Spanish Dubbing: Latin-American Spanish or European Spanish?
We all have our favorite cartoons and animated series. The character’s, their personalities, and iconic lines are cemented into pop culture. Most of all, their voices are very much a part of our psyche.
From H. Jon Benjamin’s "Archer" screaming “LanaAaAaAa!” to Dan Castaleneta’s iconic “D’oh!” as "Homer Simpson," the voice actors cast for these animation roles were perfect and will forever be in our hearts!
But… . .
Have you ever taken the time to look up what Archer sounds like in Japanese? Or what Homer Simpson sounds like with a Spanish voice over?
The Simpsons were a daily staple in my house. Every day during dinner it was 2 episodes of The Simpsons at 6 and 6:30 and then Seinfeld at 7. Other than Batman: The Animated Series, The Simpsons is the show I've watched more than any others. So when I went to Colombia and heard what Homer Simpson sounded like in Spanish… I was blown away! I had always heard Dan Castaleneta’s voice as Homer Simpson and was completely surprised by Humberto Velez’s interpretation.
Humberto Velez as Homer Simpson at the Chili Cook Off:
With the growth of the internet and the Spanish speaking population, as well as other non-English speaking groups, Spanish dubbing and localization is fast becoming a necessity in today’s worldwide media marketplace. Spanish speakers from all over the world are clamoring for more content to be translated and dubbed into Spanish. However the demand for quality Spanish dubbing is more apparent than ever.
Humberto Velez’s interpretation of Homer Simpson can be seen as one of the best and most loved Spanish dubbing performances ever. His take is unabashedly Latin-American and not European Spanish. And this is where the difference lies. For the longest time, most Spanish dubbing was done in Spain and, although it was in Spanish, it wasn’t dubbed in the way that most of the Spanish speaking world expresses themselves.
I’m in no way, shape, or form putting down the talented Spanish voice actors that gave us renditions of so many incredible shows and movies. What I mean to say is that when the majority of Spanish speakers in the world use Latin-American Spanish in their native countries, logic would tell us to create more content in Latin-American Spanish. I’m thankful that many tv/film producers and advertisers have taken note of this dynamic and adjusted their strategies to better reflect the Spanish speaking demographics that exist. Brands that embrace these changes will have a loyal base of bilingual clients in the US and abroad.
Talented voice actors from Latin America will be able to record with a neutral Latin-American accent that is based on the accent of people from Mexico City. And while neutral Colombian and Mexican Spanish accents might be the best for advertisers, eLearning developers, and most video production companies, when it comes to dubbing for live-action shows and movies it's always a best practice to hire Spanish speaking voice actors that are from the country that the characters represent. Some production studios go as far as dubbing content in Spanish with actors from the countries where the content will be broadcast. Making it even more accessible to that particular audience.
The costs of production may limit some in this respect. If that be the case I recommend the safe route of a neutral Latin-American accent. Latin-American Voice Actors from Colombia, Mexico, the USA, and Costa Rica generally have neutral accents that could be used in various Latin-American and Spanish speaking markets.
Looking for translation, localization, and dubbing in Latin-American Spanish?
About Bash The VO - Bilingual Latin-American Voice Actor
Bash is a bilingual Colombian voice actor based in the United States. He provides a wide range of voice overs in Spanish and English for video production companies, ad agencies, marketing agencies, and to various clients directly.
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A youthful but authoritative, Informative and still conversational voice over for video and audio productions including audio dramas, animated series, corporate videos, explainer videos, and e-learning videos.
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