In a world where video is fast becoming a primary mode of communication, creating multimedia content that is accessible for audiences across the globe is essential. While traditional dubbing has become something of an art form, it can be slow and expensive. But there is a new technology that is changing the game: AI dubbing. And for freelancers in the language and audio-visual space, this represents a significant new wave of opportunities.
Here is a quick overview of what AI dubbing is and how you can get involved:
What exactly is AI dubbing?
AI dubbing uses artificial intelligence to automatically transcribe, translate and convert spoken content from one language to another, replacing the original voice with a synthetic one in the target language. The process typically involves three key steps:
- Automatic speech recognition (ASR): The source audio is transcribed by a speech-to-text engine, creating a source script.
- Generative translation: The script is then translated into the target language.
- Voice synthesis: Finally, a new audio track is created using a synthetic voice, synchronized with the original video.
AI dubbing allows organisations to localize video content for global markets faster and at a fraction of the cost – slashing production times from months to days. However, we certainly do not expect AI dubbing to replace human dubbing. This new service is being used to open-up new content to wider markets, in many cases content that would not have been made available in the past due to prohibitive costs.
Your expertise is more important than ever
While the technology is impressive at first glance, an AI-only workflow often is not enough to meet the quality expectations of many projects. That is where you come in: the human in the loop.
From being able to decipher unclear speech based on context during transcription, to choosing a translation that feels natural for a specific character, to selecting a level of emotion that makes or breaks a scene, human expertise is crucial for ensuring the final product accurately conveys the intended message and feels natural and culturally appropriate. Ultimately, as that ‘human in the loop’, you bring a level of cultural intelligence, quality and creativity that machines simply cannot replicate.
What are the opportunities for freelancers?
There are various key roles within the AI dubbing workflow where linguists and editors can make a huge impact:
- Transcriber: Reviews and corrects the initial ASR transcript and diarizes from the AI dubbing tool to ensure the script is accurate and segmented well.
- Translator: Post-edits the machine-translated script ensuring translation accuracy and respecting cultural nuance or translates the script from scratch.
- AI Speech Editor: Uses translation skills to review the post-edited script at the same time as using controls within the AI dubbing platform to enhance the performance of the synthetic voices, ensure appropriate synchronization with the video, and deliver a level of naturalness, flow and emotion that sounds as authentic as possible for the context.
- Adapter: Uses knowledge of the target language to refine the post-edited script at the same time as using controls within the AI dubbing platform to tune the AI generated speech. This role is similar to that of an AI Speech Editor, but knowledge of the source language and direct linguistic reference to the source script is not necessary.
These roles are needed across a wide range of content, including:
- Corporate content (eg, training, product demos)
- Brand and marketing content (eg, social media, promotional videos)
- Media and entertainment content (eg, documentaries, series, gaming)
How to get involved
High-profile clients are already starting to request AI dubbing for their projects. If you have experience in transcription, translation or audio editing –especially with AI dubbing tools like Panjaya, ElevenLabs, Deepdub and Voiseed Studio, or media and entertainment content – your skills are in demand.
To put yourself forward for upcoming projects, please contact the dedicated Talent Management team at sc.vendorservices@rws.com to share your experience and get updates on new opportunities.
