Cantonese Voiceovers

Cantonese voice over needs a Cantonese script

This is the mistake behind most bad Cantonese recordings. Standard written Chinese is based on Mandarin grammar and vocabulary. A Cantonese speaker can read it aloud, and it will be understood, but it sounds like someone reading a document rather than talking. For a commercial or an explainer that is fatal.

Natural Cantonese uses different words, different particles and different sentence endings from written Chinese. So the script has to be adapted into spoken Cantonese before the session, by a native writer, not handed to the actor to convert on the fly. We do that as part of the job.

Hong Kong and Guangzhou

Hong Kong Cantonese is the reference for most commercial work and the variety most international audiences associate with the language. Guangzhou Cantonese is close but not identical in vocabulary and usage, and audiences in Guangdong are usually addressed in Mandarin for national campaigns anyway. Tell us the market and we will recommend the variety and, where relevant, whether Mandarin is the better choice.

English inside Cantonese

Hong Kong Cantonese mixes in English words naturally in everyday speech, and advertising often does the same. The balance needs judgement: too little sounds stiff, too much sounds like an expatriate trying too hard. Brand names that stay in English need an agreed pronunciation; those with Chinese names need the Cantonese reading, which can differ from the Mandarin one.

Tones and timing

Cantonese is a tonal language, and a wrong tone changes the word. It also tends to be compact, so a Cantonese read often finishes ahead of the English timing. That is easier to manage than the reverse, but it still has to be planned at adaptation stage.

Where Cantonese voice over is used

• Commercial voice over for TV, radio and online in Hong Kong and Macau
• Corporate voice over and elearning voice over
• Explainer voice over for product and onboarding video
• IVR voice over for banking and service lines
• Animation voice over and dubbing
• Content for Cantonese-speaking communities outside Hong Kong

If you also need Mandarin

Mandarin and Cantonese are different spoken languages, and each needs its own script and its own voice. See Chinese voice over for Mandarin and the choice between Simplified and Traditional characters.

What you get

• A script adapted into spoken Cantonese by a native writer
• Custom demos from native Cantonese voices
• Brand-name readings agreed before recording
• A native reviewer checking tones and delivery
• A fixed quote covering adaptation, recording, direction, editing and usage

Send the script and the target market. Demos and a fixed quote usually within 24 hours, or see how hiring works.