Why Chinese Dramas are SOOO Voice Dubbed - Haiyah!

00:23 - A Bit Rant First
03:19 - How it started
04:54 - Why Mandarin is Important
07:53 - 1. Actors Who Can't Speak Good Mandarin
09:14 - 2. Shooting Condition Restrictions
13:04 - Post Production Budget
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[@surakshajoshi886]

I also absolutely hate it when the dubbed female characters have a very high pitched squeaky voice in order to fit the stereotypical cute and adorable girl ideal. It just puts me off so much that I've dropped a few dramas for that very reason.

[@fallenstar5759]

Yeah, exactly. I don´t like romantic dramas anyway but such girls exist as side characters even in series that aren´t focused on romance. They are so annoying and all act and sound the same.

[@Gabi-wu8ef]

I thought I was the only one who hated it! I've never seen people complaining about it before. I have also dropped dramas because the voices were so annoying

[@ameerak.7790]

Which dramas?

[@lemonademouth20]

Some even sound like children when it’s weird bc they are a grown woman

[@coolcapri2]

@@ameerak.7790 There is a drama airing right now called “You are sweet”. The main female lead her voice is crazy high due to dubbing, But in the behind the scenes you hear her real voice and its sooo different.

[@sankalpdatal3039]

Watching a lot of anime has taught me that voice dubbing is an art enjoyed best when you don't know whose voice it is.

[@youtubeapp865]

So true

[@doryz2991]

So true, you play a game and love the voices, then realize the voice is some old white lady

[@noneedtoknowme]

I remember looking up VA’s annnnd yea it was interesting the first time...after that I just appreciate now 😂

[@mkull910]

However, some Japanese seiyuu are REALLY good at changing their voice to fit many different roles and personas. Kaji Yuki is one of my favorites. I always try to pin down his voice if I hear it. The best part is when Im sure I’m hearing his voice, but then I find out it’s someone else. I get to keep discovering new seiyuu. Do you usually watch dubbed or subbed anime? Do you have a voice actor that you identify easily?

[@bird_in_a_cage2727]

I love japanese dubbed anime because I prefer listening to shows/movies etc. in their original language but also because I find it so fascinating how one's voice can just change to match a characters it's so amazing because when compared to japanese dramas actors sound like regular japanes people but just a simple change in pitch and emotion and all of a sudden you're in an anime their voice doesn't sound displaced when paired with the movement of the characters lips and it just seems so natural that you forget that a real human is actually speaking

[@kbl437]

I hate when they dub kid voices. Sometimes it’s passable, but most times the kid sounds so whiny or it’s obvious it’s an adult trying to sound like a kid? Ugh so bad. 🤦🏻‍♀️😅😂

[@SangSang-qm9xv]

And all the kids sound the same😭😭😂 especially if it's a boy

[@Unicornwerewolfvamp]

But have you heard a cdrama make a boy's voice deeper ? Its so offputting to see a kindergartener with a low voice

[@shahlatroqa2027]

I know right 😁

[@marlhall8]

Honestly 😩

[@Future_Pheonix]

I know this comment is old, and I'm pretty new to cdramas, but this is a personal annoyance of mine. The children all sound so awful and annoying.. And also like creepy adults trying to sound like kids.

[@amesakurako1]

My problem with dubbing is that an actor’s voice is their biggest asset. And watching loads of behind the scenes of great dramas the actual actors’ voices actually made the scene a lot more emotive. A good example is in Love and Redemption where the Xuanji was calling out Si Feng’s name. The actress actually designed it so each call was different, building in vocal textures and screams which made it so much more believable. In the dubbed version the call sounded the same each time and it actually made me think the character was useless and boring. I mean in the West people from different backgrounds go through dialect training when they play a new role. I think in China dubbing is still popular because the actors’ schedules are so packed that they don’t have time to do the voice over again (or it’s super expensive to invite them for post production), and also because some actors who are not drama school graduates bring in capital to the production which crews might find hard to reject (eg investors might pull out). I think China definitely have advanced skills in original writing, filming and production, but there are challenges to strike a balance between commercial profitability and artistic interpretation/quality.

[@niquole8803]

I can accept a period drama voice dubbing but not contemporary drama for goodness sake! Non Chinese speaking audiences might not find it to be big deal but I just can’t tolerate it! Some don’t even match the mouth movement! And because it’s voice dubbed, it lacks the emotion which connects with the actor’s facial expression and body language! Haiyah!!!

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

Modern cdramas are unwatchable for me

[@Lisa-pq4id]

My problem, like what you said, is when the dubbed voices don’t match the mouth movements. That’s very distracting and can be frustrating.

[@ksica]

This non-chinese speaking person cannot stand it, i dropped lots of dramas due to terrible dubbing. Ugh

[@nani_1208]

@@user-dg3ug7ny5d There are two main reasons I know why sometimes dubbing mismatches with the video. The first one is there's a change in the script. The reason may vary, maybe censorship, the production's change of mind, or the actor's mistakes. So you'll find it annoying to caught a mismatched mouth and audio when the rest is fine. The second one maybe because the script is just too long to match. This one especially for translation dubbing, as sometimes a very short sentence in a language can't really translate well within the time frame of the scene. Sometimes the editor changes the cut to another actor and made the speaking one off-screen. But I once found when the editor repeats a clip to make that particular cut longer. Wrong move tho. Ah, another reason I could think of is we unconsciously tried to match the sound with the visual cues. When the mouthed is a wide "A" sound but the actual audio is "O", or when the mouth opened a little but the audio's words should have been produced with a bigger mouth opening. So that's why we feel the dubbing is off.

[@amyray204]

I agree with you!! do you have any contemporary dramas you watch that didn't have dubbing or barely noticeable dubbing!!

[@BeckytheEnthusiast]

I would love to hear the actors' and actresses' voices, too. I am learning Chinese and it would be great to hear how a variety of people speak, especially since the 2020 problems will likely prevent travel abroad any time soon. So, I am studying Chinese and watching the dramas to immerse myself as much as possible. Another thing that bothers me is when their lips, jaw, etc do not move according to the sound. I can tell that there are times when actors/actresses move their mouths as little as possible, probably because they know they'll be dubbed. Others move their mouths more naturally.

[@BeckytheEnthusiast]

I stream daily with tons of noise. It would be cool if they used noise cancellation tech during the actual scene. I use Nividia Broadcast. My kids and others are stomping, gaming excitedly, you name it. It isn't picked up. Someone should invent it for the set.

[@jadesmp4]

the voices often sound so artificial too... i absolutely cherish any shows that use the natural sounds recorded at the set bc it just sounds so much more better and nice like???? watching all these shows dub every single character makes me feel like i'm watching anime instead of a real life show💔

[@Shmaples]

I watch a lot of Korean and Japanese dramas and I have rarely seen any voice dubbing like this. I want to watch Chinese drama's so badly.. They have a charm and a unique-ness that is extremely intriguing to me. You really can't find a historical drama like the one's coming from China but these dubs absolutely RUIN them. I can't watch them for more than 20 minutes. It's so frustrating and I wish something could be done to fix the issues that dubbing fixes but without the dub lol. All of this to say that if you like asian media without a dub just look literally ANYWHERE except China and you'll find it lol.

[@Velveification]

I don’t understand why actors don’t go to some kind of accent training. In Latin America there’s this problem too kinda… sometimes the are productions were actors from different countries work on a project, each one of them comes with their unique accent, but they go for a training that makes a neutral Latin Spanish accent so their are all cohesive. I’m sure China can do this too! I really hope so hehe

[@yutassmilehealsme6572]

BRUH when child actors get dubbed but the dubbers literally sound like something you’d watch from a cartoon!!! This infuriates me to no end 😭😭🤚 Like damn at least make them sound human not a cartoon character 😭

[@laurentius3254]

i dont mind dubbing when done well but the quality really varies So Much. i didnt even realise the untamed was dubbed for the longest time because it was done so well, but some series you immediately notice and that really takes me out of the drama.

[@maimee2angel]

At least they used same people for untamed drama, the audio drama & the donghua so for me that is wei wuxian’s voice for me

[@lalokay1451]

@@maimee2angel Yes! WWX's voice actor Lu Zhixing was one of the things I enjoyed the most in the drama actually. He added so much to the character.

[@Blueberryminty]

Only the kids voices were weird, but that seems to be a constant in every dubbed drama.

[@jinxhex5910]

Sammeeee i had no idea they dubbed the whole series, i thought it was xiao zhan and yibos real voice😩👌

[@lauralai7962]

Sometimes their mouth movements didn't completely add up but I agree it was done extremely well

[@zelulu1000]

I understand the logic but my gosh this is annoying. The voice is one of the most recognizible identity marker and to hear the same voices over and over again in so many different actors it really destroy the pleasure experience while watching chinese dramas. The same annoying childish voice on women are cringy af. I like chinese dramas but I abandon some because the voices dubbe were just unbearable. It's perhaps time to trained actors into changing their accent, a little bit like english actors change their accent to play in american movies.

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

Especially for the female leads. That pre-teen voice is absolutely annoying (does not help they ALL get the same persona : cute bubbly innocent porcelaine dolls). I think actors like Wang You shuo (mad underrated) dub themselves if I am not wrong.

[@lavonnekelly9173]

Yes..I would rather hear an untrained voice while acting because it is acting and that makes it more real.

[@darrelfairhurst2269]

Oh bollox! I was watching this and preparing my comment. First comment I read stole my lines. :) Totally agree with all, esp little stupid girlie voices. How is it possible to vote best actor, when the voice is 50% of the character. Dubbing is detrimental to the plot. Mwahahahahaha!!!!!

[@leticiayork8648]

That high pitch squeeky chicken voice is freaking annoying. I'm Chinese and I swear I want to scream at them and slap the shit out of them. Annoying!!!

[@rebekahv5185]

@Miche Yahla, totally agree with you. Oftentimes, British & American actors/actresses have vocal or dialect coaches. I know one Scottish actor who used a dialect coach for a long while, several years, until he trained & used more English. When he's interviewed, his Scottish brogue comes out strong still, but in movies, he sounds very good. Here in America, GOOD GRIEF, we have several dozen dialects, or accents as we call them. Sometimes they are actually used in the film as part of the character. I haven't noticed any dubbing in the Chinese dramas I've seen so far. But thank you, @AvenueX, for this video.. very informative.

[@rooowtwx]

Dubbing didn't really bother me at first while watching The Untamed because I think dubbing was done pretty ok in there... And then I saw an interview where XiaoZhan mentioned how the voice actor added a lot to building his character and he says that others may not know but because he had acted out the scene and seeing it in post-production, he realises where he lacked in terms of his voice (projecting emotions) and how the voice actor gave more colour to his character. Later I also saw a scene of Lan Xiansheng (the uncle of Lan Wangji) in a BTS scene... I instantly felt that the voice actor they chose for him really added to shaping that character specifically. I also belatedly felt that the voice actor for Wei Wuxian was a great choice. All of the emotions and the portrayal of his character development was on point. The only thing I'd say is a problem is when the voice actor adds a lot of emotions and colour to the character but the actual actor/actress barely achieve the same effect onscreen. That's where I'd feel the dissonance and become hyper-aware of the disparity. Throughout the Untamed, I wasn't at all annoyed that it was dubbed. I did notice it and I've always hated dubbing but I honestly think the entire voice actor cast did a great job. AND they were casted well because those voices "suited" the image of the character. Another character's voice I really liked and thought was perfect is definitely Lan Sizhui. I realise he does have a little regional accent slip through sometimes when attending interviews but the voice actor for Lan Sizhui truly brought out the essence of that character and it matched the onscreen actor well (in terms of emotions especially and the personality of the character). So, after watching The Untamed, my takeaway is that there must be a balance achieved between the actor and voice actor in bringing out the essence of each character. Some BTS scenes did make me feel that having voice actors are actually good but if the onscreen actor or voice actor are not synced in terms of portraying the characters, their feelings and emotions, the entire thing falls apart.

[@ranulfdoswell]

The thing that bugs me the most is when there's a scene of someone playing an instrument (usually a guzheng) and the hand actions have no correspondence with the music at all - hands moving before the music starts and totally still when the notes sound!

[@Strawation]

give up on realistic standards when it comes to music because not a single actor in the entire world actually cares unless they're super professional.

[@ryeofoatmeal]

lmao I know what you mean. it seems cringey as well

[@handleless986]

the worst I've seen were from eastern dramas but almost all movies and shows inn the world will have these problems unless the actor tries super duper hard to practice beforehand in preparation or they edit in someone elses hands

[@dianhayyuni6649]

They became my laughingstock. Really, cdrama shouldn't do any musical scene that's the worst bcs the actors just didn't even try ㅠㅠ

[@miafitzhugh756]

in the untamed, the actors learned the basics of their instruments for a few months and you can tell! there were still some scenes where the audio wasn't synced properly which was ridiculous.... like the actor is actually doing it properly for once and ur going to get lazy? and not sync? bruh

[@theleavesareallgoneoutside]

Speaking as an international viewer with absolutely no knowledge of Mandarin, dubbed dramas for me personally are awful to watch. The moment I catch the lips and sound not matching the entire experience is ruined bc all I can think of is how the actor isn't really "in" it. I can't really make a direct comparison bc industry/countries are SO different but I definitely got spoiled by watching Korean dramas before getting into C-dramas since they're never dubbed. It just makes the production feel so much more realistic! Every voice is so unique it's a shame to hide it by using someone else's. But again, no Mandarin knowledge here so listening to different dialects means nothing to me.

[@user-qt8tj3oo1b]

Not all dramas are dubbed, the ones that use idols or young inexperienced actors tend to get dubbed as their own voixe doesnt portray emotion well.

[@gordafea1839]

@@user-qt8tj3oo1b Zhao Liying, tang Yan, Ren jialun and many many more. And calling sun Lin one of the best actresses in China when she was dubbed just shows that China's standard is just a joke.

[@syrashanederamos3683]

@Olabisi Olaolaitan Try "The Untamed", if you haven't watch it.

[@JoanKSX]

Hmmmm you should watch C-dramas from Taiwan, Hong Kong (Cantonese drama), Singapore, Malaysia. They almost use exclusively 100% original actors' and actress' original voice and almost no dubbing at all.

[@maymay5600]

It's all a funny thing seeing the chinese kung fu movies with their lips moving while words go off lol

[@kiraini9925]

I gonna give my opinion as spanish speaker, because as china, we have a huge range of dialects from different countries and a lot of actors and actresses work in different projects, example a Mexican can work in a project from Colombia or Spain and they have to adapt their way of speaking... sometimes they do it perfectly, sometime they don't, but it's their original voice actor.... I heard that sometimes if the actor doesn't sound as the production wants they would tell you and won't give you the role...That's why in spanish speaking countries actors practice fervently their voice acting......... I really hope mainland china industry force their actors and actresses to study and perfect their accent...........sometimes It take me off guard their dubbed voice that makes me want to give up the drama...so frustrating...

[@youtubeapp865]

Spanish speakers have to change their accent but they still speak the same language, in China there are many languages, is not only changing their accent, they have to learn to speak a whole new language without any trace of foreign sounds.

[@leticiayork8648]

@@youtubeapp865 it's the same!!!! Chongqing dialect and Beijing dialect are from the same mandarin dialect.

[@leticiayork8648]

@@youtubeapp865 spanish also has a lot of slangs. I'm Chinese and I speak spanish. Some guy like Xu Kai that is 25 is getting dubbed in a modern drama. That's the most pathetic thing I've seen. China just like mediocrity.

[@seaofroses8888]

@@youtubeapp865 I see where you're coming from, but from what she says in the video, most of these actors do speak mandarin. Thus, the accent is the issue. Acting is an art, it doesn't seem unreasonable to ask the actor to work on their accent with an accent coach.

[@miafitzhugh756]

@@seaofroses8888 Yeah, that's reasonable but lots of people in China speak their regional dialect with family and friends-not Mandarin, not mutually intelligible, but same writing system, and they learn Mandarin in school so even though it's basically one of their native languages, it works a bit differently than English accents

[@fattyonthecase]

Favourite quote from this vid “it’s not that difficult you’re Chinese already.”

[@LilyUnicorn]

The Chinese watching are probably side-eyeing her with rage. Not that difficult. Bro.....Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese are one of the few languages on this planet which require both sides of the brain to be fully active at the SAME TIME when speaking or listening to another chinese speaker. Yeah. As a tonal language....it is not easy. Every other place in the world, tones are emotional inflections. Like OH! oh. OH MY GOD! ooooooh. oooooooh... just say oh in every emotion possible with high and low pitches and dips and whatnot. Now imagine every one of those oh's being a completely different word. One mean can mean flower. One can mean fat. one can mean black. One can mean island. and another can mean dog. Yeah.... every Chinese speaker side-eyeing her with contempt right now.

[@aarondodo4076]

​@@LilyUnicorn It's by no means "easy", just like learning British accent also isn't "easy", but come on, let's put it into perspective. First, those actors do speak mandarin, just with heavy regional accents, it's not like any HK actors today cannot speak mandarin at all. And Taiwanese actors' mother tongue IS mandarin, just with a different accent. It really is that "US versus British English" scenario.That's just professionalism. Also, as normal people we often do it half-assed because really in daily life no one cares if you've got an accent as long as you're understandable. But they are not daily people, they are professional ACTORS. Broadcasting and public media portrayal is their JOB, and it's a job that pays MILLIONS. We make our money from other skills, our accent means nothing and no one will give us that expectation of "perfect mandarin", but for these actors this is part of their money maker! If they attended an acting academy this would be one of their mandatory courses. It's perfectly understandable that they are not good at it, but it's NOT understandable if they feel they "don't have to at least try", like, come on, do you realize how much you're getting paid? Do you realize that people of all ages and across a vastly different land each with their own dialect need to understand you on TV? These actors on national TV absolutely SHOULD be held up to a high but still reasonable standard --- What is reasonable? Plenty of actors from HK and Taiwan have actually worked on their accents with great success, such that they can give whichever accent whenever. Not to mention thousands of actors from various provinces in mainland, who spoke a very different dialect as mother tongue but still managed to get very good mandarin. Many actors in China need to learn English from scratch for their roles. MANY respected Chinese actors literally learned an entire dialect and fine-tuned the accent just to play a role in a film or drama (so, so many, and those films are legendary because of their effort). Many of those actors, now in their 50s and 60s, still spend time everyday learning different dialects in the country (I saw several in reality shows, like these older actors REALLY take their jobs seriously), so that whenever a role demands it they have it ready to go. They can speak fluent Cantonese today, Sichuanese tomorrow, Tianjin dialect the day after, and bring it back to standard broadcasting mandarin, etc. So in comparison, getting yourself fluent with a standard mandarin accent is absolutely reasonable for a professional actor, and she's quite right: "it's not that difficult you're Chinese already", oh, there's a lot more that you need to learn that is much more difficult. For example, since you're an actor, you better know a bit of singing and dancing. You may need to know some acrobatics. Maybe even Kungfu since there may be action films in your future. And these are still basics, not to mention specific things that would be demanded of you in a role, like cooking or fishing or tea making or whatnot... Like, it's really not that big of a thing to ask an actor to be able to speak with standard mandarin.

[@jziagracedivinagracia7544]

i knew that the voices sounded weird with some dramas, I thought i was being crazy thank you for confirming my suspicion 😊

[@fatihah1637]

But could i know why they didnt use their original voice?

[@jziagracedivinagracia7544]

I think it was said in the video that sometimes their voices can't be heard cause of the backg noises and that it was cheaper to hire voice actors than the actors themselves, also their dialect (i guess) have to sound like how people from the mainland talks.😉

[@fatihah1637]

@@jziagracedivinagracia7544 thank for answering me❤

[@alias_peanut]

@@jziagracedivinagracia7544 i dont understand the dialect part u say

[@taiwoa6872]

@@alias_peanut It's like how people from different parts of the US use different phrases and words to refer to the same thing. Pronounce words differently or use different sentence structures from standard, proper English. Also how English speakers from different countries have their own slang words and sayings that not everyone will know. That's the best way for me to explain dialects.

[@simoroshka]

When I watch modern dramas I can't stand dubbing but with costume dramas it feels fine because I am already in the fantasy land and not expecting any realism.

[@ljme7554]

Same here... I personally cannot stand modern drama dubbing... But it feel just fine with custom drama... I dunno why

[@emanuellydias8426]

same

[@user-ic2bk1pi3b]

True, exactly what I feel like at first.

[@psTracy]

"It's not that difficult, you're Chinese already!" Me, a Cantonese speaker, sobbing: I'm trying >~< It does sound quite motivating, not gonna lie.

[@kateli1880]

Bahahah😂

[@fearydog]

Uff the struggle of going from the many tones in Cantonese to just the ones in Mandarin 😅 I always end up saying things with a Cantonese tone if it gets too long 😂

[@yychen3711]

Yeah, that's exactly what I felt when I heard "it's not that difficult" 😭 😭 😭 It's like someone who can sing well without much effort questioning a tone-deaf: "But that's easy, you didn't practice much, did you?" I can cry a river 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭

[@coldcole]

@@yychen3711 she meant actors and actresses... It is part of their job to voice. For eg British actor acting in an American accent. If they do not do it well then why act?

[@yychen3711]

@@coldcole hahaha, I was just over-reacting since learning a new language and getting rid of accent is very hard for me. Quite envious of people who's talented in this area 🤣 But seriously, I can understand and agree with the argument: "you are an actor/actress so doesn't matter how hard it is you have to do it", but that's not equal to "how hard can it be?" If an actor/actress can't do it well, it's fair to exclude him/her from the role, but shouldn't automatically assume that they didn't even try.

[@qkun]

I'm glad this popped up on my recommended cus I've only ever watched one chinese drama and i could swear their voices sound WAY too clear for their location and surroundings in the setting i thought I was just crazy

[@ratata6720]

It might be harder, but don't people in hollywood learn to change their accents and pronounciations too? I feel like it should be part of the actor's skillset Edit: I don't work in cn entertainment area or eng entertainment, I don't know these stuff and I appreciate new information, but don't expect me to know everything in the world ^^" I only said what I know from my limited experience and commenting these new things are actually moot to me, let alone I wasn't accusing a certain actor in their page or bashing them without knowing the detail.

[@firasyam6282]

EXACTLY

[@PandoraEast]

absolutely, even people who are perceived to have perfect American English, every character has nuances in behaviors and attitudes, and speech as well. Natalie Portman had to learn how to speak like Jackie Kennedy when she played her. This is going above board Chinese standards. She studied obsessively to play someone because she had channel a person that was already known to the public. I didn't realize the nuances in Jackie's English being characterized as per Natalie, "The accent is almost like a diagram of her background. She has this very New York side...that Grey Gardens world of the eccentric Bouviers. And then there's this sort of proper finishing school accent. Its the odd combination of the two that sort of helps form her Even more detailed breakdown of this is found here www.vox.com/culture/2017/2/7/14442410/jackie-kennedy-accent-natalie-portman

[@ratata6720]

I heard that some actors say 'one two three four' and don't even remember the script, that's so low ^^; I know that it's because they will most probably be dubbed, but it will make ppl lazier and lazier and eventually becomes a mess like this, it's just not nice to hear one voice for all male lead and female lead. It may also be backashed to the VAs and cause them to get less business!

[@evlee1295]

@@ratata6720 I think you're referring to Zhou Zixin in _the Romance of Tiger and Rose_ but that actually was debunked if I recall correctly - I think the studio ended up releasing the original clip before the dub

[@spiralering]

FWIW, I don’t think the Hollywood comparison is completely accurate; mainland Mandarin and Cantonese in HK are extremely different-they’re basically unintelligible to each other. (There’s literally Chinese game show segments where Mandarin speakers try to understand someone talking in Cantonese). So instead of an American trying to speak with British RP, it feels more like an Italian speaker trying to speak Spanish.

[@xinzhang5877]

I love your water mark on left corner which made my day XD

[@suone7036]

I noticed that too, tHAT'S SO CUTE.

[@bonsaitree15]

LOL “those who disobey will go bald for life” xDDDDDDDD

[@mcht9565]

Whatt hahahahhaaa

[@iciajay6891]

I'm loving your hair like this. I think becuase I'm an english speaker and not Chinese , I can pretend the voice is different a lot easyer. But even with that said, I started to notice too.

[@BlyssfulStorm]

This is super interesting. America had something similar. It's fallen out of fashion, but when you watch old movies (notably Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant), you'll hear the Mid-Atlantic accent. It was basically developed to be the standard cinema accent and foreign actors would occasionally also be dubbed. I assumed the logistics of the accent thing, but I had no idea about the set construction. Thank you! This was super informative!

[@peggyhui7389]

I'd much prefer the actors do their own dubbing, regardless of their accent.

[@zhangzhehanphtvwelcomeback7778]

Yes. It should be the actors to do their own dubbers.

[@bunnyfreakz]

So many actors actually doing their own dubbing.

[@silvermariebrodit-ramos]

I watched a BTS of Miles Wei of "Perfect and Casual" and I think he was dubbing himself in some shots :) which is awesome because I love that drama

[@SR-kh6yq]

I've noticed many times that an actor's lip movement may not match what his or her dubbed voice is saying, most recently in The Untamed but in other dramas too. I guess dubbing is also used to "fix" the lines in case of last-minute changes to the script or to bypass censorship? Edit: Btw I feel so stupid, I didn't realize the actor playing the newspaper guy in Winter Begonia is Xiao Jing Rui. My mind was just blown.

[@narsis273]

Yes sometimes it doesn't match at all like I feel like they're saying something in their own dialect and the voice actor just corrects it! It sounds so fake

[@SR-kh6yq]

@@narsis273 No I don't think it's because of any dialect. It wouldn't make sense that the actor switched from Mandarin to dialect in the middle of a line. It's more likely that the script was changed after filming ended so they had to change the line.

[@narsis273]

@@SR-kh6yq I don't know as I don't watch chinese dramas that much, but while watching ashes of love I notice this a lot the lip movement didn't match the voice at all sometimes in empress of china that I watched some years before it was also like this that time I didn't know they're all dubbed so it was strange to me why the voice doesn't match. Also in the bts of TU an actor said his dialogue wrong but they continued filming as it would be corrected by the voice actor anyway. So people can't judge their dialogue delivery that much I think.

[@LadyVenVen]

They sometimes change the dialogue in postproduction which is why that happens. So you are correct they do modify the script. For The Untamed the voice actors were actually speaking in different dialects. This happens when fans have seen other adaptations of shows and really want those voice actors even if they speak different dialects. That is why TU was aired with subtitles. Kings Avatar was also dubbed by the same people who do the animation. There’s a lot of reasons why everything is dubbed, I personally don’t mind it but I can see why it is distracting for others.

[@LadyVenVen]

@@narsis273 Uncle Lan? Jejeje, they do leave lines wrong sometimes if the acting was what they were looking for, for that scene. The scenes are also filmed multiple times so a full scene that you see most likely won’t be an actual whole scene done by the actor but several ones together.

[@homakp9097]

"When profit becomes the most important thing, you compromise." God, this is true. An artist should never let this happen to his/her work.

[@leticiayork8648]

Hahaha. Tell that to zhao liying, tang Yan, Ren Jialun, Ju jianyi, yang mi. 90-100% of their dramas are dubbed. How the fuck are the actors when they don't even have the basic skill: voice

[@kurachan101]

This is a noble thought, but artists have to eat too. If not compromising means that you don't get the job, you might re-think your position...

[@DharaGohil]

The most important point that hit home to me is nothing else but this, I want to listen to the original voice, sounds, emotions made by the actors at the time of actual recording! Because no matter how professional a dubbing actor might be it is not possible to recreate the same emotions of the actor. I do understand the reasons but for the sake of better quality experience, I hope we can see more chinese drama with on set recodings. 🙏

[@Ebizzill]

tbh, it would do them good to have the actors start learning these different intonations and accents. Having a pretty face shouldn't be the only job description.

[@kimbok101]

Yes but also it would be better if they stuck to the "neutral " mandarin (the one that is dubbed) and also cast actors who fit the requirements, speaking as a proffesional actor ,who graduated from a very well known drama school ,we get taught to speak in nas (neutral American English)for this exact reason. The lack of standards when casting is also a problem, I mean its a business, they want profit while spending as little as possible sacrificing the art , gotta love production companies 🥲

[@mxmfox9363]

Some of Fl voice over is so high pitched and unrealistic

[@Bodiso]

Some sound like 'baby voice', over cuteness spoilt it.

[@angelabby2379]

ikr idc about the different accent, i can't take it anymore ahaha. the acting and story cheesy, the voice dubbed like anime, i can't even. longest day in chang'an isn't dubbed and it was amazing

[@ruuyin6586]

Too high it bothers me to wanting to punch ‘em. They’re cringy. This type of voice has to be done right

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

Thank you and I would say ALL OF THEM not some lol ! Cause of that I stopped watching cdramas. And the characters are all the same ! I've comeback to cdramas lately cause of Qing Qing Zi Jin with gorgeous Fan Shi Qi.

[@bapyongukgukguk2352]

@@ruuyin6586 Even Tang Yan can't be taken seriously in her latest drama with Shawn Dou

[@psTracy]

Love your hair today! Every time I watch a drama with voices I've heard before I just pause and be like... Who, who are you, who have you been before? But I never seem to be able to picture the face(s). It's funny that the more drama's one has watched, the fewer voices are left that are new, special or make a character stand out. Some find it annoying, one time I almost quit a drama when the female lead was dubbed by the same VA as Bai Feng Jiu, and I've heard the actress' real voice before and I just really couldn't take her serious anymore.

[@pickleman502]

I know one c-drama that use live recording, the rise of phoenixes, and it makes me appreciate it even more

[@wollevy2328]

Thanks for this very well thought-out and exhaustive(no, not at all exhausting!) discussion about dubbing. I learned a lot and found it very interesting. I look forward to more of your in-depth videos about whatever you find interesting or troubling! I have dropped several good dramas because I could not tolerate the dubbing! Love your sweater!

[@Synna454]

I just love these insights into the industry 💖

[@kestiameshad]

I'm a casual kdrama and cdrama consumer. I've found that there are many differences between the two - but the most glaringly obvious one is voice dubbing in Chinese dramas. I only know of the first reason you spoke of in the beginning, and the rest are enlightening to know. But I agree, I love to hear the actual actor/actress' voices too. This is where quality is sacrificed for profit, or for convenience's sake. They should start to take pride in the dramas they produce - it's art, it's expressive. And to hear a voice and seeing it not matching the actor's mouth on screen (I have bad hearing so I always watch mouths) is very distracting. I'm trying not to compare the two - after all, these are very legitimate reasons you just listed, but this is why kdramas are superior in terms of production quality. It's always enjoyable to watch. I really enjoy cdramas too and hope that one day, this voice dubbing thing may change.

[@briannapeoples4058]

I want to say thank you so much for this "refresher" video, since I came across this one first instead of your older version. This was so informative, because I love the uniqueness, fantasy and cultural aspects of Cdramas but the dubbing had always thrown me off most times and I wondered why they would do that. So, I really appreciate you taking the time to research and explain to us the reasons why. Definitely opened my mind to the different ways countries handle production. Great video!

[@wollevy2328]

Congrats on this amazing response! More smart people out there than I thought. Your site is on my youtube front page for the first time.

[@aliciarosemusic]

This is very insightful and solved a lot of mysteries to me. I had been wondering why they were dubbed. Thanks :)

[@fearydog]

This was really informative, I thought that dubbing was mainly because of the actors (intonation, pronunciation, etc.), I hadn't considered things like accents from different regions, budget, location and so on. Thank you for the video!

[@Ashleyls17]

@AvenueX Thank you so much! Wow! I didn't know so many of these actors had the same voice dubber. Now it makes sense why it was so damn difficult for me to put face and voice together.

[@miriel7662]

I just watched your dubbing video and OMG you're SO GOOD. I love it!

[@littlesparrowwitch]

Thank you for this, I suppose the closest we get in the UK is RP received pronunciation or as it was known BBC English. I do understand the reasoning for it. I’ve heard that Xiao Zhan has done his own dubbing for Doulou Continent which I’m looking forward to hearing, as the use of voice actors can let down some of the highly emotional scenes. I did feel for XZ in The Untamed all those lines and so much of him put into the role, and no one got to hear him! 😢

[@fountainpenink6593]

such an interesting video, thank you for this!

[@leamubiu]

Very enlightening, thank you for making this! ^^

[@kayla5356]

This is SO insightful, thank you for making by this! New subscriber 👍👍

[@CeceliaS69]

I actually enjoy the work of voice actors and actresses! It's pretty awesome Chinese dramas wouldn't be the same without it. :D

[@kwanzatrotman6337]

Thank. You. I'd been wondering why this phenomenon occurs in Chinese dramas and I believe you've answered my concerns. I, too, will be praying for the day when we can naturally hear the actors' and actresses' voices because, like you mentioned, there are some people in the world with such unique voices (for better or for worse) and it feels like a shame and a crime to go without hearing the expressions their voices make

[@sweetdreamer3352]

I LOVE your explanation here. It's sooooo incredible. It shows the depth of your knowledge. I admire it. Also, the way you speak and express your points so well...wow...you are good 👏👏👏👏

[@sayagillee2094]

this video enlightened me so much about chinese dramas

[@grace24368]

It's almost like a singer who lip syncs to another person singing

[@arwae.7812]

getting flashbacks from the lizzie mcguire movie

[@cyklopeja]

I enjoyed that passion with which you talked about this subject. And generally about Chinese dramas and the nuances of Chinese dialects. I came to knowledge several weeks ago that my favourite drama the Untamed is actually dubbed and not by original actors... And I was in so big (unpleasant) shock only by this fact itself (despite the fact I would have never guessed since I do not speak Mandarin, lol). And now I know the reasons at least. Thank you very much for you explanations and very interesting vid.

[@MiamEggTart]

I was JUST thinking about that last week while looking up on the cast online... KZbin knows what to recommend haha. Thanks for sharing!

[@ILM2219]

Thank you for clarity concerning the voice-dubbing. I love your presentation. Please continue with your work...

[@Lululuke1980]

He is like David Attenborough in documentary. Weichao has become the gold standard.

[@CA-fd9wz]

I really like when you said " the voice actors are experts , they know how to invest their emotion into the scenes " .. That my biggest reason .. In crying scenes the voice actor was really great getting into that emotion while the actress on screen is busy crying while more importantly looking perfectly pretty " yeah i might be bawling my eyes but i still look pretty " which doesnt match at all

[@thuaners]

this video was so enlightening! you explained it all so well! :)

[@peaceimafidon4629]

This is one of the most eloquently delivered commentary I've watched.

[@katiirabbi]

I love audio dramas for the very reason that you mentioned-- the voice the most important channel of storytelling, and it's amazing to hear the nuances in the voice actor's delivery of lines in different scenarios. Wish voice actors get more credit, they really are the second creators of dramas and in many cases, have saved the original performance from being complete trash.

[@lottapedoto674]

I understand only partially this problem I'm italian and in Italy we usually don't speak pure language but dialects or in regional accents, most of them very recognisable. so if you want to be an actor, a real one and not only a caricature one, one of the first thing you have to learn is diction: inflection, accents, vowels and so on. the control of the voice is essential. in addition to that, we got a long history of dubbing: we dub almost everything. so there are professional dubbing actor that maybe no one have ever seen but every one of us known by their voice. for example, one of the maestri of the italian dubbing and one of the most well-known is Luca Ward: he is the official dubbing actor of many foreign actor, like Russell Crowe and Keanu Reeves, but also Smaug in The Hobbit and many other productions, even animation and videogames. so we are used to his voice but we are very ok with because he is an excellent dubbing actor and every time you listen to one of his work, it's credible. we are lazy so we dub every foreign movie that will come in ours cinema and we got many professionals only for that: good voices, good adaptations, good sinc, etc... so I can't fully understand why in dramaland is so difficult either way. btw, your videos are wonderful!! I'm sorry for every mistake I've written. I hope it's understandable.

[@leticiayork8648]

Dude, dubbing foreign films is NORMAL. China dubs mandarin over mandarin. That's pathetic. Even more pathetic when adult voice actors do children voices. It's annoying!!!

[@kflowers8276]

But that's for foreign films and very common. Most countries, if not all, do that.

[@romanamenalo1126]

Thank you for your point of wiew about dubbing! May the drama makers listen to you!

[@autumnslatest9893]

Omg you just gained a new sub! You're amazing and you solved all my riddles

[@grooveonthehillside]

I’ve always been so curious about the dubbing in cdrama, thank you for elaborating! Kind of connected, would you someday make a video about when dramas have a section in English with a (usually white) actor, and where they find those people? It feels like they just cast the first person they find on the street sometimes. :p

[@ang3432]

It doesn’t ever sound like a native English speaker but a foreigner who can speak english. It’s so slow and practiced.

[@LeeDoBoBeeDo]

THE QUESTION IVE HAD FOR LIKE 2 YEARS AND IT POPS UP IN MY KZbin RECOMMENDATIONS-

[@rinciel4999]

This is very insightful! I love how you went into details on the various reasons why period dramas are mostly dubbed, and you also explored the complexities and downsides when a production does get dubbed by the original actors. I've got to agree that actors/actresses should ideally be able to dub their own performances. In an ideal world where dubbing your own performances is something expected instead of something optional, drama-actors dub quality would no doubt improve, but when there is hardly any demand for it, it becomes how it is today XD but a big part of it I believe is the fact that changing the old ways is difficult. Production companies are companies, and in such cultures changing how certain things is done is difficult, to say the least! Anyhow, great video essay

[@mathewdallaway]

SO interesting, and SO informative! Thank you!!!

[@dewiwidjaja4295]

Heaven for me is when good actors are recorded live on set, and so far I've only seen it done on Rise of the Phoenix (who apprarently had massive budget). Even Langyabang voices were added post production.

[@TheHekateris]

Really fascinating, thank you! (But honestly,I really want to know how you did your hair...)

[@gudrun5531]

SO HAPPY to have discovered your channel, I just discovered C-dramas 3 weeks ago with the Untamed. A lot of dubbing was done for Lord of the Rings, but the original actors dubbed themselves, and there was a high standard in matching the mouth movements and scene dynamics. I wonder for C-dramas if audiences demand to hear the original actor's voices, then the actors will start to learn how to do dubbing much better.

[@user-qt8tj3oo1b]

Not all dramas are dubbed, the ones that use idols or young inexperienced actors tend to get dubbed as their own voice doesnt portray emotion well.

[@wisecanadianwoman]

Great video, great explaination. Thanks!

[@JerwinDapitan]

I think the reason why "A Love So Beautiful" got super popular is because of the minimal dubbing and the actors have used their real voice making it easy for the to connect emotionally. I even misidentified ALSB as a KDrama because it is so natural in terms of acting which is many CDramas are lacking.

[@ci8184]

I always wonder if the actors can't study to perfect their mandarin like how some english speaking actors study to perfect Shakespearean English.

[@lilspiderlily]

It takes years of practice. My fav actor said he worked hard for 3 years during college, doing vocal practice everyday to finally got it right (he went to drama academy). Some actors just doesn't want to make the effort while others are just too busy with other activities.

[@Lisa-pq4id]

I wonder if the actor’s get offended when their voices aren’t used. They work hard only to have their voices changed.

[@user-qt8tj3oo1b]

Some times idols are used to boost popularity of the drama rather than because of their acting skills. Because they have not been practicing or acting for long, they tend to get dubbed.

[@Blueberryminty]

Still... not many english actors do it. At least for movies and series. Theatrical actors tend to care much more about how they sound.

[@cf921]

For English speakers, they may just need to change the accent. However, for those actors in China, they may as well be learning a totally new language when switching dialect since the voicing is so different to the point where you couldn’t even recognize the standard one.

[@KarlaBergado]

Omg thank you for this! I literally have always wondered why the dramas I watch looked kinda weird for some reason. It all makes sense now!

[@ManusecaKali]

Wow your video was so interesting in many ways! I liked the historical point on mandarin according to the different areas.

[@francescolline]

Oh my goodness!! Hear hear!! This video literally embodied all my ideas about voice dubbing. I agree with everything you said and as a fan of Chinese dramas it really saddens me that voice dubbing has been a thing.

[@MRKLBS]

today I've just learned that there's much more problems than actors simply not being able to speak Standard Mandarin

[@janeawyang2056]

Excellent analysis and breakdown of your thoughts about voice dubbing. Completely agree with you on having more quality drama with the artists' own voice for their true representation on screen. A professional artist should get trained in all aspects of performance and vocal training is so key to delivering a stellar performance. Looking forward to more of your video analysis of all things Chinese Dramaland!

[@msolqq]

This was a fascinating discussion...all the pro and con detailed knowledge will make it much more fun to watch and listen to these dramas

[@bellahoshi]

I think the dubbing in Cdramas was why when I first listen to MDZS audio drama Lan Zhan's voice sounds familiar. I felt I have heard his voice somewhere 🤔 IIRC, in one of the MDZS audio drama Free Talks, Lu Zhixing and Wei Chao mentioned that they didn't feel very satisfied in dubbing live action dramas because just like AvenueX said, it's pretty rushed. While for audio dramas they are pretty satisfied with the productions.

[@Clourie]

Ngl as Malaysian and non Chinese watching Chinese drama sometimes confused out of me when their voice got dub. It kills the feel, especially if it's an action drama(historical romance).

[@pisanhinativepisanmona2215]

I agree with you. Voices are really important in videos. That's why I like listening to your KZbin channel. Your voice and especially your way of talking creates interest. Thank you for all your work. I have learnt loads of informations on Chinese culture ( not only dramas).

[@mangelixz1]

Amazing! O was curious about this. Thank you

[@nicajaira4555]

I watched The Untamed first before watching The Winner is Love and I noticed that Luo Yunxi's voice is the same as Lan Wangji's... and I foujd out that it was also Bian Jiang so it was weird for me hearing his voice with other actors. I really cannot unhear Lan Wangji.

[@sunny-tn1ix]

Loved this video!! Also, what does the watermark say? Why do I feel like it’s super sassy??🤣🤣

[@hayateshou]

lol thanks for this video! I can refer my friends to this video now when they ask about this. And about your comment about the importance of voice, I actually leave your videos playing while doing chores or playing games sometimes like I'm listening to the news haha About the main topic though, if this trend doesn't disappear I hope to hear more range of voice types in the chinese voice acting industry. Or at least for those that get chosen for dubbing dramas, there can be more leniency since the voice helps to build the character too (like you mentioned the overlap is too much😓)

[@chelciarnold4250]

I havent commented in a while, but...I love all that you do~^-^ Your content is amazing! Dont stop~~🥰🤩

[@renforest]

I agree with you on Wang Kai's voice! He is the only I could recognize 'cause it's so unique.

[@szw5616]

I like Yang Zi and Deng Lun voices in “Ashes of Love” theirs are not dub. p/s. They sang the OST “Unparalleled in the world” kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJWupIywhN9_l9E

[@a23g23u23std]

and Luo Yunxi (Run Yu)

[@dankhnw8]

Blessing

[@drmkpr88]

The actors dubbed their own voices actually. They did post-production dubbing. Thankfully, they didnt use professional dubbers.

[@pushra9901]

they did dub their voices tho :/ a lot of the times it didnt sync :(

[@sasa0521]

Agreed!!! Your voice is part of the acting package.

[@mika_gott]

This is a pretty interesting video. Thank you for that. I've started to watched C-dramas recently and I've been always asking about this dubbing issue. Another issue is Chinese censorship in dramaland, hope you could make a video about that one day. :-)

[@littlefairy9696]

I thought Mark Chao (Taiwanese) imitated local mainland Mandarin quite well in his latest series, "The Ordinary Glory." I'm glad his character wasn't dubbed in the series.

[@rainiminiatures2184]

Now that's a good actor.

[@thataxx1534]

Mark and Toby Lee have impeccable standard Mandarin no need for dubbing

[@lilspiderlily]

Modern drama could tolerate a little bit of imperfection in voice acting. But costume drama needs perfection or the result would be very jarring. Even Zhao Liying's voice acting in The Story of Minglan had been criticized because it's not good enough for costume drama standard.

[@littlefairy9696]

@@lilspiderlily .. haven't seen the drama. I'm surprised to hear her's isn't dubbed considering it's an ancient themed series.

[@leticiayork8648]

That's a good actor!!! He's Taiwanese, not Chinese. Hes also educated in the west. So he does have higher Standards.

[@sabrinab4193]

This is sooo weird to hear about, because in Brazil we, too, have a lot of different accents and dialects (I mean, it's a huge country), but when an actor it's not from the main cities (that are more often where the dramas and series here take place - Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), they either 1. change their accent to match the other actors (which it's not that difficult in portuguese), or 2. play a role that matches their accent. And that is super (not) funny cause when main city actor plays characters from other states, they usually (it depends on the state) DON'T change their accent, and I think it's a bit rude since other actors would make an effort and change to theirs, but anyways I guess both countries have their limitations when it comes to acting in different regions Great video, by the way!

[@raine__dear5914]

this content is really interesting and really interesting!!! i love it🤩

[@e7evenJAZ23]

Wow you've been so productive in the past two weeks!!

[@Jyoo609]

9:04 name the list! Name the list!

[@xanseviera]

Sometimes it's better to know less than to know more when it comes to recognizing voice actors/dubbers hehehee XD

[@mirus6190]

it's a problem when you've watched enough c-dramas and you can tell who the voice actor is especially when you've heard the voice actor in other dramas too.

[@Chishannicon]

This was so informative! I've never actually watched a Chinese drama (only a few Chinese movies), so I didn't even know they did this so often. You explained everything so well, while also stating your own opinion on the practice of dubbing. I am American, so it's crazy to me to think that if someone just can't speak the lines properly that they would ever get cast at all (in America, they would just cast someone who CAN speak with the proper accent, or at least something close enough). Then I remembered that in a lot of movie musicals in the older days, they would dub the actors' singing voices. Even sometimes in modern movie musicals we do that. Every time they do it, I just scream "Why wouldn't they just cast someone who can actually sing in the first place???!!!" It's not like there aren't plenty of actors out there with vocal training. So it seems we aren't that different over here after all.

[@naomicirinpei6579]

I liked this video a lot and I think it came at the right moment. There is an ongoing C-drama right now, You are so sweet and it is about voice actors and the voice acting industry.

[@georgebeckons539]

Honestly Chinese media is REALLY over-saturated. The dramas/movies are just basically more or less the same and very predictable. You basically know exactly what's going to go down and it makes them really boring to watch. This has to do with China's political climate I think but I really wish filmmakers would try to innovate and explore the Chinese people through media in more meaningful ways.

[@dritabrown]

watch the untamed ~

[@vp98215]

@@dritabrown the story of the untamed is good but its still predictable... even when the main villain appeared first time onscreen with his more than perfect behavior and appearance i doubted him and i wasn't surprised at all when he was revealed to be the villian... then the person who was trying to trap the main villian was also suspicious and again i wasnt surprised when they revealed who he is...

[@imtheonehero9305]

Even korean dramas are predictable. Theyre also overrated. I mostly agree with you but I also think cdramas are underrated.

[@dritabrown]

@@vp98215 true lol. i still enjoy cdramas tho

[@lilym7515]

It’s kind of weird that the production thinks that the original voices of their actors is not that important. I get that there’s a budget but to hear the actual voices of the actors is so important! It baffles me how they got the idea that it was okay to dub their actors, I mean, the actors give their all in the scenes. They study their characters and they’re the only ones who know how to truly convey what they’re feeling. That genuine feeling of acting the moment of the scene cannot be captured the same as in dubbing. Also, as an actress , to look at a show I worked so hard on and then hearing some other girl’s voice would be so weird and insulting! It’s kinda hard for me to watch Cdramas because of it

[@gracetan7864]

excellent vid!! very well explained

[@lindamoan356]

Thank you for this concise explanation on dubbing. I will now be following you for your unique presentation and explanations