Culture

Speaking out about the life of a dubber

By Joseph Christian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-16 07:32

Jia Xiaojun, a freelance television and movie dubber, has voiced over more than 1,000 movies. [Zou Hong / China Daily]

Beijing native Jia Xiaojun has been the Chinese voice of everyone, from computer whiz Riley Poole in National Treasure, to the mischievous villain Plankton in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

His current work as a freelance television and movie dubber is more than just a job to Jia, it is the fruition of a childhood dream.

Ever since Jia was a child he has had a deep love for both Chinese and foreign cinema, but the thing that caught his attention the most was the striking voices of the Chinese voice actors who dubbed foreign films.

"When I was young, I would watch classics like Waterloo Bridge and Roman Holiday over and over again just to hear the voices of the Chinese dubbers. It left quite an impression on me. I dreamed that I could do that one day," Jia said.

But his dreams quickly faded when, after graduating from high school, he joined the army. Jia worked hard to serve his country, but with every promotion he felt like he was stepping further and further away from the childhood dream that still lived inside him.

Finally, after 10 years of military service, Jia made one of the biggest decisions of his life; he left the military.

"It was a very sudden thing," Jia recalled. "I felt I needed more freedom in my life. So, rather impulsively, I quit in search of a new job as a civilian."

Initially, Jia got a job as an insurance agent in Beijing and although he was successful he still felt like he was not pursuing his passions.

However, things began to change one day when Jia's classmate told him that the Beijing Film Academy was recruiting part-time students regardless of their background.

"I was so excited. After so many years, I

now had the chance to pursue my dream," Jia said.

Even after three months of training, Jia found it difficult to find a job dubbing. But with his childhood passion rekindled, Jia was not about to give up.

Finally, in September 1999, Jia caught the break he had always dreamed of when he was selected as one of the voice actors to help China Central Television (CCTV) dub foreign TV shows into Chinese.

Now, after more than 10 years of dubbing, Jia still finds excitement in his work.

"I don't think there are many jobs like dubbing," Jia said. "One day I might be dubbing Napoleon and the next I might dub a cartoon rabbit. Because a good dubber must try his best to understand the emotions and feelings of the characters they dub, every week can be a real emotional roller coaster."

It took Jia the better part of his life to fulfill his childhood dream but his hard work and persistence is a good lesson for us all.

"I love it, but it's not an easy job," Jia admitted. "On busy days, I have to go to as many as five different recording studios a day."