help you understand the original characters’ personalities.
• Original cast information: To help you analyze the original voice(s) and understand why they resonated with the initial audience.
• Original script and dialogue list: To translate the script into the specified language.
• Audio and video files from the original work.

How to Add New Voice Over to Video Through Dubbing with Voice Actors

Here are the ways to incorporate voice over into your video using dubbing techniques.

Translate or Localize Your Original Script

The first step in dubbing is translating or localizing your original script into the specified language. This requires understanding the original character(s), dialogues and tone of the video. Keep in mind that localization isn’t the same as simple translation. Instead, it’s all about using the audience’s local language or dialect to strike a connection with them, similar to what your original content does. 

Note: Read about the difference between translation and localization.

Translating the script can be a challenge as critical parts like humor and cultural references can get lost in the process. That’s why it’s worth it to invest in localization which adapts the messaging to the culture and original language of the audience, rather than a direct, word-for-word translation.

If you’re re-creating the script yourself, feel free to rewrite certain parts to suit the target audience. This will make the dubbing more authentic and appealing to audiences. Rewriting allows you to add culture-specific elements into the script, building relatability with your audience because of the familiar elements.

Successful Rewriting: Doraemon

The highly successful Japanese cartoon Doraemon airs in several countries in a variety of languages like Hindi and Mandarin. The creators and distributors have gone the extra mile to make the series a worldwide phenomenon. This includes making the cartoon more culturally appealing to young viewers from other cultures. For example, Japanese terms like ‘dorayaki’ are simplified to ‘dora cakes.’ Dora cakes have become a huge part of Doraemon’s fandom, with people regularly searching for the treat and its recipe, showing how smart dubbing ensures great commercial success.

What Makes a Successful Localized Film?

Scholarly analysis of what makes for a successful localized film has found that a good translator should focus on recreating linguistic relations that can generate specific feelings and reactions from the audience. If a certain portion of the film is intended to lift the audience’s hope in the hero’s success, then the translated dialogue should be modified to convey that emotional trajectory.

Another crucial task in the rewriting process is the ‘lip-sync.’ This means the new script must mimic the same number of syllables/words in the lines so that the new audio matches the character’s mouth movements from the original audio.

Entertainment One released an animated series on YouTube and other digital streaming platforms for the Hasbro Baby Alive Dolls. The dubbed lip-syncing plays a pivotal role in the success of the show. It had over 100 million views of playtime within the first 4 months of release! Read about how Entertainment One found their localization-dubbing talent on Voices.

Voice Cast for the Dubbing Project

Next, you’ll want to ensure you are casting voice actors who know the cultural nuances of the language or dialect and can express the exact voice qualities the role requires.

To ensure that the best voice actors audition for your project, write a strong job description that specifies the language, dialect and voice qualities you are looking for. This helps voice actors understand the role better and reduces the chances of miscommunication during the dubbing project.

Record the Translated Script

The voice actors will now record the new audio for your video, ensuring that the performance matches the quality of the original.

While directing the dubbing project, you have to determine if the translated script sounds convincing. Essentially, the translated script should sound authentic and not forced or unnatural.

Voice actor Tara Sands has been a part of many translated Japanese video games. In her experience, a crucial part of dubbing is to ensure that the timing and tone match the original work.

“They like to bring in people who can listen to the original Japanese and match it for time and tone. They often don’t want an exact voice match, but you still have to honor the spirit of the original voice,” explains Sands.

As Sands mentions, you don’t need to make the voice actor mimic every sound the original audio contains. Sometimes, translations can slightly shift the meaning of a scene. Only include sounds like laughs or smirks if they add meaning to the situation.

Sync the Dubbed Audio

Syncing the dubbed audio file with the video is a highly technical task because it involves making sure the voice over syncs with the original character’s mouth movements.

You will need to assemble, synchronize and edit the audio to match it with the video file in a dubbing process called Audio Dialogue Replacement (ADR).

Accurate syncing ensures audiences don’t see a character’s mouth open without dialogue.

Remember to hear the whole audio and take out any superfluous words to make the video more interesting. The whole dubbing process is highly time-consuming, but the effort and time will pay off when you see the end product. Not a seasoned video editor? Hire an ADR technician for more accurate results.

The Trend of Dubbing for International Markets

The art of the audio dubbing process itself has definitely improved within the last few decades. This has increased its demand around the world. The method is also suitable for training and corporate videos, maintaining the illusion that the video is unchanged while allowing new audiences to understand the message.

Language barriers no longer restrict the circulation of media. Hundreds of films and television shows are being translated into multiple languages and dialects around the world. You can easily watch a Japanese or French film in your native language by looking for the dubbed version, which replaces the original audio track with a translated or alternate language track.

Consider how Netflix has created a global empire by localizing its content country-by-country and then dubbing it for that region of the world.

The Popularity of Fandubs

In the late ‘90s, anime swept audiences in America with shows like Sailor Moon enchanting viewers and introducing them to Japan’s amazing anime culture. An important technique in media narration is the off-camera voice-over, which provides additional information, guides the audience, and simplifies messages for scenes that visuals alone cannot effectively convey.

Initially, people were not happy with how the dubbing removed cultural references from the script. Now, dubbing processes have evolved and become more faithful to the source materials, showing how translators are taking the art of dubbing more seriously. Another popular technique is the UN-style voice-over. It keeps the audio at a lower volume while the translation is spoken, preserving the original performance’s authenticity.

The history of anime localization continues to move forward. The rise of ‘fandubs’ shows the love for anime dubs is reaching new heights. These are anime shows dubbed by fans who strive to improve the already translated versions or alter the show’s plot. An example of this would be Team Four Star’s abridged version of Dragon Ball Z, a very popular version of the famous anime show.

Voice Dubbing Done Right: Okko’s Inn

Studio Ghibli’s GKids YouTube channel features trailers of dubbed Japanese anime films, catering to thousands of devoted fans who wait eagerly for such releases. Studio Ghibli’s films are successful outside of Japan because the dubbing projects involve directors and talented voice actors who understand the challenges of translating well-loved films.

The English language trailer for Okko’s Inn shows how proper dubbing can create the same magic as the original, and excite viewers around the world. Madigan Kacmar, a young voice actor, beautifully brings the translation to life by capturing the personality of the young Japanese protagonist, Okko.

Final Thoughts

Your hard work pays off when an audience positively receives your dubbed content or translated version of foreign language films. The world is transforming into a global village and the demand for dubbing will only increase. This gives you many opportunities to create translated and localized content.

Are you looking for talented, experienced voice actors for your new dubbing project? Sign up to post a job today. You’ll receive responses for free to see the localized script translations and auditions that could be used for your voice over dubbing project!