Chinese TV series find a new voice in Africa
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E-mail China Daily, May 25, 2013
For example, Go Lala Go features a hard-working career woman and her relationship, while Jin's Happy Life tells everyday stories about ordinary Chinese people.
TV: Shows help Africans understand today's China better
"The funny and interesting plots lead overseas audiences to look into Chinese people's everyday lives," Wang said. "If the TV series are aired only with English subtitles, they won't touch the hearts of audiences as much as when they are dubbed in local languages."
Mohamedi Omari Kaboba, an artist from Tanzania, who has performed in dramas and also dubbed advertisements, applied for the dubbing job because he enjoys watching Mao Doudou and Her Sweet Days.
"Family relationships are a mutual issue for people anywhere in the world. For us, it also helps us better understand today's China," he said.
Nastru Sani, from Nigeria, has also been chosen to join the dubbing project. The 34-year-old lends his voice to the role of Wu Di, one of the leading parts in the TV drama Beijing Love Story, which revolves around three pairs of lovers.
"I watched many Chinese kung fu movies before I came to China. I thought Chinese people were all kung fu performers. But when I watched the TV series, I saw a different China, and young people's love stories are just like mine," he said.
Sani said he portrays an emotional Wu Di, whose heart is broken by a girl. "My own girlfriend went away with a rich guy, like Wu Di's girlfriend, so I can feel the same sadness," he said.
Though all the voice actors from Africa have experience in the TV, theater and movie industries, most have never dubbed for TV series and movies before.
Wang Xiaoyan, who trains these African voice actors, said, "We helped them understand their characters." She dubbed the voice of Ikkyu san in the Japanese animation Smart Ikkyu-san, broadcast in China from 1983 to 1988.
One of the most challenging aspects for the African voice actors is that they have to match the lines said by the Chinese characters and to find the right emotions.
Wang said, "Before the formal dubbing, we practiced word by word. We have translators to adjust the lines on site, and the voice actors also help find the most accurate words and emotions to express the characters."
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