Dubbed classic: Jane Eyre

Dubbed classic: Random Harvest

recent hit Journey 2

Voice-over industry faces uncertain future, preferences for subtitles

As Valentine's Day crowds poured into China's cinemas as part of the classic dinner-and-a-movie date, Love, directed by Taiwanese director Doze Niu, grossed the most in box office earnings among the four domestic romantic movies released for the lovers' season. But, according to a February 16 report by China Film News, the second-place spot went to American science fiction movie Journey 2, surprising many who'd expected domestic love stories to be favored.

According to the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, foreign titles scooped 46 percent of box office sales in China in 2011. As foreign films continue to attract audiences, the once preferred method of dubbing over the original language has been overtaken by subtitles. Dang Jiaxiang, a staff member at a Beijing UME cinema, told the Global Times that it has become standard practice for theaters to show more subtitled versions than those with voice-overs.

"In the first week of a foreign film's release, there will usually be eight or nine show times a day, of which maybe three or four will be dubbed ones," said Dang. "The longer a film stays in the cinema, the fewer the number of dubbed screenings, and they are eventually only shown on weekends, when more children and seniors come." 

Changing roles

Dubbing has been around on the Chinese mainland since the late 1940s, and it saw a heyday in the 1970s and 1980s. During that period, dubbed films were the only window into the foreign world for many Chinese. Audiences got to know classics like Jane Eyre through the performances of the dubbing actors, associating them with the characters the same way we associate Kate Winslet with Rose from Titanic.

But recently, as more Chinese are studying English, subtitles are often favored.

You Ming, a 42-year-old lawyer in Shanghai, said dubbed movies were part of his childhood, but now he chooses to watch subtitled versions rather than dubbed ones. 

"It helps me practice my listening skills in English. Besides, it seems there are fewer dubbed movies in theaters these days, and even the ones that exist are generally poorly done," said You.

"Dubbing today is not done as well as it was years ago," he said. "For example, a version of Hamlet [from 1958] that was dubbed by Sun Daolin is a classic. In today's fast-food society, less care is taken to provide good translations."

Behind the scenes

According to Xu Pengle, former director of Shanghai Dubbing Studio, the process of creating a dubbed version of an overseas film requires highly trained professionals.

"It is very difficult to translate film dialogue," Xu said. "First, the translated version should be neither too long nor too short. Otherwise it will not match the movements of the original actors or keep time with events in the film. Second, the choice of words should be suitable to the character. For example, a gentleman living in Victorian-era England should have a special way of speaking."

"The actors who perform the dubbing need time to develop an emotional delivery, really bringing the characters' experiences to life through the translation," he added.

Xu agrees that the quality of dubbing has declined in recent years, and he says this is mainly because people are given less time, and many in the industry have become more profit-driven.

"In the old days, Shanghai Dubbing Studio and Changchun Film Studio were the two major companies that were allowed to produce dubbed movies. Each year, only about 10 to 15 imported movies were given to each company to produce dubbed versions, and teams were paid a fixed salary.

Today, the number of films imported annually from America alone has reached 20.

"Now that so many movies are imported, smaller studios are allowed to take on work, and dubbing teams are paid for each film," he said. "What's more, to prevent pirated DVDs from going on the market first, dubbing teams have to rush to complete the work, often producing mediocre results."

Quality-driven market

While subtitles seem to be preferred by urbanites in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, Ma Zhengqi, a professor at Communication University of China, believes that dubbed versions of films should remain a priority in the industry.

"At the moment, only the very educated know English well, and dubbing teams need real language experts. We still need professional talents for this field," said Ma.

"In addition, many Chinese know very little English and live in rural areas. Dubbed movies are still in great demand there. It is not true that dubbed movies are losing an audience in China."

Li Minghua, a 48-year-old resident of Wujiang, a county-level city in Jiangsu Province, says she prefers dubbed movies.

"When I watch a subtitled version of a foreign movie, it is hard for my eyes to keep up with the speed. I prefer dubbed films because I can understand what's going on more easily," Li commented.

Xu agreed that more Chinese benefit from dubbing than people realize. "Even English majors are not able to understand a foreign movie 100 percent," he said, adding that in order for dubbed movies to be in higher demand, their quality must be improved. "If dubbed works are done well, audiences will respond."

As for attracting more qualified dubbing employees to the field, Xu pointed to Japan as an example to follow. "Voice actors and actress are among the most revered and highly paid jobs in Japan," he said. "They are treated the same as famous singers and movie stars."