I remember that the Union of Artists (UDA) and the National Association of Professional Dubbers (ANDP) praised Disney’s exemplary dubbing. The major always doubles its productions here, but a shadow looms: for the sake of economy, the texts are more and more often adapted in France.
However, the specificity of Quebec French has always been the main argument put forward by the UDA and the ANDP to convince the major studios to dub here. The two associations have often let them know that “Quebecers want to have access to films and television series dubbed here, which look like them and which take into account the linguistic and cultural particularities here”. They also convinced Quebecers that “this fight for dubbing is mainly about one thing: Quebec identity. A production translated in Quebec allows Quebec dubbing to put forward its colors”.
But how the hell then aspire to this French that resembles us when the adaptations are made in France, and, to fix everything, when the dialogues are said by voice actors who erase the Quebec accent? Can we still dare to speak of a Quebec dubbing in such a case?
Disney is demonstrating that the French of France does not really upset the UDA and the ANDP, because they do not react. The company will come to the conclusion that what ultimately matters to both of them are union dues for the former and contracts for the latter. The next step for Disney will be to import the full French dubbing to Quebec. The UDA and the ANDP will then no longer be able to use an old slogan of the milieu: “We want to get along! “. It will be too late. If Disney stops doubling in Quebec, it will alert others majors, who could follow suit. Our industry will always be able to count on English-Canadian productions, which no one sees in Quebec.
It seems obvious to me that Quebecers are being fooled by subsidizing, through their government, dubbing whose texts are adapted across the Atlantic. Since culture does not seem to be François Legault’s priority, can he at least focus his help on authentically Quebecois?
To see in video