Catalan voice over services

Catalan is spoken by around 9 million people across Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra — where it is the sole official language — and parts of southern France and Sardinia. In Catalonia it is co-official with Spanish and is the working language of regional government, broadcasting and much of the education system.

Catalan is a Romance language in its own right, not a dialect of Spanish. It sits closer to Occitan than to Castilian, with its own vowel system, its own orthography and a good deal of vocabulary that Spanish speakers do not recognise. A Spanish read is not a substitute, and audiences in Catalonia are unusually attentive to the difference.

The main varieties are Central Catalan around Barcelona, Valencian in the Valencian Community and the Balearic varieties. Valencian in particular has its own institutional standard, so public-sector and broadcast work aimed at Valencia is usually expected in that variety specifically.

Demand for Catalan voice over typically comes from regional government and public campaigns, retail and banking brands with a strong Barcelona presence, broadcasters, museums and cultural institutions, and e-learning publishers working with Catalan schools.