Dubbing, in filmmaking, the process of adding new dialogue or other sounds to the sound track of a motion picture that has already been shot. Dubbing is most familiar to audiences as a means of translating foreign-language films into the audience’s language. When a foreign language is dubbed, the translation of the original dialogue is carefully matched to the lip movements of the actors in the film. Dubbed sound tracks rarely equal the artistic quality of original foreign-language sound tracks, however, and hence subtitles may be preferred by viewers as a means of understanding the dialogue in foreign films.
