Liu Yi Fei (刘亦菲) #2#

[Ren Ying Ying]

Wow I am shocked none of you really don't understand. You see I live in the US and all the people I know who loves watching Chinese Drama. The one thing we all agree on is that the Dubbing is stupid. Go on You Tube and look up what Yuan Hong said about his voice getting dubbed on Yang Warriors. He hates it. The only good reason to Dub is if that person is speaking Cantonese instead of Mandarin other than that there is no excuse. You people are so used to Dubbing you don't really care anymore and thats sad. Sorry I am used to shows like in Hk and Taiwan where Dubbing don't even exist. Why not just get it right the first time during filming. If TVB and Taiwan can do it then why not China. I just don't understand.

I'm not sure Taiwan and TVB dramas these days actually care about acting anymore anyways

I don't speak cantonese, so I can't judge too sensitively for TVB dramas, but in a lot of TW dramas, the terrible line delivery is really what enhances the subpar acting...

[kingjune86]

Think about it if the director don't like their voices then why cast them? Why can't the filmmakers show some respect for their actors? The only good reason to Dub is if an HK actors is in it that's understandable. But why dub the people just because they have a different voice then you expected. To me I am an actor here in the US and I would hate it if someone elses voice is talking over mine. These filmmakers have no respect for their actors in the Mainland and to me that is sad. I just don't see what you all see in why you like Dubbing.

[Dragon Heiress]

Directors cast actors because their acting is good. Maybe it's not that people in China don't understand, but that you don't understand because dubbing is not so normal and expected in your culture. The actors don't feel disrespected, even if you feel it second hand for them. There are reasons, even if you don't seem to understand.

Btw, dubbing also helps actors because then they can make seemingly stupid noises to help them film. For example, Wallace in CP3 would always say "pa" when doing a certain move because it helped him achieve a certain look. Obviously, they couldn't have let him do that if the sound was recorded on-site. And the camera machines are loud, like, really loud. Chinese series like doing craaaazy cinematography and I don't know if quieter technology exists, but if it does, they probably can't afford it.

Not having to concentrate on voice also helps actors concentrate on other smaller details, which is why you can often catch more small details in acting in Chinese series. Some people just have crappy expression in their voice. Did you see the YK and MNC undubbed footage from LOCH? It was released as part of a bts clip from Tangren and their voices sounded beyond terrible and devoid of emotion. But in the finished and dubbed result, the emotion sounded great and the little details were all there.

Wow I am shocked none of you really don't understand. You see I live in the US and all the people I know who loves watching Chinese Drama. The one thing we all agree on is that the Dubbing is stupid. Go on You Tube and look up what Yuan Hong said about his voice getting dubbed on Yang Warriors. He hates it. The only good reason to Dub is if that person is speaking Cantonese instead of Mandarin other than that there is no excuse. You people are so used to Dubbing you don't really care anymore and thats sad. Sorry I am used to shows like in Hk and Taiwan where Dubbing don't even exist. Why not just get it right the first time during filming. If TVB and Taiwan can do it then why not China. I just don't understand.

And maybe the fact that you live in the US means your Mandarin isn't good enough to tell that mainlanders don't always have great Mandarin either. Hu Ge has great Mandarin which is why he dubs himself. Even LSS, who's a native of Beijing, has an obvious accent. Imagine watching one of those British costume dramas set in Victorian/Tudor/whatever England. Now imagine everyone in the show having a modern Texan accent.

Btw, I don't live in China either but that doesn't mean anything about my opinion on this.

[Ren Ying Ying]

Think about it if the director don't like their voices then why cast them? Why can't the filmmakers show some respect for their actors? The only good reason to Dub is if an HK actors is in it that's understandable. But why dub the people just because they have a different voice then you expected. To me I am an actor here in the US and I would hate it if someone elses voice is talking over mine. These filmmakers have no respect for their actors in the Mainland and to me that is sad. I just don't see what you all see in why you like Dubbing.

I, too, sometimes wonder why the director/producer would want to cast a certain actor/actress...but I suppose in the entertainment industry (esp in China), it's not always about acting "talent". Maybe, sometimes, dubbing them over is actually doing the actor/actress a FAVOR *cough*LYF*cough*.

In any case, it's actor/actress vs. product. Perhaps one is not paying the production any respect by letting subpar voice acting lower the quality of the production. Though, unfortunately, some productions are just too terrible that even improved voice acting can't save it...but that's another story for another day. In the end, if actors/actresses are so offended by letting their voices get dubbed over, they can always choose not to accept the project, or accept only under the condition of using their own voice.

Even LSS, who's a native of Beijing, has an obvious accent.

LSS has an accent? I think most of the younger generation mainland actors/actresses have pretty standard mandarin. It varies here and there, but mostly pretty standard when need to be (casual speech often sounds very "modern", even Hu Ge sounds different in interviews vs. in actual series).

[Dragon Heiress]

A lot of people think she's from Southern China based on her accent. She says it comes from spending time around HK people.

[Ren Ying Ying]

A lot of people think she's from Southern China based on her accent. She says it comes from spending time around HK people.

how far south?

She doesn't have the obvious thick beijing accent like Ge You, but she definitely have more or less "standard" mandarin (not HK sounding). Even folks from Guangdong these days speak pretty standard sounding mandarin. I mean, there are slight difference in "accent", but it's pretty subtle (as compared to TW or SG accent)

but then again, i'm not a linguistic expert .

[Dragon Heiress]

Mandarin nowadays does seem more standard than before, but I still don't think it's on par with dubbers.

[Ren Ying Ying]

Mandarin nowadays does seem more standard than before, but I still don't think it's on par with dubbers.

I don't know if dubbers actually speak like that in real life though. It's one thing reading from a script and another to speak casually. I mean, even Hu Ge sounds different in interviews compared to his line delivery in series

[Dragon Heiress]

But even in interviews, his Mandarin sounds pretty damn good to me. Or maybe I'm just deaf to Shanghainese accents because I'm Shanghainese myself?

[Ren Ying Ying]

But even in interviews, his Mandarin sounds pretty damn good to me. Or maybe I'm just deaf to Shanghainese accents because I'm Shanghainese myself?

But all of their mandarins sound really good in their interviews .

But I do suppose they don't sound like many of the hosts in the interview shows (or news reporters) :P.

Though, I think even the people from TW and HK have varying degrees of accents. I mean, sometimes I can hardly identify any accent from Nic Tse...

[Dragon Heiress]

I've never heard undubbed Nic Tse before.

Of course some people are going to have better Mandarin than others. Not everyone's going to suck as much as Kevin at it. Sorry, that's a bit mean. Kevin isn't actually that bad. He tries. I think.

[sunnysnow]

Though, I think even the people from TW and HK have varying degrees of accents. I mean, sometimes I can hardly identify any accent from Nic Tse...

Nic Tse does sound perfectly like a mainland Chinese which he speaks mandarin. It's so clear, compared to many other HK actors.

[kingjune86]

I guess if you all put it that way. I did not realize China has so many accents. But I still believe in realism and that a series would be whole lot better if you just let the actors speak without getting dubbed.

[mango_cake]

I guess if you all put it that way. I did not realize China has so many accents. But I still believe in realism and that a series would be whole lot better if you just let the actors speak without getting dubbed.

Fair enough...sorry if I'm mistaken, but it sounds like you don't actually speak native Chinese? So perhaps for people not in China who mostly watch dramas by subtitles, hearing the voices of the original actors is preferable. However, for people living in China (the vast majority of the audience watching these series), the tone and pronounciation of speech can make or break the series. I like Dragon Heiress' analogy of hearing a Texan accent in a TV series like the Tudors! Except it'd be more like hearing a mash-up of Texan, Australian, British, North American, etc. English all in one proper historical series.

As for Mainlanders getting their voices dubbed...I see where you're coming from there, but for costume dramas I really feel like it's critical to get the speech right because the characters are all speaking in a very formal "olden-day" Chinese speech, and often actors (who are not professionally-trained voice actors) sound too modern.

But really I guess it's just a difference in opinion since I'm so used to dubbing while it is unheard of in North America. I personally still feel it's a better use of time to let actors go do more acting rather than doing a mediocre job of dubbing their own voices, and give more jobs/exposure to talented voice actors who often greatly enhance the performance of some of the less-talented actors...but yeah, I guess you can argue that is not really "acting" in the full sense of the word. As long as the final product is enjoyable though, I couldn't care less.

And again, you do not see this type of dubbing happening in movies--which are really what's intended for a more international audience. TV series are mostly meant for people in China to watch, so if no one there has any issues with it, what's the problem? I agree the actors themselves would prefer to dub their own voices, but I haven't seen anyone say they hate it--and sometimes, it's really for the best that they don't.

[kingjune86]

Actually I do know Cantonese and Mandarin. But I am a full American who loves the chinese culture. I learned it in college when I had to study for Chinese History.

[mango_cake]

Actually I do know Cantonese and Mandarin. But I am a full American who loves the chinese culture. I learned it in college when I had to study for Chinese History.

Wow, that's pretty impressive. I can't imagine learning a complex language like Chinese not till college! O_o And both Mandarin + Cantonese? I don't even know Cantonese even though it's kinda similar to Mandarin!

[swtaznlaydee]

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[swtaznlaydee]

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[swtaznlaydee]

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[Stacey Xiong]

i just watched a chinese ghost story by liu yi fei and got confused at the end