Foreign Language VO

[Hawk Teflon]

*My apologies if this is in the wrong category*

I spent the past month or so working on a project for a World Missions group. Now that I'm done, they want a version in Spanish as well (though it would have helped knowing this beforehand). I have the Spanish version of the audio, and I've dropped it under the English, with the English dropped to -18dB. It's very lightly heard, but completely washed out by the Spanish. I've seen this done before, and it seems 'pretty ok' but not exactly right. Also, this isn't interview style. The original speaker is reading from a prompter, so he's looking right at the camera.

Should the audience hear the English for a second, then drop the audio and bring the Spanish in, or should the English be low at all times? OR should there be no english in the background? I'm not sure. Please help!

 

[Steve House]

FWIW, I think such scenes sound best if the first few words are in English and then it ducks down into the background as the Spanish picks-up at the same level the opening few words were at.

 

[Hawk Teflon]

Thanks ... should the dropped English should be heard still? It's very distracting even at a low level, but that be only because I don't speak Spanish, and my ears are hearing the English as that's what they're used to.