Voice Over · Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
Scottish Gaelic voice over services
Native Gàidhlig voice actors for public-sector, education, broadcast and heritage work. Gaelic is a language, not a Scottish accent — if you need the accent, that's a different roster and we'll say so.
69,701
Speakers (2022 census)
Official
Language of Scotland
48h
Delivery
About the language
Gaelic is a language. Scottish is an accent.
Scottish Gaelic — Gàidhlig — is a Celtic language, and it is not English spoken with a Scottish accent. That distinction is the single most useful thing on this page, because the two get booked interchangeably and they should never be. If your script is in English and you want it delivered by a Scot, you want our Scottish voice over service. If your script is in Gaelic, you are in the right place.
It is also not Irish. Gaelic and Irish are sister Goidelic languages and they look related on the page, but they are separate languages with separate speakers and separate rosters — our Irish language service is where an Irish script goes. Getting these three confused is common enough that we would rather ask at the brief stage than deliver the wrong one.
Gaelic has official status in Scotland. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 created Bòrd na Gàidhlig and charged it with securing the language's standing as an official language commanding equal respect to English; the Scottish Languages Act 2025 went further, confirming that official status and providing for the expansion of Gaelic Medium Education. That legislation is why demand here is steady rather than occasional: public bodies produce Gaelic content because they are expected to.
The speaker base is growing, and moving. The 2022 census recorded 69,701 Gaelic speakers, up from around 57,600 in 2011, and 130,161 people — 2.5% of Scotland — with some Gaelic. The shift that matters for casting is geographic: Glasgow now has close to 19,000 people with Gaelic skills, some 9,000 more than in 2011. The audience is no longer only the Western Isles, and a read pitched exclusively at the Hebrides is aiming at part of it.
Typical work is public-sector and government communication, Gaelic Medium Education material, BBC Alba and Radio nan Gàidheal programming, museum and heritage audio guides, and visitor and cultural content across the Highlands and Islands.
Getting Gaelic right
What to settle before you record
Most of the difficulty with a Gaelic job happens before anyone reaches a microphone.
Confirm it is actually Gaelic
Briefs asking for a Scottish voice usually mean English in a Scottish accent. Read the script: if it is in English, you want our Scottish accent roster instead, and it is a much larger one.
Gaelic is not Irish
They are sister languages, not the same language. A Gaelic speaker cannot deliver an Irish script and no listener would accept it, so the roster follows the script.
Write to the orthographic conventions
Gaelic spelling is standardised for education and public use. Scripts written to that standard read cleanly; scripts transliterated by ear do not, and the reader will stop to work them out.
The audience is wider than the islands
Learners and Gaelic-medium pupils are a large and growing part of the listenership, particularly around Glasgow. For that audience, pace and clarity carry more weight than dense regional idiom.
How we can help
One partner for the whole Gaelic job
Voice over & narration
Native Gàidhlig voice actors for public-sector content, education, broadcast, heritage audio and visitor guides, directed to your brief.
Translation & script adaptation
Gaelic translation by native linguists, written to the standard orthography and pitched at the fluency of your audience.
Subtitling & captions
Gaelic subtitles and captions to match the recording, so the on-screen text and the read agree.
100+ languages under one roof
London studios + global talent network
4.9★ from 149 reviews
Content types
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) voice over for every kind of content
Whatever you're making, we cast the right voice in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig). Explore by use case.
Most common questions
Is Scottish Gaelic the same as a Scottish accent?
No, and this is the mix-up we see most often. Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language with its own words, grammar and speakers. A Scottish accent is English spoken by someone from Scotland. They need different actors. If your script is in English, our Scottish voice over service is the one you want; if it is in Gaelic, this one is.
Is Scottish Gaelic the same as Irish?
No. They are sister Goidelic languages and they look related written down, but they are separate languages and speakers are not interchangeable. An Irish script goes to our Irish language voice over roster. Tell us which one your script is in and we will cast accordingly.
Can we hear Gaelic voices before booking?
Yes — the library above is the place to start, and you can play every demo without signing up for anything. Gaelic is a smaller pool than English, so for a specific age, gender or read style we also cast to brief from our network of native speakers. Send us the script and we will come back with a shortlist.
Do you translate into Gaelic as well?
Yes, with native Gaelic linguists writing to the standard orthography used in education and public-sector material. We will ask who the audience is, because content aimed at fluent everyday speakers and content aimed at learners are written differently even when the terminology is identical.
Do you handle public-sector and Gaelic-medium education work?
Yes, and it is most of what Gaelic voice over is used for. Gaelic has official status in Scotland under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Scottish Languages Act 2025, so public bodies produce Gaelic content as a matter of course. We work to whatever terminology and style guide your organisation uses.
Which regional variety should we record in?
For most work the standard used in broadcasting and education travels best, and that is what we default to unless you tell us otherwise. If your content is tied to a particular community — the Outer Hebrides or Skye, say — say so in the brief and we will look for a speaker from there.
What do people use Scottish Gaelic voice over for?
Public-sector and government communication, Gaelic Medium Education material, BBC Alba and Radio nan Gàidheal programming, museum and heritage audio guides, and visitor content across the Highlands and Islands.
How fast can you deliver?
Most short Gaelic projects are delivered within 24 to 48 hours once the voice is confirmed. Because the talent pool is small, casting can add a little time at the front — your project manager will give you a firm date up front rather than an optimistic one.
What audio formats and specs do you deliver?
Whatever your project needs — broadcast-standard WAV, MP3 or split stems, at the sample rate, bit depth and loudness (LUFS) you specify. Share your delivery spec and we'll match it.
Complete your Scotland coverage
Services that pair with Gaelic
Record in Gaelic, not in a Scottish accent
Send us the script and we'll confirm which of the two you actually need before we cast — with a free, no-obligation quote.
Professional voice over services for your audio and video productions
Voice over
- State-of-the-art studios
- Neumann microphones
- On-hand sound engineers
- 1,000+ voice actors
Translation
- 100+ languages covered
- Tailored to your needs
- Stringent quality control
- Dedicated project managers
Subtitling
- Experienced subtitlers
- Industry-standard software
- Burn-in and graphic editing
- Open and closed captions
Transcription
- Improve accessibility
- Reach a wider audience
- Boost SEO and video views
- Maximise video engagement