Why are TV series and films voiced over in Poland?

In Poland it's common to watch films and series with a voice-over, which sets our market apart from many other countries where subtitles or dubbing dominate. This phenomenon has its roots in the history of Polish television and results from several factors.

After World War II, Poland had only two studios dealing with film adaptation – in Łódź and Warsaw. There was a shortage of both specialists and equipment to keep up with the growing number of foreign productions appearing in the country. Dubbing, although it was used, proved too costly and time-consuming. It required the involvement of many actors and a lengthy recording process. Introducing a single voice-over reader was a much cheaper and faster solution – all that was needed was one voice talent reading the translated dialogue over the course of the film. This approach allowed foreign content to be delivered to Polish viewers quickly and economically.

Over the years, Polish viewers grew accustomed to the voice-over format, which cemented this method in domestic media. The voice-over became an integral part of the film-watching experience in Poland. Viewers value being able to hear the original soundtrack in the background, which better conveys the actors' emotions and intonation, while still understanding the dialogue thanks to the voice talent's translation. For many people, this is a compromise between full dubbing and subtitles, which require continuously reading text on the screen.

Modern technology enables the fast, professional creation of voice-over recordings. Recording studios, especially in large cities such as Warsaw, offer a wide selection of voice-over voices, tailored to different types of production. Our professional voice-over recordings in Warsaw are characterised by high sound quality and precise matching of intonation to the character of the film or series. This allows producers to quickly and efficiently prepare voiced-over versions that meet the expectations of Polish viewers.