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AI dubbing and global content localization: What creators and enterprises need to know

Verbit Editorial
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As global audiences consume more video than ever, one challenge continues to stand in the way of real reach: language. Subtitles help, but for many viewers, dubbed content delivers a more immersive, natural experience, especially for entertainment, learning, and brand storytelling.

The demand for content that crosses linguistic and cultural boundaries has never been higher. In fact, 76% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers watch foreign-language films and TV shows. Streaming platforms and media sharing sites serve an ever-increasing number of customers from around the world, so today’s creators must carefully consider how best to make their audio and video content accessible and engaging to a global audience. Recent advances in AI dubbing technology are now changing how organizations approach content localization.

AI dubbing has drastically improved, making it a critical tool for creators looking to appeal to consumers around the world. With AI and professional dubbing services like Verbit’s, what once required months of coordination, multiple vendors, and high production costs can now be accomplished faster and at scale, without sacrificing quality or emotional nuance.

This shift is transforming how content creators, media companies, educators, and enterprises think about localization. It’s opening the door to new ways of engaging global audiences. Let’s delve into an explanation of dubbing and localization to help content creators and media producers expand their global reach.

What is dubbing?

Dubbing refers to the process of replacing the original spoken dialogue of a video with a new dialogue track recorded in another language. It’s frequently used to provide audible, real-time translations of media content like film, TV, and even video games. Unlike closed captioning or subtitling, dubbing content does not provide any on-screen, text-based information and relies solely on recorded audio tracks to provide the translation of a piece of media. The final result is a more engaging and comparable content experience for viewers tuning in for foreign-language media.

Why dubbing matters more than ever for global audiences

Dubbing is no longer limited to major film studios or broadcast TV. Today, it plays a critical role across:

For many viewers, dubbed video content is easier to follow than subtitles, particularly in longer-form or emotionally driven material. Research consistently shows that audiences are more likely to complete videos and retain information when content is presented in their native language through voice.

As international viewership grows, so does the expectation that content will feel local, not translated.

How does dubbing work?

There are several steps involved in the standard dubbing process:

  1. Script translation: Skilled linguists translate the original script of the media into a particular target language. Some dubbing providers like Verbit offer localization services that ensure final translations are specifically tailored to particular regions by reflecting subtle differences in communication styles, colloquialisms, etc.
  2. Adaptation/editing: Once a script is translated and localized, it may require further editing to ensure the translated dialogue matches the existing timing and lip movements of the on-screen media. If the translated version of the dialogue is too long, for example, it will need to be adjusted to align more closely with the original timing.
  3. Casting voice actors: After a dubbing script is finalized, a dubbing service will need to hire voice actors to record the newly translated dialogue. It’s important to hire performers who confidently speak the target language and whose performances complement the tone, style and personality of the original, on-screen actors.
  4. Recording: Actors selected during the casting process will record the translated dialogue in a sound studio. Typically, actors will view the original media while recording the new dialogue to synchronize their line delivery with the original actors’ performances.
  5. Post-production: The final step of the process involves mixing the dubbed voices with the original media to maintain an appropriate balance of sound between dialogue, sound effects and background music. When all is said and done, the dubbed audio should fit seamlessly with the rest of the visual and audible elements of the original media.

AI dubbing vs. traditional dubbing: What’s changed?

In the past, human actors were the only available resource for recording dubbed audio. Traditional dubbing workflows are often slow and expensive, as you can see from the five steps above. It typically involves manual script adaptation, voice casting, studio recording, audio mixing, and quality control – all repeated for each target language.

However, recent advances in technology have yielded synthetic-voice options that mimic human speech to a convincing degree. AI-powered dubbing introduces a fundamentally different approach.

Modern AI dubbing platforms can:

Instead of replacing human expertise entirely, AI is increasingly used to augment and streamline dubbing workflows, allowing organizations to choose the level of automation or human involvement that fits their needs.

What is AI dubbing and how does it work?

At its core, AI dubbing uses a combination of:

Advanced solutions go further by incorporating emotionally expressive voices, domain-aware language models, and editorial review layers. The result is dubbed audio that sounds more natural and contextually accurate than earlier generations of synthetic voice technology.

This evolution has made professional AI dubbing like Verbit’s viable – not only for short-form clips, but also for premium, long-form content.

The growing demand for dubbed content across platforms

The demand for dubbed video is accelerating across multiple channels:

Streaming and Media

Global distributors and rights holders are under pressure to localize content quickly for new markets, often across dozens of languages simultaneously.

Education and Training

Universities, online course providers, and enterprises rely on dubbed content to deliver consistent learning experiences to international audiences.

Marketing and Brand Content

Brands increasingly use dubbed videos to connect emotionally with customers in different regions, rather than relying solely on subtitles.

Creator-Led Platforms

On platforms like YouTube, dubbed content helps creators reach entirely new audiences – without having to recreate videos from scratch.

YouTube Dubbing & Multilingual Creators

YouTube has emerged as a major driver of interest in AI dubbing. As the platform expands support for multilingual audio tracks, creators are looking for efficient ways to publish dubbed versions of the same video in multiple languages.

For creators, AI dubbing offers:

As a result, dubbed YouTube content is becoming a key growth strategy – not just for large channels, but also for mid-size and emerging creators. Verbit serves as a YouTube Recommended Vendor and is working with multiple YouTube channels and creators to dub and translate their content for localization efforts.

The benefits of dubbed content

Dubbing provides numerous benefits that can enhance the impact of your content:

  1. Expanded audience reach: By offering content in multiple languages, you can tap into new markets and reach a broader audience. This is particularly important for global brands, streaming platforms and educational content providers who aim to connect with audiences of diverse backgrounds.
  2. Improved accessibility: Dubbing makes content accessible to individuals who may have difficulty reading subtitles due to vision loss or neurodivergent conditions. By providing an auditory version of a translation, creators can support global viewers with disabilities and/or specific learning needs.
  3. Enhanced viewer engagement: When content is dubbed, viewers can more fully immerse themselves in the content. While a significant percentage of the population currently consumes content with subtitles enabled, there are still many viewers who prefer to engage with information in non-text-based formats. Dubbed audio can better support those viewers and deliver more engaging experiences for audience members around the globe.

How AI dubbing supports better localization outcomes

Dubbing plays a crucial role in the broader strategy of content localization. Across the board, today’s consumers prefer to engage with content that feels like it was tailor-made for them. In fact, research suggests that 65% of consumers prefer to engage with content in their own language, even if the provided translations are imperfect. However, effective localization goes beyond translating words. It requires preserving meaning, intent, and cultural relevance. Modern AI dubbing solutions offer flexible ways to scale the process and localization strategy.

A flexible approach: Four ways to dub content at scale

Not all content requires the same dubbing approach. One of the most significant trends in localization is the move toward flexible dubbing models like Verbit’s that adapt to different quality, speed, and budget requirements.

Today, organizations that work with Verbit can choose from four dubbing options as part of Verbit’s dubbing solution suite:

1. Fully Automated AI Dubbing

Designed for speed and scale, this option is ideal for large content libraries, internal communications, or rapid localization needs where turnaround time is critical.

2. AI Dubbing with Editorial Review

This hybrid model combines AI-generated dubbing with human review to refine pronunciation, terminology, and cultural nuances.

3. Human-in-the-Loop Dubbing

AI accelerates the process while professional linguists and editors ensure accuracy and emotional fidelity — well-suited for high-visibility content.

4. Premium Human-Led Dubbing

For flagship content, marketing campaigns, or entertainment properties where creative control is paramount, traditional voice talent is supported by AI-driven workflows behind the scenes.

This tiered approach allows organizations to match dubbing quality to content value, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution.

More on Verbit’s dubbing solutions

Verbit’s advanced dubbing solutions offer users with lots of customization and choice:

Whether you need human-voiced dubbing for a film or AI-voiced dubbing to enhance the accessibility of a university video, Verbit provides customizable solutions to meet your specific needs. Our translations are tailored to meet the needs of your audience, and our audio recordings are meticulously synchronized to your media content to ensure all viewers receive an equitable and engaging experience. Verbit can also provide clients with access to in-territory creative directors, mixers and voice artists when human dubbing is needed so they can rest assured that all final products will appeal to their target audiences.

Get inspired by a real-word use case: Scaling global content distribution

In the media and entertainment sector, global rights holders face constant pressure to localize content efficiently while maintaining creative integrity.

Recent localization initiatives demonstrate how AI-assisted dubbing can:

These capabilities are especially valuable for distributors managing thousands of hours of content across diverse markets. As one example, Verbit recently partnered with Banijay Rights to bring localized versions of 300+ hours of programming for exploitation across self publishing and social media platforms to the Latin American market.

The future of AI-powered dubbing

As AI and localization technologies continue to evolve, teams that embrace scalable AI dubbing workflows stand to gain a competitive edge. Fast, flexible, and accessible dubbing, from fully automated tracks to high-fidelity, human-tuned audio, enables richer storytelling and deeper engagement in any language.

Whether you’re a creator looking to expand globally or a media team managing vast content libraries, understanding the nuances of dubbing workflows and modern AI dubbing tools is critical for staying ahead in an increasingly multilingual digital world. If you’d like to learn more about Verbit’s dubbing or have questions about our other localization solutions like subtitles and translation, reach out today.

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