Witnessed various challenges faced by cross-border enterprises during the preparation of multilingual audio/video content, Landelion now will focus on the voiceover process and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using AI voiceover versus human voiceover. This article intends to assist cross-border enterprises in finding the optimal solution tailored to their specific needs during practical implementation.

Advantages of Human Voiceover

· Various styles

Human voice actors can effortlessly switch between emotions, handle subtle emotional changes, and deliver a more lively and expressive performance. Each actor has a distinct voice, allowing for the selection of a suitable actor based on the type of video. Human voiceover is suitable for high-demand audio/video content, such as audio books, radio plays, and commercials, generally providing more versatile solutions.

· Flexible price

Fees for voice actors are determined on an individual basis, considering factors such as their experience and skills. This allows for flexibility in choosing the ideal voice actor that meets both budget constraints and quality expectations.

Disadvantages of Human Voiceover

· Higher cost

Firstly, the cost of human voiceover often involves additional fees for renting recording studios to achieve desired effects. Although voice actors typically do not receive separate studio fees, these fees are usually incorporated within the total fee quoted for their services. Secondly, in the event that re-recording is necessary for some reasons or extensive modifications are requested during the voiceover process, additional fees will be required to cover another round of voiceover.

· Longer time

The saying "deliberate work produces fine results" applies to voiceovers as well. Additionally, voice actors need to be booked for specific times as they have their own work schedules each day. If re-recording or extensive modifications are required, re-booking and extended delivery will be involved.

To sum up, human voiceover can fully meet clients' specific requirements and achieve precise results through one-on-one interaction. It is more suitable for cross-border enterprises with high expectations for presentation effects, sufficient budget, and preparation time. In practical applications, human voiceover is commonly used in corporate brand videos, product introduction videos, films, etc.

Advantages of AI Voiceover

· High cost performance

AI voiceover does not involve factors such as actors and recording studios, so the cost is much lower than traditional human voiceover. There is no minimum fee for AI voiceover, while human voiceover usually has a minimum fee for three minutes (or five minutes). If re-recording is required, the cost of AI voiceover is more friendly and lower.

· Higher efficiency

There is no need to spend time scheduling and coordinating personnel. After sorting out the script and selecting the desired voice, AI voiceover can be arranged directly.

Disadvantages of AI Voiceover

· Lack of emotion

AI voiceover can only slightly express emotional changes, but it cannot interpret rich and delicate emotional fluctuations. Therefore, it is not suitable for scripts that require high emotional expression, such as promotional videos.

· Low accuracy

AI voiceover cannot accurately grasp the pronunciation of words and often has significant differences compared to human voiceover, especially for words with similar pronunciation or connected speech.

· Poor time control

AI voiceover lacks the ability to control duration effectively, especially when incorporated into videos. If the length of the generated audio differs significantly from the original video, there will be awkward pauses after each sentence, resulting in a poor viewing experience.

· More difficult post-production adjustment

Compared to human voiceover, post-production adjustments for AI voiceover are much more challenging. The pronunciation of keywords needs to be annotated before voiceover and then tested with AI. If not satisfactory, different methods need to be tried until the correct pronunciation is achieved. Post-synthesis also requires more time to handle sentence breaks and other adjustments.

In summary, AI voiceover is more suitable for cross-border companies with tight budgets, high time requirements, and no excessive demands on presentation effects. In practical applications, AI voiceover is generally better suited for internal training or lectures videos that do not require high precision in expression.

The in-depth comparison discussed above clearly illustrates that both AI voiceover and human voiceover have their own strengths and weaknesses. It is important to consider the specific needs of your own company and compare the two voiceover methods on multiple dimensions to find the one that meets your quality expectations. That’s all the content today. Please like, share and favorite it if you find it interesting. If you have any questions about Landelion's audio/video localization services or related business needs, please call 400 097 8816 or email marketing@landelion.com to get in touch with us.