The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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JUNE/JULY The Linguist 21 Film studios prefer it if a Hollywood actor is dubbed by the same voice for all of their films. This enables audiences to become familiar with the dubbed voice and regard it as the actor's own. Jordi Brau has worked in the industry for 28 years and is the Spanish voice of Tom Cruise, Robin Williams and Tom Hanks. 'I started out as a stage actor and landed some low-key film parts. In one film, I had to dub over myself and the director, Joan Borras, told me I'd taken to it really well and should combine dubbing with my work as an actor. I saw it as another way to find work so I started going to auditions for dubbing roles. I was selected for the role of Tom Cruise in Top Gun and that's really when my career took off. Good Morning Vietnam was when I first started dubbing Robin Williams and I remember it most for the challenge of mastering all the different tones and changes of rhythm in his voice. Williams is such a diverse actor, with such a wide range of possibilities, so I've always had a great time working on his films. But Forrest Gump and The King's Speech were also very complicated roles – and dubbing Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet. For me, dubbing is like an interpreted translation. The challenge is to get the actor's interpretation and dub over it as if your voice is an instrument following and respecting the notes. A good dubbed version has to pass by the audience without them noticing. Dubbing is another area of the acting profession and using a well-known actor is a way of marketing the film. It's a fickle industry but as long as the actor does a good job and adapts his technique accordingly, I don't see a problem. The industry is made complicated by economic problems. I think there's an important change underway with advances in digital platforms affecting cinema ratings.' Vol/53 No/3 2014 FEATURES original English version of the 2007 animation film Nocturna. It is a beautifully crafted film and yet didn't go anywhere because the production company either didn't have the vision or didn't do the right promotion.' Dubbed vs. original The Madrid government recently ran a campaign encouraging parents to show their children the original, English-language versions of films and TV shows. The idea is that widespread dubbing has held back the country's level of English, which is perceived to be lower than in the countries of northern Europe. Just over half of the Spanish THE VOICE OF TOM CRUISE population speaks a second language, which led to a reappraisal of parts of the education system to improve foreign language skills. 'I personally go to see original version films at the cinema, whether they are Iranian, Chinese, French, English, Spanish,' admits Phillips. 'The audio translation will never capture the full essence; concessions must be made, the same way the nuances of Dostoyevsky are not the same in English as they are in Russian. But if someone is to learn the language they're watching a film in, they'd have to really focus on reading the subtitles and matching this up to the audio – and watch a lot of films.' Phillips and Jordá have worked together to defend the rights of dubbing actors by developing the labour agreement negotiations in Spain to formalise a minimum wage and working hours. With the rise of dubbing into Catalan, they sat on a commission to negotiate conditions for actors in Catalonia, but this was dissolved by the trade association before an agreement had been reached. Regional dubbing Besides dubbing in Castilian, regional authorities in Galicia, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Valencia have started to The actor-director relationship is fundamental. The director should create the right atmosphere