Dubbing artist Kathryn Lin reflects on the irreplaceable human touch in voice-overs amid AI advancement.

Lin poses with a poster of Chibi Maruko-chan, a character she dubbed for. CHINA DAILY

Do we really need real dubbing artists in the age of generative artificial intelligence?

Indeed, many have harbored doubts about the future and necessity of real dubbing artists, because an increasing number of videos on social networks are works of GenAI, which sound increasingly close to genuine — meaning the voice, devoid of any metallic tinge and digital hoarseness, sounds genuinely human.

Yet for Kathryn Lin, a leading dubbing artist from China's Taiwan island, the profession signifies the shared happiness of generations of audiences on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Suffice it to say the profession has changed her life. "I joined the profession simply because of economic needs, and have had to work very hard," she said in a recent interview with China Daily.

Born in 1975, Lin wanted to become a teacher or a journalist, not a dubbing artist.

"My first public speech was made at a kindergarten graduation ceremony. Maybe I was chosen because I was chubby and looked adorable," she said, bursting into laughter.

The following 12 years saw her being frequently chosen by her school to take part in various speech contests and storytelling competitions. The turning point in her life came in her first year of college. Her family faced a major financial crisis, and she had no choice but to drop out of college and take up part-time jobs in shops and restaurants.

"I have younger brothers and sisters, so I had to start working to feed the family," she said. The chance to join the dubbing industry was given by the dubbing artists' union on Taiwan island. In the 1990s, the union members joined a prime-time TV variety show to recruit students for dubbing performances.

"That night I was at home and watched the show on TV by chance," she said. She was rejected by the judges because she was still in college, but she succeeded in getting the chance in the second year.

Since she was a newcomer to the industry, she had to complete her apprenticeship before getting real work. And there was no specific time limit for the apprenticeship. "I needed the job. So I spent almost 24 hours a day in the studio following and learning from the veterans, shadow performing and analyzing the performances," she said.

A booth of Japanese anime Chibi Maruko-chan at the China Licensing Expo in Shanghai on July 18.  CHINA DAILY

Soothing voice

In the studios, she saw at work the great You Hui Feng, the first Mandarin dubbing artist who lent her voice to the popular Japanese anime Chibi Maruko-chan. Chibi Marukochan is a curious schoolgirl who lives in a cozy town with her loving family and friends.

"While watching them dub for that anime, I couldn't even think of taking their place years later." It usually takes three to five years of hard work to complete the apprenticeship in the industry and start getting independent dubbing assignments, but Lin achieved that in less than two years.

When Feng got married and moved to Hong Kong, the studio had to find a replacement. "That's how I got the chance to dub for Chibi Maruko-chan."

"After working for a few years, I realized that the job was not just about bread and butter," she said, stressing that the popular characters she has dubbed for have given her "a lot of insight into life and intriguing experiences".

Once the head of a company invited Lin to speak on the voice-over industry, and most of the people in the audience were heads or senior managers of well-known companies. After she finished her speech, the company head walked up to her and said, "Ms Lin, your job is extremely significant." He told her that he was always neck deep in work, so after returning home, he watches Chibi Maruko-chan, because it is the best stress-reliever for him.

"When we are no longer on Earth, our voice will keep inspiring people and bring laughter to their lives," she said.

Lin often reads books, but she also likes audiobooks. "Audio content isn't just for kids; it benefits people of all age groups. It has a healing, curative effect, and brings sunshine to people under stress."

An exhibition on the 30th anniversary of anime Chibi Maruko-chan in Shanghai in 2020. CHINA DAILY

She also attends lectures to help juvenile delinquents, and children who have dropped out of school. "They might have been under stress or were really confused before breaking the law, or might have dropped out of school for family reasons," she said.

In her spare time, Lin loves going to the theater. Besides Taipei, Lin has spent a lot of time in Shanghai for work. Talking about the Chinese mainland's animation market, Lin said mainland productions have a lot of original elements and "materials that I really like". Mainland animations "are a cultural blend of the East and the West, and the style inspires me a lot when dubbing, because they are not completely Western-style stuff".

Working with dubbing artists from the mainland, Lin felt that she clicked with them. "They are also involved in other kinds of acting jobs or have their own hobbies and interests." This gives her more things to talk about with them. "For example, we also discuss about producing short videos together."

Before the turn of the century, foreign films and TV productions dubbed by voice artists on the island became hugely popular on the mainland and influenced a couple of generations.

Lin still gets work offers from mainland producers, "but not as many as before". But her "voice-over for some classic characters are still very popular (on the mainland)," she said.

Taiwan dubbing artist Kathryn Lin at work. CHINA DAILY

Facing the future

When it comes to AI dubbing, Lin said she is "actually trying to be less pessimistic about it … I think it's a future trend … and our future depends on how we blend with AI and work with it."

She said that real voice artists still get the lion's share of the work, and AI voice-overs are used more for audiobooks on the island. "Maybe in the future we will have more AI workmates," she said.

Lin, who is also a dubbing director, knows well the differences between AI and real dubbing artists when casting artists. "Real dubbing artists inject their soul and unique individual trait into the performance. AI doesn't have any soul or trait," she said.

As for the future of AI dubbing, Lin said the total replacement of real dubbing artists by AI will take time. "But now is the time to ponder what else can dubbing artists do?"

Lin, who has been associated with the profession for nearly 30 years, believes dubbing artists can transform themselves by, for instance, teaching the art of dubbing to younger people, publishing books, teaching in schools and giving lectures.

Voice artists should plan their career early, she said.

"This industry had been full of uncertainties even before the advent of AI, because we fulfill our tasks case by case," she said.

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