A picture is worth a thousand words, thus a video is of a priceless value!

Given the increasing usage of smart devices and video-making software programs all around the world, creating a professional video is no longer considered a sophisticated technical process. Similarly, the virality of social networks and digital video-streaming platforms such as Netflix and Youtube made way for the dissemination of videos across borders at a click of a button.

Video is expected to represent 80% of all online traffic by 2021, according to Cisco.

Videos are now used at wide scales for multiple purposes, and most video producers are no longer targeting local viewers; they rather design their video content to address others from all around the globe. 

At the other end, the growing accessibility came with the fact that audiences at different corners of the world expect to see the videos in their own languages as they can easily turn their head off any incomprehensible content. This resulted in a pressing need among video creators for an adequate and quick tool to cater their messages to the target audience in distant locations.

Dubbing services or subtitling services?

Dubbing services and subtitling services have come down the pike as the only two efficient ways to narrow the language gaps and transmit the message of any audiovisual content to international viewers. 

Companies in various sectors tended to capitalize on these two functions to achieve their objectives. Businesses revolving around video production such as cinema, TV, and digital publishing imposed constant demand on subtitling and dubbing solutions. While general industries like education, IT, and hospitality took advantage of these specialized language services as well for marketing or knowledge transfer purposes.

The majority of videos around the world are now either dubbed or subtitled, even in unprofessional manners, with the aim of outreaching. The usage of phonetics in dubbing marks an effective video translation practice in some materials, while the deployment of semantics in subtitling helps out in others. Below is a detailed comparison between the both options, along with a depiction of the pros and cons of each one. Check them out and make your choice!

Dubbing services: Revoice, Rejoice!

Dubbing services basically refer to the replacement of an original auditory dialogue of an audiovisual material with a translated one and the synchronization of this new recorded voice with the video’s original soundtrack.

When done with innovation and heartfelt intonation, dubbing brings a sense of creativity and adds the local culture touch people like to see in the videos. Dubbing is usually a prefered service for cartoon and animation creators as kids resonate better with videos provided in their local language. 

The dialogue revoicing in another language, however, withholds the voice-acting of the original actors, and goes through a multi-step process that costs too much, in comparison to subtitling. 

But what are the pros and cons of the dubbing services?

Pros:

• Allows to focus more on the video screen and reduces the distraction of subtitling.
• Suitable for illiterate and visually-impaired people.
• Facilitates compliance with censorship and content restrictions in a particular country.
• Requires no need to stick to the screen.

Cons:

• Synchronization is a challenge. Matching the record with the actors’ lip movement and video’s soundtrack requires much effort
• Lack of authenticity and original video ambiance
• More costly and time-consuming

Subtitling services: The Illustrative Caption!

Subtitling service is the process of featuring the spoken content of an audiovisual material in writing and displaying it as a textual captions at the bottom of the screen, whether in the same language or a new one.

Translated subtitles keep the video elements as they are, yet add a small caption to transform the meaning of the spoken dialogue or other on-screen events into a written text in the target language. Subtitling is less costly and more common.

Further, it enriches English vocab and improves reading skills. In reverse, subtitling creates distraction and does not give enough room for the addition of the local sense dubbing gives. 

The following is a list of the subtitling services pros and cons

Pros:

• Maintains the authenticity of the video
• Suitable for deaf people
• Allows vocabulary enrichment and reading improvement
• Less costly and time-consuming

Cons:

• Limited space and difficult synchronization
• Screen view distraction
• Absence of dialogue localization

Final word!

Now that you developed a full understanding of both language solutions with their advantages and drawbacks, you are free to pick the option that better satisfies your needs. Opting for dubbing services or subtitling services depends on multiple variables, including the characteristics of your target audience, the purpose of your message, as well as the cultural, ideological and linguistic particularities of the video. 

Establishing itself as a new rising star in the global economy, the Latin American market is full of video producers that want to translate their videos. Resorting to a specialized language service provider is highly recommended. 

LatinoBridge has more than 10 years of experience in providing professional dubbing and subtitling services in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. We have a handful of expert linguists, and we use a suite of advanced technologies to come up with the foremost language solution. Partner with us now and get your video subtitled or dubbed at high quality and reasonable prices.