What Is Voice Acting?什么是配音？

Think about your favorite video games or animated TV shows. Voice actors were essential to all of them. If you have strong or interesting vocal skills， you could follow in their footsteps， but it’s a good idea to know a few things about the industry before you start down that path.

想一想你最喜欢的电子游戏或动画电视节目。配音演员对它们而言是不可或缺的。如果你有突出或有趣的发声技能，也可以做同样的工作。不过，在你踏上配音演员这条路前，了解这个行业的一些情况是个好主意。

What is voice acting？

什么是配音？

Voice acting is a performance art where actors use their own voices to entertain， narrate， or market products for commercials1， animation， audiobooks， video games， and educational content. In addition to doing impressions2， mimicry， or character voices， a voice actor must also possess acting skills. Since voice actors are rarely seen on-screen， their voice is their only means of expressing their emotions.

配音是一种表演艺术，演员用自己的声音为广告、动画、有声书、电子游戏和教育内容配音，激发受众兴趣、录制画外音或营销产品。配音演员除了进行滑稽模仿、声音模拟和角色配音外，还必须掌握表演技巧。由于配音演员很少出现在屏幕上，声音是其表达情感的唯一途径。

Voice acting requires the ability to change inflections3， provide different deliveries， enunciate impeccably， and alter your tone to get the necessary performance for the program or soundbite. Aspiring， intermediate， and veteran actors must train and practice religiously4， always improving their vocal skills to deliver the best performance possible. Many professional voice-over artists set up a soundproof home studio to record， audition， or practice.

配音需要多种能力——变换语调、演绎不同的表演风格、准确无误地发音，以及改变语气以获得节目或话语片段所必需的表现效果。有志入行的、中等水平的和资深的配音演员都必须不断训练，持续提高他们的发声技能，从而尽可能地实现最佳表演效果。很多职业画外音艺术家会配备一个隔音的家庭工作室来录音、试音或练习。

A brief history of voice acting

配音简史

The art of voiceover began in 1906 with Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden. He was the first person to broadcast over radio， in this case a Christmas compilation of music， festive messages， and Bible verses.

画外音艺术起源于1906年，由加拿大发明家雷金纳德·费森登创立。他是第一个通过无线电进行广播的人，在1906年这第一次广播中，他播放了一份由音乐、节日祝福和《圣经》节选组成的圣诞专辑。

The next milestone in voice acting history is Walt Disney’s 1928 portrayal of Mickey Mouse5 in Steamboat Willie. The fame of both figures at the time made the occasion quite momentous and paved the way for modern animation， starting with the likes of Looney Tunes6.

配音艺术史上的第二个里程碑事件是1928年《威利号汽船》中华特·迪士尼对米老鼠的塑造。迪士尼和米老鼠在当时声名大噪，使有声动画备受瞩目，为以《乐一通》及类似影片为开端的现代动画铺平了道路。

Since these landmark broadcasts， the voiceover industry has boomed through every imaginable media that needs recitation. Other sectors connected to voice acting—technology， marketing， customer service—also evolved with and because of it.

从这些具有里程碑意义的节目开始，各种可以想见的需要朗诵的媒介带火了配音业。与配音相关的其他行业——技术、营销、客户服务——也受其促动，随之发展起来。

Famous voices

著名的声音

Don LaFontaine was a juggernaut7 of the business， specializing in commercials and trailers. If you want voice acting tips in these categories， make sure to check out any of his thousands of credits. Just look for the phrases “In a world...” and “the voice of God”.

唐·拉方丹是配音行业的巨头，他专精于广告和预告片。你若想在这两类作品的配音上获得指点，一定要从他的数千部作品中挑一些来看。你只需要搜索词组In a world和the voice of God。

Mel Blanc was the first voice behind most beloved Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny， Daffy Duck， and Tweety. His vocal range is still a standard that artists strive for， especially when aiming for a career in animation.

梅尔·布兰克是动画《乐一通》中兔八哥、达菲鸭和崔弟等最受人喜爱角色的第一任配音。他的音域现在仍然是配音艺术家们努力追求的标准，对有志从事动画事业的人来说尤其如此。

Nancy Cartwright， a.k.a. Bart and Maggie Simpson， is another name to look up to. Her list of credits in animation go on and on to include Rufus from Kim Possible and Chuckie Finster from Rugrats. Aim for this kind of versatility when working on your vocals.

南希·卡特赖特也值得敬仰，她又以巴特·辛普森和麦琪·辛普森这两个名字为大众所熟知。她配音的动画角色不胜枚举，包括《麻辣女孩》中的皮皮和《尿布一族》中的恰吉·芬斯特。以培养她这种能为多种角色配音的才艺为目标，训练自己的发声吧。

James Earl Jones is the heart-melting voice of Mufasa in The Lion King. As if that alone didn’t make him one of the most recognizable voice actors in existence， he also happens to be Darth Vader8. The talented artist has physically appeared in a range of movies and TV shows too.

詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯演绎了《狮子王》中木法沙那融化人心的声音。原本仅这一个角色也足以令他成为最具辨识度的在世配音演员之一了，而达斯·维德碰巧也是由他配音。这位才华横溢的艺术家也在一些电影和电视节目中露过脸。

Kristen Bell became a hallmark name for playing Anna in all Frozen productions， but the multitalented actress was already taking over the entertainment industry. Other popular credits include Pam from Big Mouth and Lucy Stillman from Assassin’s Creed.

克里斯汀·贝尔因在《冰雪奇缘》全部作品中为安娜配音而成为标志性的名字。但在此之前，这位多才多艺的女艺术家已经在娱乐业风生水起。她塑造的其他广受欢迎的角色包括《大嘴巴》中的帕姆和《刺客信条》中的露西·斯蒂尔曼。

5 types of voice acting

配音的五种类型

Even if you have a good voice， voice-acting jobs aren’t easy to obtain， but there are many avenues to explore. Here is a list of the different types of voice-acting jobs available：

即使你有一副好嗓子，找到一份配音工作也并不容易。不过，有很多途径可供探索。下面列举一些可以找到的不同类型的配音工作：

Character： Video games and animation （like cartoons9 and anime10） employ talented voice-over actors to provide the voices for various characters. Like live-action actors， voice actors read from a script， performing several takes11 in different ways until they achieve the right performance for the project. Character acting requires immense creativity and a full embodiment of the role.