Dubbing glossary

The basics

The terms everyone comes across, even without setting foot in a studio.

• Dubbing: replacing the original voices of a film or show with voices recorded in another language, or with other voices, while matching the picture.
• Original version / dubbed version: the original voices, and the voices recorded in another language. You’ll see VO (version originale) and VF (version française) in France, and “subbed” for the original with subtitles.
• Voice-over: the translated voice is laid over the original voice, which can still be heard underneath. Common in documentaries and news reports, and not to be confused with dubbing, where the original disappears.
• ADR (automated dialogue replacement, or looping): re-recording a film’s dialogue in the same language after the shoot, when the on-set sound is unusable. The technique is the same as dubbing.
• Dubbing actor (or voice actor): the actor who lends their voice. In French, “doubleur” historically meant the dubbing company, even though everyday usage applies it to the actors too.

In the studio

What happens between adapting the script and recording the take.

• Adaptation: the translated dialogue rewritten so the new words land on the actor’s lip movements and rhythm. The adapter looks for words that “fit” the mouth, not the most faithful translation.
• Detection: marking up, frame by frame, the lines, breaths, laughs and lip movements before the adaptation.
• Rythmo band: the strip of text that scrolls under the picture in the studio, synced with the video, a technique typical of French dubbing. The actor reads each word as it passes under a marker. On TryToAct, the scrolling lines play this role.
• Loop: a short section of the scene (a few seconds to a minute) recorded in one go. Work is done loop by loop.
• Lip sync: the match between the voice and the mouth movements on screen. The so-called bilabial consonants (p, b, m), where the lips close, are the most visible markers.
• Voice director: the person who directs the actors during recording: intention, rhythm, accuracy, consistency with the original.
• Sound engineer: sets up the mics, records, then assembles the takes. The final mix puts the voices back into the film’s soundscape.
• M&E track (music and effects, or international version): the film’s soundtrack without the dialogue, with music and effects. The dubbed voices are laid on top of it. In the game, it’s the equivalent of the scene with the voices muted.

The actor’s craft

The words a voice director uses to correct a take, and that come in just as handy at a dubbing party.

• Intention: what the character wants at that moment. “He wants her to leave”, “she’s trying to buy time”. A line without an intention sounds read.
• Placement: where the voice resonates (nose, throat, chest) and at what pitch. Change the placement and you change the character.
• Rhythm: speed and silences. Most beginners talk too fast and fill every gap.
• Being “in the mouth” or “off”: the voice lands on the actor’s lips, or arrives early or late. On TryToAct, the arrow keys let you shift a take to put it back in the mouth.
• Continuity: consistency from one take to the next (same energy, same voice). Important in co-op with turns, where takes follow one another.
• Atmosphere, reactions, breaths: everything that isn’t text but makes a voice alive. Sighing, laughing and hesitating are part of the take.

Around dubbing

A few related terms you often hear in the same conversation.

• Subtitling: the written translation on screen. A subtitle has to be readable within the time of the line, hence shorter sentences than the original.
• Audio description: a voice describes the visual elements of a work for blind and partially sighted audiences, between the lines of dialogue.
• Fandub: an amateur dub made by fans, usually for fun or for a work that was never dubbed. TryToAct packs are a playful form of it, provided you use clips you’re allowed to use.
• Redub: redoing an existing dub, for a new release, a restoration or because the old one has aged.

Frequently asked questions

Dubber or voice actor?

In the industry people say voice actor or dubbing actor; in French, “doubleur” meant the company that produces the dub. Everyday usage mixes the two.

What is “good sync”?

A voice that lands on the actor’s lips, especially on the consonants where the mouth closes (p, b, m), with the breaths in the right place.

Does the game recreate the rythmo band?

In a simplified way: the lines scroll during the scene, and you speak as they go by. Any offset can be fixed after the take.