American movies get dubbed in the Middle East

Arabic language dubbing has become growing phenomenon across the Middle East.

For the past eight months, Pan-Arab satellite-TV companies MBC and Showtime Arabia have been broadcasting hundreds of Tinseltown movies across the region. Previous attempts to translate them had been to add subtitles in classical Arabic. But in a region where 70 million people ages 15 and older are unable to read, this attempt effectively ignored many Arabs whose only form of communication is through one of the regional spoken dialects.

Some viewers remain skeptical. But according to Samer Shalaty, a film art director who now produces dubbed movies for the Showtime Arabia channel, the region’s thirst for American cinema means that dubbing is here to stay.