When it comes to audio and visual content, there are many advantages to aiming for a global audience. One of the best ways to do this is through localizing your content in other languages. This is where Lipsync International Corp. comes in. We are a Miami company that offers translation services along with video dubbing and voice-overs. We’ve helped many of our clients take their projects and expand their audience through the adaptations of multiple language localizations, and today, we want to share more about this with you. Specifically, we want to talk about the differences between dubbing and voice-over work.

 

Dubbing and voice-over… What’s the Difference?

A common misconception when it comes to localization is that dubbing audio visual content is the same as providing a voice-over. This is not the case, and the two methods are actually quite different. Let’s start with voice-overs. A voice-over is very much like it sounds. A voice actor is hired to speak over the content in the desired language. The speaker themselves doesn’t speak on screen and is instead there to provide information and/or storytelling in the language you’re looking to translate to. A common example of this happens when something like a documentary has specialists that are speaking in a different language–typically their home country’s language. In this example, you usually have someone speaking over them in the language you’re localizing to and a form of direct translation.

 

Dubbing is much different and more active than a voice-over. This is the process of effectively replacing the spoken language to the localized language per person or character on screen. This is recorded by a voice actor who needs to mimic the lips of the person or character along with their tone and expression. It’s a challenging task, as the actor and dubbing company want the on-screen person or character to sound believable and realistic.

 

Video Dubbing or Voice-over? When To Use Both

As mentioned above, voice-overs are commonly used during documentaries or informational content, usually to translate small pieces of information that appear in segments throughout the content. For example, if you have an expert on the documentary’s topic speaking only 5 or so times, it’s easier and more effective to have someone voice-over the translated information.

 

Dubbing, on the other hand, is more about entertainment content like movies, animation, or video games where the creator wants to deliver a rich, narrative experience to a new audience. It’s often chosen for animation and gaming because it’s much easier to map the more simplistic lip movements in those forms of content than it is to match a human actor’s lip movements.

 

Contact Us for Translation Services

Whether you’re looking for voice-over services or video dubbing, Lipsync International Corp. in Miami can provide you with what you’re looking for. We can translate between several common languages like English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese, but can also offer other languages with advanced notice. To learn more about the services we offer, contact us today for information.