Voiceovers that wow audiences in any language.

Voice-over is the technical term for vocal audio played over media content like radio, television, film, video games, commercials, and more. In essence, it's when there is a voice track over a video, a book, a picture or even a pure audio broadcast. As a performance, it is predominantly considered a form of acting and creative art.

Voice-over often presents one of the final 'crown-jewel' elements of a project, from an author seeking a narrator for an audiobook corporate presentation to a top-tier video production involving hundreds of experts and crew.

There are a vast number of mediums and applications that use voice-over, be it to raise brand awareness of products or services, enhance advertising campaigns or improve and augment content delivery. Voice-overs are also used in many subtle mediums, such as messages on hold, IVR telephone systems, training and educational explainer videos, and social promos or guides for customers, learners and corporate trainees.

Professionally recorded voice-overs add artistic expression and unique performance to production. A custom recording of a human voice establishes an emotional connection with audiences, adds immersion and significantly increases memorability.

The dubbing technique refers to revoicing new voice-over content from its original language into another. Dubbing is often confused with Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) – adding voice-over to match the mouth movements of an actor to create the illusion that the character has said the words. In actuality, dubbing distinctly refers to the multilingual revoicing of voice-over into a new language to enhance accessibility for content in foreign-speaking countries. For video projects, dubbing is typically offered as an alternative to subtitles.

Not all voice-over dubbing is the same, and there are three major types: lip-synced, time-synced, and wild.

Lip-sync dubbing is the most strenuous form, requiring dubbing artists to attend a pro studio. The voice-over audio must match the dubbed character's mouth movements (lip flaps).

Time-syncing is a slightly less restrictive alternative; while the voice-over dubbing needs to match the timeframe, it doesn't need to line up to precise lip flaps.

Non-synced (wild) dubbing is the third method but isn't generally used for films or animations because the voice-over audio can run longer or shorter than the original.

There are significant differences in the recording process between the three dubbing styles. For example, a lip-sync and time-sync recording will require on-the-fly script editors and translators to adapt phrases in sessions if they don't fit.

Get in touch with the Voquent team to learn more about voice-over dubbing or get a quote.

With technological advances in broadcast quality and internet speeds, content is delivered at scale. Voice-over localisation makes film and media content comprehensible to audiences worldwide, even illiterate segments of society.

Dubbing voice-over(s) from the source language into the new target language(s) is just the beginning of the localisation process. Developing subtitles to match the target language(s), translating scripts or graphics, and perfecting the vocal performances are all critical to the success of media localisation. Skipping key languages or delivering poor voice-over localisations can lead to underperformance and disappointing viewers.

Working with Voquent is the best way to build the perfect package to suit your voice-over localisation needs. With experts in voice-over and world languages, master your sound today in any accent.

Voice-overs play a critical role in making brands, products and services more accessible and memorable. It is a versatile production technique used across various media projects, from film, animation, and video games to internal corporate training videos. An average person typically hears over a hundred professionally recorded voice-overs daily.

While voice-over may seem easy to DIY – we all have voices – a poorly recorded voice-over will, in most cases, damage the perceived quality of any piece of media. The most common causes of this are amateur performances with a lack of acting experience, insufficient sound insulation and low-quality recording equipment. Content creation requires a united front – one weak link can sever the most robust chain; imagine a beautifully shot and scored movie with awful acting or direction. Never compromise your project with the second-best performances.

An average professional voice-over talent will spend over five years honing their craft and developing their knowledge of their equipment to produce nothing but the best results. For this reason, it is common for generic freelance sites and creative marketplaces to rely heavily on less capable talents with no acting experience to offer lower-quality recordings at more affordable prices. You get what you pay for.

Voquent is uniquely positioned to offer the highest quality voice-over productions in the industry. With fully managed projects and voice authentication, we guarantee you'll walk away with the best the marketplace provides in any language or accent.

A short voice-over for an internal project starts from around 250 - 450 USD. A voice-over for an advertising campaign could cost upwards of 1000 USD. Voice-over costs vary greatly and are unique to every project. The four critical influencing factors are:

1. The voice-over broadcast medium.
2. The duration of the campaign.
3. The specific voice talent performing the read.
4. How long it takes to record and edit.

Local ranges in rates also exist, with prices varying by country and region.

The cost of recording the voice-over is typically measured and paid per hour in the studio – a Basic Session Fee (BSF). This BSF will differ as each talent will set their prices differently depending on experience, ability, type of job, and how in-demand they are – although to remain competitive, there tends to be an average sweet spot for the standard professional.

Although different types of projects have various ways of calculating rates, it's worth checking out our pricing page to learn how Voquent determines costs.

Voquent's unique relationships and insight into the voice-over industry mean we can offer you the best prices for high-quality voice-over productions – the stuff that'll knock your viewers' socks off. With our dedicated project management team, you won't find smoother sailing anywhere else.

Voice-over is a versatile medium layered over primary media, such as film or video games. Removing a source voice-over for translation is a common technique to make the content accessible to audiences in other markets.

Voice-over translation services like Voquent's include transcribing the source script and colloquially translating the meaning whilst observing any time constraints. When the translation is approved, we cast the voice roles and professionally record in the new target language with authentic native-speaking talent. Finally, we reinsert the new audio into the project source files and encode out in the desired file format(s).

Every business or entertainment project should consider voice-over translation of their content. This is because some countries may struggle with English-speaking media or even find it insulting that you never tailored the content for distribution in their language.

However, voice-over translation isn't a one-size-fits-all equation. Some niche languages present challenges, and the job's complexity can vary; for example, lip-synced projects have unique requirements.

Working with Voquent's team of linguistic experts is the best way to fast-track your success.