Dubbing Services

Dubbing in foreign languages

Dubbing is the audiovisual service in which the original speech in audiovisual content is replaced with a translated version in another language.

Dubbing provides a highly effective, professional solution for overcoming language barriers. It enables films, videos and documentaries that would otherwise be limited to a local audience to reach viewers internationally. More and more companies are using video to enter international markets. This is particularly due to the increasing prominence that search engines give to video content.

SMG Languages delivers a finished audiovisual product, handling all sound, direction and post-production operations, including voice-over recording, synchronisation and mixing. We support you throughout the entire process.

Here are our services:

  • Translation and Dubbing

Includes script translation, voice acting and recording, as well as synchronisation and mixing, carried out by a sound engineer.

  • Dubbing-only service

If the client already has a translation, we can provide a dubbing-only service, adapting the text where necessary.

What types of dubbing are there?

There are two main types of dubbing:

  • Lip-sync dubbing

In lip-sync dubbing, the dubbed voice completely replaces the original voice. The voice actors record the translated script, after which a sound technician synchronises the dialogue with the speakers’ lip movements under the artistic direction of the dubbing director. This option is recommended for films, TV series and adverts.

  • Voice over

In voice-over, the dubbed voice is superimposed over the original speech. It is not lip-synchronised with the on-screen speaker, but timed to the original audio.

There are different types of voice-over:

  • UN-style voice-over: the voice actor’s words are superimposed over the original audio, which remains audible in the background.
  • Voice-off: the original audio is no longer audible. This option is recommended for podcasts, radio spots and documentaries.
  • Lektoring: a niche technique particularly popular in Poland, in which a single narrator reads all translated dialogue aloud in a neutral manner, without conveying the characters’ emotions.

Our main clients

The dubbing process

  • Translation

Dubbing begins with the translation of the original dialogue, which the translator receives as text. The source text may already be available in written form, such as a film script, or may need to be transcribed from the audio recording. SMG’s dubbing translators have specific expertise in audiovisual translation, as the rhythm, length and flow of content intended for cinema, television and video differ from those of written text. The translation must convey the message immediately, concisely and with complete clarity. It must accurately reflect the tone of the original. Above all, it must be structured to follow the pauses and flow of the original speech as closely as possible.

Our translators work with the next stage in mind: recording the voice actor’s performance for the video. High-quality dubbing requires more than an accurate translation of the original content; the text must also comply with specific formal constraints. For example, its length must remain compatible with the source dialogue to maintain consistency with the image, particularly the speaker’s lip movements and gestures. This not only makes the voice actor’s job easier but also helps to create natural, engaging dialogue.

  • Adaptation

The translation is then revised while viewing the video, in preparation for the editing stage known as adaptation. The text is further edited to achieve satisfactory synchronisation.

  • Creating the loops

Once the translation is complete, the script is divided into short, manageable sections known as takes or loops.

  • Recording the voices

The next stage is recording the voice actors on one or more audio tracks. This takes place in a soundproof, suitably equipped recording studio, with the assistance of sound technicians.

  • Synchronisation

Using electronic and digital equipment, the synchroniser matches the recorded voices to the on-screen lip movements. This may involve shortening or lengthening pauses and even shifting sentences or entire sections of dialogue in relation to the visuals.

  • Mixing

Finally, the dialogue, music and sound effects are mixed with the video to produce the finished audiovisual product.

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How to request our dubbing services

To request a dubbing service, you are asked to provide the following information:

To request a dubbing service, please provide the following information:

  • Your details: name, company name, email address and telephone number.
  • If you also require translation, specify the source language, target language, subject matter and number of minutes of audio to be translated.
  • Voice actor requirements: male or female, younger or older.
  • Type of dubbing: lip-sync or voice-over.
  • Number of minutes of audio to be dubbed.
  • Audio file format.
  • Service quality: choose your preferred quality level:
    • Standard: a professional, cost-effective service performed by native-speaker voice artists using digital recording equipment with a limited frequency range;
    • Top: a higher-specification studio service with a wider frequency range and professional voice actors (national voices).
  • Date and time by which you would like to receive the quotation.