Dubbing

In filmmaking, dubbing is the process of adding or replacing a soundtrack for a motion picture.

Note that dubbing may occur at many places in the post-production process.

Foreign-language films and videos are often dubbed into the local language of their target markets to increase their popularity with the local audience by making it more accessible. This process is technically known as Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR). Because of the many differences between various languages, especially those which come from different language families, dubbing can often result in the actors' mouths being out of sync with the voice that has been dubbed over it. Although dubbing is most common with film, television series are sometimes dubbed as well (mostly popular Hollywood series and serialized Japanese anime that have received foreign distribution).

Subtitles may be used instead. Different countries have different traditions regarding the choice between dubbing and subtitling. On DVDs with higher translation budgets, the option for both types will often be provided to account for individuals' preferences; purists exist for both types of translation. For small markets (small language area or films for a select audience) subtitling is more suitable because it is cheaper. For films for small children, who can not yet read, or not yet very fast, dubbing is necessary.

Dubbing is occasionally used on network television broadcasts of films which have dialogue that the network executives or censors have decided to replace; this is usually done to remove profanity.

On special occasions such as film festivals, a third possibility may be applied: live translation, in which live performers (often volunteers) read the translated dialogue.

In music recording, dubbing is where one recording is recorded over, so that the new recording replaces the old entirely.