When localising your content, you often come across the dilemma: dubbing or subtitling?
To answer this question you must consider multiple factors as the decision you make will be crucial to the success of your content in the market you are targeting.
2018 was a year of dubbing with more companies opting for this localisation method Aida Martirosyan, Managing Director at Haymillian, explained during an interview to ttvnews.
Nevertheless, it would be a rather hasty conclusion to say that you should always dub your content. Dubbing is more demanding compared to subtitling, making it very hard for most companies to use this localisation method exclusively. However, there are four cases where dubbing is the way to go.
When localising kids’ content
Children are unquestionably an audience you must dub for. To start with, many countries require that content addressed to viewers up to 12 years of age is dubbed; or that a choice of both dubbed and subtitled content is provided. Kids’ reading speed is lower compared to adults. Therefore, they are not capable of reading the subtitles in its entirety by themselves. For children to be able to fully understand and enjoy a programme, independently of an adult, dubbing is the perfect solution.
When targeting specific markets
Each region has its own preferences when it comes to dubbing or subtitling. France, Italy, Germany and Spain have a strong dubbing tradition and the audiences in these markets are used to content in their native language. When targeting one of these markets, dubbing is the best option to reach your audience. Viewers in these markets will have difficulty connecting with a subtitled programme regardless of how interesting it may be. Dubbed content is also preferred in most Latin American, African and Asian countries.
When interested in reaching people with reading difficulties
Dubbing can make your content accessible to segments of the population that are visually or reading impaired. This is often the case with senior viewers that suffer age-related eyesight problems or people who have difficulty reading because they have limited schooling or reading disorders such as dyslexia.
When aiming for seamless localisation
With dubbing, your content is adapted into another language, seamlessly incorporating local expressions and culture. While the story line, the characters and the messages remain the same, the script is adapted as necessary giving the impression that it was originally written for the target audience, thereby giving your content the opportunity to better connect with viewers.
So, in certain cases, while more demanding than subtitling, dubbing is the right choice, enabling your content to engage with audiences that would otherwise remain outside its reach.
