Video Dubbing

Video Dubbing Module

This portfolio entry reflects on my experience completing the video dubbing assignment, a task that tested not only my linguistic abilities but also my resilience, teamwork and commitment. My group faced a unique set of challenges due to our diverse linguistic backgrounds and limited Mandarin Chinese proficiency. Despite many difficulties, I adapted, persevered and contributed to a project I am truly proud of.

The dubbing task significantly helped improve my pronunciation, fluency and most notably, my confidence in speaking Mandarin Chinese via song. None of us in the group had advanced Chinese language skills and only one person could read pinyin fluently. This made accurate pronunciation and tone usage particularly challenging, especially when trying to match dialogue with the characters’ mouth movements. However, through repeated practice and collaborative effort, I learned to pronounce new Chinese phrases and statements appropriate to my academic and new social context.

Collaboration was essential. Our group members stemmed from diverse linguistic backgrounds. While I am a native English speaker, the rest of the group speaks English as a second language, which added another challenging layer to our dynamic. Due to our different schedules, we often had to meet late at night and work into the early morning hours past 1 a.m. Recording multiple takes, practicing pronunciation, syncing vocals and editing the video were all labor-intensive tasks that required patience and collaboration.

This shared struggle strengthened our teamwork and helped me overcome the initial anxiety I felt. Each member contributed something essential to the final product and this collective effort was key to developing my oral language skills.

During Phase 1, we attempted to dub a SpongeBob scene, which was far too difficult. I became anxious and even disheartened which are feelings I don’t usually experience in academic settings. Recognizing the emotional and academic strain, I along with my group, wrote to my professor, respectfully requesting permission to complete the assignment in English.

My professor responded with empathy and understanding. She acknowledged the difficulty of the chosen video and shared that she had considered advising us to switch to a simpler one. Rather than allowing a switch to English, which would have removed the foreign language learning experience intended for the assignment, she offered a helpful compromise: we could dub a beginner-level Chinese song instead. She then provided helpful resources and encouraged shortening the video duration if needed. This support helped us regroup and approach the assignment from a more manageable angle.

We decided to dub a mix of two Chinese songs. By the time we presented, I was more confident in my speaking and my pronunciation had improved. The transformation from anxious and unsure to accomplished and capable was a major personal milestone for this specific project.

The most challenging phase was certainly the beginning. Attempting to work with a complex video in an unfamiliar language left me overwhelmed and stressed. With the support and empathy of our professor, there was a turning point. That turning point enabled me to re-engage with the project more positively and productively.

We used TurboScribe and ChatGPT to support our subtitle translation. TurboScribe helped generate the Chinese transcription, while ChatGPT assisted with extracting the audio for the TurboScribe upload as well as checking the accuracy of translations with alternative phrasings specific to dubbing when needed. These tools helped us better understand the phrases, practice more effectively and produce a more coherent dubbed video. To put the final video together, we used CapCut which posed its own challenges such as aligning our dubbed audio to the correct sections of the muted original but as a dedicated team, we persevered and pulled through successfully. These tools were a valuable part of our workflow, especially in rehearsing pronunciation and aligning lyrics with meaning. 

After this rewarding experience, I am quite excited to use this tool to teach my students in Taiwan some aspects of English language learning. The dubbing experience demonstrated how language learning can be interactive, creative and emotionally engaging. As Krashen (1982) emphasized, “Language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules and does not require tedious drill.” Dubbing offered a deeper, more meaningful way to engage with a language.

As Vygotsky (1978) stated, “What a child can do in cooperation today, he can do alone tomorrow.” This resonates with my experience, as I initially struggled individually but through collaboration, I developed skills and confidence that would have been difficult to achieve alone.

The completed video, though simple in language, represents a significant achievement. It stands as a symbol of resilience, adaptability and shared effort. I was indeed very dedicated to overcoming the challenges. Even in my state of hospitalization for a medical emergency warranting surgery, I would fall asleep and wake up to the song “Sorry, My Chinese is not Good對不起我的中文不好” on repeat. This was done every night until I could sing the entire song correctly.Presenting it in class was nerve-wracking but the overwhelming sense of accomplishment afterward made it all worthwhile.

This project taught me that learning a foreign language is not just about mastering vocabulary or grammar; it’s about navigating uncertainty, embracing discomfort and finding creative solutions. I also developed greater empathy for others learning new languages, especially in unfamiliar cultural and academic contexts.

I am grateful to my professor and my teammates for their understanding, cooperation, and flexibility throughout this process. What began as an unnerving challenge turned into an empowering learning experience. The final dubbed video may not be perfect linguistically but it engaged me emotionally and cognitively in a way that rote learning never could.

This assignment not only pushed me to improve my Chinese language skills but also deepened my teamwork, problem-solving, and emotional resilience which are skills that will benefit me long after this course ends.