Which type of language versioning is right for me?

 

To dub or to sub: that’s a question that comes up for many producers.

Of course, it’s partly a budget issue – subtitling your video is less expensive than dubbing.

But there are a few other factors involved:

  • who is your audience?
  • how important is it that they be able to follow the video with less effort?
  • how important is the content?

For some target audiences, subtitles are the right call:

  • a bilingual audience – e.g. a mix of French speakers and English speakers
  • an international business audience
  • anyone who is both literate and highly motivated to watch your content

BUT…

Sometimes going with subtitles limits your reach. Some types of videos really should be dubbed.

☝️ For marketing content, you want to remove every possible obstacle that could interfere with your viewer’s attention.

✌️ If your viewers may have less fluent literacy skills, or if they are older and may have low vision, make it easier for them, and go with VO.

And include same-language captions, too, to make sure that your video is accessible to everyone.

Want to discuss dubbing or subtitling your video projet? Let’s connect!