Abstract
Dubbing is a procedure through which an original actor's voice is replaced with that of a voice actor, usually speaking a different language. Dubbing is not only an adaptation to language but also to cultural beliefs. Across 2 studies, we analyzed how some Italian participants would prefer a TV series’ character to sound like. In Study 1, participants read a male/female character description that was manipulated according to gender and sexual stereotypes in order to be masculine, feminine or neutral. Next, participants were asked to indicate their preference for 3 voice actors/actresses who sounded heterosexual, gay/lesbian or ambivalent. Study 2 tested the interplay between a character’s description and the voice of the English-speaking (gay/lesbian- vs. heterosexual-sounding) actor/actress who played the role in the original TV series on dubbing preferences. The results of both studies showed that a character's description affected dubbing preferences. Participants preferred the gay/lesbian-sounding voice actor/actress to the counter-stereotypical character (i.e., a feminine man or a masculine woman) and the heterosexual -sounding voice actor/actress to the stereotypical character. Interestingly, at least for male targets, the original actor's voice itself affected the preference for voice actors in the same way. This work suggests that dubbing can maintain and reinforce stereotypes.