Content is the new buzzword of the 21st century. Every business alive either produces it or uses it to thrive in the market. And its localization determines whether a brand or an organization will stay local or go global.
Subtitles or voice-over act like legs of content that help it to reach every corner of the world. Both are used as a resource for foreign audiences so that they can understand the content presented to them. But which one is the best? This question concerns us and it should.
That is because both can’t be used unless you are Richie Rich! Furthermore, if you make a wrong decision and your video is showing subtitles in a country that prefers voice-over or vice-versa, then it will be a waste of money, time, and energy. Needless to say, you will lose your target audience.
But worry not, we will help you make the right decision and provide you with all possible solutions. To start with, let’s take a brief look at the definitions of subtitles and voice-over. Subtitles refer to the lines of text placed at the bottom of the screen and are the translation of spoken language in a video into a target language, or any significant text displayed on the screen like quotes, signs, etc.
Whereas voice-over refers to an audio track produced by voice actors or voice over artists which is synchronized with the video footage.
What is the purpose of subtitles?
1. To enhance the understanding of the video content for viewers:
Subtitles improve comprehension of the video. A quick search indicates that many viewers, even those who are native speakers of the original language of the video, turn on captions when they watch TV shows, movies, or other videos. Simply put, they comprehend the written translation better.
2. To boost content engagement
People prefer reading subtitles resulting in more clicks on a video and thus higher engagement. According to a recent study, 91% of people who watched movies with subtitles finished them to completion, compared to 66% of people who viewed them without subtitles.
3. Accessibility
According to the WHO, 5% of people worldwide have permanent hearing loss. Thus subtitles help a great deal to reach out to this section of the population who are otherwise not able to understand a video without a written text.
Pros and cons of subtitles
Advantages of using subtitles:
1. Affordable
The low production cost of subtitles over voice-overs is one of its key advantages. Subtitling does not require recording engineers, voice actors, and audio studios making it a more economical choice.
2. Preservation of original content
With the usage of subtitles, the real essence of the video is retained including the voices of the original actors and the style of the content.
3. Makes everything crystal clear
The audience has a smooth time watching a movie with subtitles as they provide clarity and a great comprehension of technical terminologies, full names, and brand names. Furthermore, if one can’t easily understand the accents used in a particular film, subtitles make it simpler to read and comprehend the original dialogue.
4. Speedy output
In comparison to voice-overs, subtitles are the quickest option to translate the source language of the video into target culture languages. It is because subtitling can be done in the comfort of the home. All you need is just one laptop.
5. Improves a video’s SEO
One of the most important web optimizations for improving Google rankings is Search Engine Optimization or SEO. It helps you to gain more online visibility and draw in potential clients. The textual content of subtitles can be read by search engines which improve the positioning of your webpage in search engine results.
Disadvantages of using subtitles:
1. Distraction
The screen text distracts the audience from the visual content which is the ultimate purpose of watching a video.
2. A challenging task
Less screen space and subtitling guidelines such as restricted characters per second, the limited number of characters per line, etc. make the job of a subtitler difficult which results in erroneous output.
3. Dialogue originality sacrificed
Ocassionally, the target language is too long to fit in two lines of text within a short screen time. This forces the subtitler to omit the original elements of the original dialogue making the movie less interesting.
4. Creates confusion
In rare cases the presence of multiple characters in a single time frame makes it difficult to add subtitles. Even if they are added, they create confusion among the viewers.
5. May irritate the audience
Subtitles that are automatically embedded in a movie without an option to remove them may infuriate those who don’t like subtitles. Some viewers may even decide not to watch the movie.
What is the purpose of voice-over?
To bring life and emotion to the content:
Voice-overs help to advance plotlines, narrate stories, and give viewers a close-up view of the characters’ thoughts in movies/videos. By evoking emotions and offering clarity, they help the visual composition of the movie/video have a stronger connection with and influence on the audience.
Transforms content into magnet:
A voice talent is capable of establishing a tone and rhythm, as well as placing persuasion and emphasis at the right places, in a video/movie. All of this helps to grab the viewer’s attention on the screen which is not possible with subtitles.
Pros and cons of voice-over
Advantages of voice-over/Dubbing
1. No distraction
Voice-overs allow the viewers to concentrate on the characters and sound effects. Therefore, the audience can enjoy the movie/video rather than become sidetracked by reading the subtitles.
2. No confusion
When there is a complex conversation between multiple speakers in a single time frame, especially if they frequently interrupt one another, voice-over is the ideal option. It is because different voice tones of voice actors will aid in better comprehension of the scene and thus prevent confusion that arises from using subtitles.
3. Chance to bring back originality
Voice actors can create an authentic tone and voice in a native language which helps in engaging the target audience.
4. No screen space restriction
Since there is no screen space limit while dubbing, translated dialogues need not be shortened as in the case of subtitles. And this way, the meaning of the original dialogue stays intact.
5. Adjustable speaking speed
If the original speaking pace of a character in a video is fast, then dubbing can help you control that speaking speed to an extent and thus make it easier for your audience to understand the dialogue.
Disadvantages of voice-over/dubbing
1. Expensive
Voice-overs/dubbing are costlier than subtitling. The reason lies in its procedure which includes preparing a translated script, hiring voice actors and sound engineers, and finding access to a recording studio. Whereas the job of subtitling is done by a single person which saves money.
2. Synchronization
If the dubbing is not carried out professionally, viewers may become distracted by lip movements that are not in sync. Dialogues from the translated script should match the actors’ lip movements which is a difficult task and practically, impossible.
3. Takes more time
Dubbing is a time-consuming process due to its long procedure and large workforce requirement.
4. The chemistry problem
It can be challenging to find perfect voice actors for your content. The intended audience may not connect with the video if the chemistry among the actors is off, that is if the voices don’t fit the characters in the video.
5. May bore the viewers
When the production companies use the same voice talent in multiple films, voice-over may become frustrating and boring, especially for movie lovers who watch films frequently.
Subtitles or voice-over: Which is best?
By now you must have understood that both, subtitles and voice-over have their pros and cons. As a result of this, no one is superior to the other. The best choice for a video depends upon the kind of content, the complexity of the content, and the target audience.
1. Kind of content
Subtitling is an ideal option when the video content depends on the character’s physical and emotional portrayal to tell the story and when viewers are concerned about their privacy and confidentiality. Some examples where subtitling is a good move are movies, e-learning videos, corporate videos, educational videos, and resource videos.
While voice-overs are a better option for videos with crucial visual features that require viewers to pay attention, such as on-screen action, artwork, graphs, and expensive graphics. A few examples where voice-overs are popular include commercial videos, narration videos, video games, e-learning videos, trailers and promos, and announcements.
2. Complexity of content
This factor needs to be considered while deciding which option is more suitable. If your video already contains screen text then adding subtitles to it would create hotchpotch on the screen. Thus, in this case, a voice-over/dubbing will work best. In comparison to this, if your video is less complex and contains visuals, then adding subtitles can be a better option.
3. Target audience
Knowing your target audience is a must when choosing between subtitles and voice-overs/dubbing. For example, corporate audiences often read the subtitles, whereas viewers who are consumers or are receiving help, guidance, or announcements are more receptive to dubbed videos.
For movies, you should do extensive research about the preference of your target audience. To illustrate, Germany, Italy, and France prefer to watch dubbed movies. However, the people of Holland and Scandinavia like to watch subtitled films.
Now, we can say that you are ready to make the best decision for your video content. But if you are still confused, do reach out to Naarg.
Naarg Data Media Services is an established organization committed to serving its clients with high-quality output. Over the years, we have worked on multifarious subtitling and voice-over projects due to which we know what will work for your content and what will not.
So if you are not sure what will be the perfect choice for you, then seek help because this is a matter of time, money, and energy.
Choose the best option for your content. Choose Naarg.
