The importance of expert narration for e-learning videos
January 18, 2021
COVID-19 update – Matinée is operating business as usual with our team working remotely.
Japanese voice-over agency
Matinée has been a trusted supplier to the Japanese voice recording and subtitling industry for over thirty years, and our experience is second to none. You can trust us to deliver exactly what you need, and at a price you can afford.
Japanese voice-over production made simple
Matinée Multilingual has been setting the quality standards in the UK’s Japanese voice-over recording industry for over 30 years, from our recording studios in Reading. We offer a comprehensive range of voice-over recording services, and subtitling services in Japanese, and in over 80 other foreign languages.
We have a good selection of the very best Japanese voice-over talent available, and you’ll find our voice costs and studio rates to be less than many other agencies offering exactly the same service. And we’ll make sure the chosen Japanese voice artist gives you the very best rate for the job, and we’ll negotiate down on repeat fees and broadcast rates on your behalf.
We can record wild, or sync to picture, and deliver the audio back via FTP. When required, we can also re-mix your new Japanese voice-over recording with the existing music and effects track, and send you a fully mixed video soundtrack.
To check the availability of our Japanese voice-artists and to confirm costs, please contact us using the Quick Quote form below, and we’ll respond within the hour. Or you can email project@matinee.co.uk or call us on +44(0)118 958 4934.
We have a good selection of the very best Japanese voice-over talent available, and you’ll find our voice costs and studio rates to be less than many other agencies offering exactly the same service. And we’ll make sure the chosen Japanese voice artist gives you the very best rate for the job, and we’ll negotiate down on repeat fees and broadcast rates on your behalf.
We can record wild, or sync to picture, and deliver the audio back via FTP. When required, we can also re-mix your new Japanese voice-over recording with the existing music and effects track, and send you a fully mixed video soundtrack.
To check the availability of our Japanese voice-artists and to confirm costs, please contact us using the Quick Quote form below, and we’ll respond within the hour. Or you can email project@matinee.co.uk or call us on +44(0)118 958 4934.
To calculate Japanese voice-over fees and recording costs
Featured Japanese Voiceover Talent
Chikako
Chikako is a native female Japanese voiceover artist, born in Tokyo with a neutral accent. She has many years experience in Japanese narration, e-Learning, commercials and characters. Read more...
Dait
Dait is a male Japanese voiceover artist who originally trained at Rose Buford College in London and Philippe Gaulier in France. Since then he has become a highly experienced Japanese voice artist and actor. Read more...
Oki
Oki is a professional male Japanese voiceover artist. His tone is warm, yet resonant and he has recorded countless corporate and narrative Japanese voice-overs for us. Read more...
Reiko
Reiko is a Japanese voiceover artist with over 25 years experience as a professional TV & radio broadcaster, narrator & character Japanese voice talent. She has voiced countless commercials for major brands. Read more...Featured Japanese
Voice Talent
We have a large database of Japanese voice talent for you to choose from.
Here is a selection of Japanese voice talent who we regularly work with, but if you don’t find what you’re looking for, we have a dedicated talent management team who will help you source the perfect Japanese voice for your needs, and at a price that won’t blow your budget.
If you would like to discuss your project further, please complete the Quick Quote below. You can also call us on
+44 (0)118 9584934 , or email: project@matinee.co.uk
Play and download Japanese voice demos, add them to your Quick Quote
Japanese lip-sync dubbing for safety training videos
Case Study
As a leading Japanese voice-over agency, Matinée were selected to provide Japanese lip-sync dubbing services for a series of corporate safety training videos. We first adapted the supplied Japanese scripts for lip-sync recording, which involved not only making the script shorter, but also making it better match the lip movements of the actors. We cast two female Japanese voice artists that sounded similar to the American actors. Recorded time-sync to picture, then mixed and mastered the audio.
We were also required to encode the videos in both FLV and MP4 format, matching the clients strict specifications for file size and bit-rate to ensure it worked flawlessly in their eLearning platform.
We were also required to encode the videos in both FLV and MP4 format, matching the clients strict specifications for file size and bit-rate to ensure it worked flawlessly in their eLearning platform.
Japanese voiceover recording for Toys R Us
Case Study
Toys “R” Us was founded in America and is a retailer for kids’ toys and baby products. Their toy stores are now found all over the world, and they’ve been in the industry for over 65 years.
In Japan the Toys “R” Us brand focuses primarily on building customer loyalty, they depend on repeat customers, in part due to the low birth rate in Japan. This makes quality localisation extremely important.
The ‘Power Clix’ magnet blocks, is a toy that allows its customers to build and create shapes with their magnetic connecting blocks. The commercial required a youthful, energetic and child friendly native Japanese voice-over artist. Chikako –was the perfect match.
The client was delighted with the voice over in Japanese and the commercial was broadcast on television and online in Japan. 15.12.16
Select a voice-over language
Choose English read in a foreign accent
Select a subtitle language
A short history of the Japanese language
Experts are unsure about the early origins of the Japonic language family. Although written Japanese has been heavily influenced by Chinese, the spoken language isn’t related to any other languages. The most popular theory is that it is part of the Ural-Altaic family, along with Turkish, Mongolian and Korean.
The development of the language is usually split into the following periods:
Old Japanese (up to 1000 BCE) – during this time Japanese was considerably influenced by Chinese, through the spread of Buddhism.
Middle Japanese (1000 – 1700 BCE) – while the written language became more standardised, different dialects developed throughout the country. After the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1292, the Tokyo dialect became the spoken standard. Contact with the Portuguese at the end of the 16th century had a significant influence on the language; the Portuguese also compiled the first Japanese dictionary.
Modern Japanese (from 1700 BCE onwards) – when the American Admiral Perry visited Japan in 1868, he introduced the Japanese to English and other Western languages, and so began a flow of new loanwords.
The development of the language is usually split into the following periods:
Old Japanese (up to 1000 BCE) – during this time Japanese was considerably influenced by Chinese, through the spread of Buddhism.
Middle Japanese (1000 – 1700 BCE) – while the written language became more standardised, different dialects developed throughout the country. After the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1292, the Tokyo dialect became the spoken standard. Contact with the Portuguese at the end of the 16th century had a significant influence on the language; the Portuguese also compiled the first Japanese dictionary.
Modern Japanese (from 1700 BCE onwards) – when the American Admiral Perry visited Japan in 1868, he introduced the Japanese to English and other Western languages, and so began a flow of new loanwords.
Voice Over
- Two state-of-the-art recording studios
- Pro-Tools recording and editing
- BBC quality acoustics and sound proofing
- Talented and helpful sound engineers
Subtitling
- Affordable subtitling in over 80 languages
- Specialised transcription & translation
- Video & graphics editing
- Burnt-in or file format of your choice
Translation
- In-country translation in 80+ languages
- 30 years experience for peace of mind
- Thorough quality check before delivery
- Affordable pricing and on-time delivery
Helpful Videos
- An introduction to Matinée Multilingual
- Why you need a properly edited voiceover
- Translating the captions within a video
- How to create a superb voiceover recording
- Transcription and how to do it well
- Video translation and the potential pitfalls
- Automated phone messages - consider this
- Grow your business with subtitles
News from our blog
2020’s most popular podcasts and how Covid has changed our listening habits
By Isobel Turner / December 17, 2020
Key differences between spoken and written language, and how this can affect subtitling
By Isobel Turner / November 26, 2020
The power of animated explainer videos to capture audience’s attention
By MS / October 21, 2020
Make the most of your video content with audio transcription
By Lauren Broderick / April 21, 2020
Testimonials
They were so professional
Brian and Philippe…love them!! What a great call to brighten up my day! They were so professional and so funny and I could tell the client was really happy 😊
Philippe is definitely the best VO artist I’ve heard since being at Sponge! Just wow!
Maria TrathenSponge
Pleasure to work with
Pleasure to work with these guys. Hugh and the team couldn’t do enough to help and keep us informed throughout our customer journey. Highly recommended!
Alex CarrBBGR Optical
Delivers great work, right on time
We’ve used Matinée for several projects, from video editing to translations of marketing materials, and they’re always a great pleasure to work with. Any requests are answered right away. We’ve had tight deadlines, but we’ve never worried as the team at Matinée delivers great work, right on time.
Lisa PotrawiakSinclair Pharma
Fantastic to work with
The team at Matinée are fantastic to work with. They are really communicative, helpful and turned around the work as quickly as possible. I have no complaints at all and we will definitely be getting back in contact when we next need subtitles.
Jon MirleyThree Motion Media
Matinée is a company I can trust
I’ve worked with Matinee for well over 20 years, and continue to go back to them because of trust; a trust in their commitment to fulfilling the needs of my project, and a trust in the quality of their work.
Bruce CorbyMuddy Boot Productions
I use Matinee a lot for subtitling projects
I use Matinee for a lot of subtitling projects and they never fail to meet the deadlines. Great customer service and fast responses. Well done to the entire team.
Jade BurnellThe Big Word
Friendly and efficient service
The speed of response, and friendly, efficient service from all staff was quite exceptional. Matinee particularly stands out by putting the customer’s needs first, even when the job is relatively small and a bit of a technical challenge. I would strongly recommend Matinee for any subtitling work.
Richard TaylorFreelancer producer and film maker
A fantastic company to work with
A fantastic company to work with. Fast email responses, rapid delivery of audio files, and all with positive and warm personalities shining through! Thank you Matinée for a wonderful customer experience.
Anne CrawfordDecide
They are always well organised
Very pleased with a number of projects completed by Matinée. They are always well organised, providing clear expectations, organisation, efficiency and always deliver a quality product on time. Recommended.
Jon WatkinsJon Watkins TV
Quick response to meet my deadline
I have to mention the quick response of Sally and Nicole to my last minute request. They both understood the urgency of my need, and helped me complete the recording to hit my deadline.
Joville VillanuevaShell UK Ltd
Your dedicated Project Manager has everything covered
One of our dedicated and experienced Project Managers will work with you to guide you through each step in the delivery of your project. They will review your source materials at the outset, to ensure we have everything that’s needed to provide a well-planned solution. And if your project requires voicing, they will use their knowledge of our reliable voice artists to make sure you get the very best voice at an acceptable price.
Throughout the project, they will schedule the studio time, track the progress through production and pay attention to the details of your project to ensure your media is delivered in budget and on time.
We have some fabulous reviews which bear testimony to our friendly and professional voiceover and subtitling services.
Related Case Studies
Please take some time to browse related examples of our work
