What is dubbing?
Video dubbing or Video localization is the process of translating / localizing the audio track on a video, and rendering a new video in the target language. This makes it accessible to a wider audience. The end result is a video which appears "local" to the viewer; as far as they would be able to tell, with an ideal dubbing, the video is produced in their community. The video has a natural sound which is created by dubbing the voice tracks.
On the fly dubbing
On the fly dubbing is when you listen to a part of the source audio, translate it in your head and then record it with the same speed immediately after listening to it, onto a separate audio track.
+ Less preparation time (no transcripts), you translate "on-the-fly" and record immediately.
+ Sounds more natural than reading from a sheet
- Localization becomes more challenging for two reasons: meaning comes out of context with no script & the original producer also most-likely had no script causing more potential language barriers. It's important to be careful here, especially not to rush and to listen to the full sentences before you attempt to dub them - to garner a full understanding of what is being said and to ensure a natural sounding result.
Transcripting then Dubbing
In this case you first listen to the video and write down the translated script as well as the time-codes for certain events (a particular hand being reviewed, new slide in a theory video etc). You can then edit your text so it sounds natural. Lastly, you record the audio and put the file together.
+ More accurate
+ Higher quality
- Longer prep time (translating)
- May sounds less natural if you read from the sheet continuously
While the time required for creating a high quality video from any of those two methods is similar, different types of videos and mainly your personal preferences will make one of the two or a mixture of both the better choice.
Dubbing-Software
The challenge of dubbing exists in the software used. Generally, professional dubbers would use high end post-production software for audio such as Adobe Soundbooth or Steinberg Nuendo. These are the best and most expensive pieces of software, and somewhat over-kill for dubbing use only. Luckily, Camtasia has great functionality.
Dubbing in Camtasia allows us to jump straight in, and is ideal for shorter Videos where less preparation is required.
• "On-the-fly" style dubbing
• Record the translation to the separate audio track in Camtasia
• Narrate parts individually and effectively on separate audio track.
• We can render the translated version immediately and remove the original audio to get a finished product.
It is an easy to learn and intuitive software which covers the entire dubbing process - from decoding the original video to producing a fully finished localized video.
Technical golden rules for dubbing
• Use Proper equipment - It's important to have a great minimum standard for hardware. We recommend the Sennheiser PC 131 or equivalent for a great overall balance between quality and affordability.
You could also consider using a microphone on a stand, instead of a headset - you can prevent unwanted noise from moving around with your headset as the standard microphone is always on a stand. Unidirectional microphones tend to pick up less ambient noise because they don't record the sound coming from the whole 360 angle around them and inexpensive makes of such mics can easiliy be found, here are a few examples: Sony or AudioTechnica. Of course any mic with similar specs would do the job. In addition, you can use a foam windscreen for the microphone, it's a low price solution to reduce noise.
• Prevent ambient noise - Place the microphone as far away as possible from the computer you use for recording - most microphones pick up even the noise from the computer's cooling fan and this produces a noisy ambient. (Unless you have a sound proof room)
• Choose the right distance from microphone - If you use a mic with a broader pickup range, try talking to it at a greater distance. If your mic only picks up a smaller range, try standing closer to it. (This can be seen on the mic's specs diagram)
• Avoid Artifacts - Always leave a silent fraction of the second at the beginning and at the end of each recorder event/wave/cut piece (each event in the timeline) - it's usually just then, that the sound of the mouse clicking start/stop recording (or the keyboard) are picked up by the mic (especially cheaper mics) - these artifacts can be easily cut off afterwards.