Representation Matters in AI-Driven Dubbing

Dubbing for diversity: Why Representation Matters

The way stories are told, who tells them, and how they are received globally can significantly affect how society views certain cultures, races, genders, and other groups. Even though 2022’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” earned its leading lady Michelle Yeoh an Oscar, women and people of color are still underrepresented in most job categories in film, states UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report. Even as we look to last year’s Barbie movie, this problem is still apparent, according to Women’s Agenda, which states that “Just 30 of the top 100 films of 2023 featured a female lead or co-lead. This was the lowest number in a decade and a 14% decrease from 2022’s record-high of 44. Representation of women behind the screen was even worse: of those 30 films, only 36.7% were directed by women.”

Dubbing, an often overlooked aspect of content localization, plays a crucial role in this ecosystem. 

Dubbing’s potential to bridge culture gaps

Traditionally, dubbing has been seen as a mere translation tool. However, the scope has broadened significantly with the advent of AI-driven technology. AI dubbing can preserve an original performance's emotional depth and nuances, ensuring that the content resonates with a local audience while maintaining the universal appeal of the stories being told. 

AI-driven dubbing also makes English content accessible to non-English-speaking audiences worldwide, including underrepresented communities. This is crucial for sharing diverse stories and voices worldwide so more people can see their experiences and cultures reflected on screen. Through AI-driven dubbing, films and TV shows can incorporate local languages, dialects, and cultural nuances, promoting a greater appreciation of cultural diversity and challenging stereotypes. A perfect example of this is Netflix’s "Parasite," a South Korean film dubbed into various languages, including English, which helped it reach a broader audience and achieve significant critical and commercial success. 

Representation’s reach matters too 

Dubbing can also expand the representation of diverse languages and dialects in films and TV. By selecting voice actors from various ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, our industry can provide employment opportunities and visibility to underrepresented groups. This not only boosts the film's commercial success but also its cultural impact, as more diverse groups are exposed to and can see themselves in global narratives. 

During global crises, documentaries and films that tell stories of affected regions or groups can be quickly dubbed into multiple languages with the power of AI, helping to spread awareness, empathy, and solidarity across borders. For example, documentaries about the Syrian refugee crisis or climate change impacts in specific regions can educate and mobilize global audiences more effectively when dubbed.

Beware negative dubbing practices

Dubbing is not a viable solution to correcting underrepresentation if used incorrectly. If not accomplished carefully, dubbing can erase an original performance's unique cultural and linguistic elements. This can diminish the authenticity of characters from underrepresented backgrounds, potentially reinforcing a homogenized cultural perspective. The industry practice of casting voice actors without considering cultural and ethnic authenticity can also lead to a form of digital "whitewashing," where characters of diverse backgrounds are dubbed by voice actors who do not share or represent those backgrounds.

Additionally, since dubbing often uses a standardized version of a language, which can overlook regional dialects and accents, this leads to a form of cultural erasure, particularly affecting underrepresented and indigenous languages that rarely receive representation in mainstream media.

Representation matters for an inclusive future

As technologies like AI-driven dubbing become more prevalent, there is a significant opportunity to enhance diversity in movies. By making content accessible and relatable to people from different cultural backgrounds, the industry can take a significant step towards a more inclusive global narrative. 

At Deepdub, we’re committed to ensuring fair and accurate representation of marginalized groups through culturally sensitive casting practices, promoting authenticity, incorporating regional dialects and accents to preserve cultural nuances and supporting projects that bring diverse stories to the forefront, using AI-driven dubbing as a tool to amplify rather than dilute their impact.