Dubbing services are used to replace the original dialogue in a video or film with a new audio track in a different language. This process has changed very little over the decades—a voice actor enters a sound booth and reads a translation of an original script.
Now, everything is changing.
The dubbing services industry is undergoing massive changes due to advances in AI technology. In 2024, businesses will have access to many more dubbing options, helping them cut costs, speed up production, and access new markets. However, these advances are still in their early stages and may only be appropriate for some audiences. In fact, relying too heavily on new cost-cutting dubbing services may lower engagement rates.
What do dubbing services look like in 2024, and what changes should your business make now to gain a competitive edge (without alienating customers)?
Below, we’ll summarize the newest trends in dubbing and voiceover tech, and you’ll learn how to improve your localization strategy without exceeding the limitations of new technology.
What Dubbing Services Will Look Like in 2024
In 2024, businesses will have the option to choose between a number of dubbing services. Here's what you can anticipate:
- AI Dubbing: The use of artificial intelligence for dubbing will be widely adopted, streamlining the dubbing processes from translation to voiceover acting. AI can quickly generate dubs in various languages, making it easy to repurpose content for different audiences at very low cost.
- Deepfakes: Deepfake technology will make dubbed content look better than ever. It can alter an actor's lip movements to align with the dubbed audio, resulting in a more authentic and less distracting viewing experience. Your dubbed content will look as if it was originally produced in the viewer's native language.
- Faster and Cheaper Dubs: Time and cost savings are growing as AI tech becomes cheaper and more intelligent. AI and deepfakes will reduce the need for recording sessions with voice actors and meticulous editing, resulting in faster turnaround times and reduced costs.
- Access More Markets: Businesses can now dub at scale in regions where it was previously not economically viable. With the ability to quickly and affordably dub content into low-resource languages, your business can penetrate new markets and connect with consumers in a language they understand.
The Limitations of AI Dubbing
You might be ready to use AI for all of your dubbing and voiceover needs—but be careful. AI and deepfake technology may be impressive, but it’s still in its early stages. It's crucial to approach this technology with a clear understanding of its limitations.
There are a number of downsides to using AI dubbing services. Many of them can be fixed with proper editing and a skilled human in the loop (more on that later). Without an understanding of these issues and a plan to address them, you risk alienating large audiences. Here’s what you need to be aware of:
- Limited Vocal Tones: Some AI dubbing services offer a limited number of vocal options, so different characters/people might end up sounding too similar. Or the same character could sound different in another video, which can be confusing.
- Lack of Nuance and Emotion: AI dubs sound human—but only to an extent. The technology struggles with the subtleties of emotional expression, often leading to unconvincing or uncanny-valley performances. Professional human actors are still much better at voicing authentic dubs.
- Missing the Context: Context is everything when it comes to localization, and AI might misinterpret it. For example, it could misinterpret a pun in the original script and deliver a humorous quip in a serious tone.
- Language Limitations: AI tech is advancing rapidly, but there are still languages and dialects it doesn’t fully support. This can make the above limitations much more severe.
These limitations highlight why human oversight remains a necessary part of the dubbing process. If you decide to use AI dubbing, remember to use it responsibly and implement it over time.
Don’t be lured into going all in with an AI dubbing service for the savings. A full switch to AI will likely result in lower-quality content, negating any cost savings. It's better to balance AI with human-quality.
The Human Element is Still Critical
No matter how intelligent these new automated dubbing services seem, it's essential to keep a human in the loop at every step of the process. Even though AI can do a lot of the heavy lifting, you still need the eyes and ears of professional translators to make sure everything sounds just right. This is especially true if no one on your team speaks the target language.
When it comes to AI and deep fakes, you can be sure of one thing: the tech will make mistakes. You need a qualified human (or a team) to double-check and modify the AI's translations and dubs. You may also need to combine the tech with human voice actors to achieve the emotional depth and cultural understanding that only humans can deliver.
If you’re shopping for an AI dubbing service, make sure you understand how much human involvement there is in the dubbing process. Many agencies have a human in the loop, but only very minimally. Remember that less human involvement saves money—but also decreases quality. If you leave it all up to the machines, you will end up with dubs that miss the mark.
What Dubbing Services Are Best for Your Business in 2024?
AI dubbing services are 100% worth exploring in 2024. But AI is not suitable for all dubs.
We recommend trying AI dubbing for the following types of content:
- Internal communications
- Training videos
- Conference/meeting/workshop videos
- Some social media posts
- Content that needs to be released urgently
For other types of content, stick to traditional dubbing. AI simply isn’t up to the task of matching human-quality emotional nuance and contextual understanding for the following:
- Marketing content
- Ads
- High-engagement social media posts
- Entertainment (movies, shows, web series, etc)
- Podcasts and webinars
- Most customer-facing content
- Sales content
As AI technology improves, it will become capable of dubbing more types of content. But for now, stick to AI for the simple dubs and rely on humans for the complex ones. Switching some of your dubs to AI can save significant cash.
And, you still use AI dubbing to start grabbing market share in new nations with social media posts and simple videos on YouTube or your website.
Wolfestone Group: Comprehensive Dubbing Services for Your Business
Businesses can’t trust just any dubbing service to help them grow in 2024. Wolfestone Group specializes in translation, dubbing, voiceovers, subtitling and more for businesses. We understand that as a business, you need more than just a standard dub. You need specialized dubbing services that ensure your message remains cohesive and engaging around the globe.
Our human-in-the-loop AI services are guided by a team of skilled linguists and video editors. And, we employ top human voice actors from your target nation to ensure even your human dubs are delivered quickly.
All of this is backed by our industry-leading accuracy standards. That’s why businesses like Google, Tagger and LeadSmart trust Woflestone Group with their linguistic needs.
Contact us today for a free consultation and find out how our translation and dubbing services can help your business grow in 2024.
