Translation · Vietnamese
Vietnamese translation services
Audiovisual translation is our specialisation, but our native Vietnamese translators also translate any text — corporate documents, technical and marketing material, articles and eLearning. Every line carries a form of address, and it is decided before anyone starts.
EN · 00:04
Thank you.
VI · 00:04
Cảm ơn bạn.
About Vietnamese translation
Vietnamese translation, with the form of address decided before the first line
Vietnamese has no neutral you. Every you and every I in your English source has to become a term of address, usually a kinship term, and that choice fixes the age, the sex and the relationship between whoever is speaking and whoever is reading.
Only a small set of pronouns works in polite, general communication. Everything else carries a relationship with it, so this is not a question of style: it is the first decision of the project, and changing it later means going through the text line by line rather than running a find and replace.
At GoLocalise, we work with native Vietnamese translators matched to the subject matter, and every text is reviewed by a second linguist before delivery.
How can we help you?
Your project manager has everything covered
One point of contact from brief to delivery, and a second linguist on every text before it reaches you.
Brief review
We review your source material and your audience, and agree up front the decisions this language forces before anyone starts translating.
Linguist assignment
Your project goes to a native Vietnamese translator with experience in the relevant field.
Translation and review
The text is translated and then checked by a second native linguist for accuracy, consistency, and register.
Delivery and consistency check
Files are delivered in the format you need, with the choices agreed at the brief applied consistently from the first line to the last.
Regional varieties
Vietnam and the diaspora
Vietnamese is the national language of Vietnam, with northern and southern usage differing in vocabulary and pronunciation. For written work the standard carries across both, and the regional question matters most when the text is going to be read aloud.
For audiences outside Vietnam, tell us the market at the brief. The form of address is what changes, more than the vocabulary, and it is easier to fix at the start than to unpick afterwards.
Varieties we cover
- Northern (Hanoi)
- Southern (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Diaspora audiences
Areas of expertise
What we specialise in
From corporate video and eLearning to documentary, advertising and subtitles — always audiovisual, with the Vietnamese form of address fixed before the first line is written.
Corporate and brand video
Company films and internal communications, written to fit the shot rather than overflow it.
eLearning and training video
Course modules and training films, with terminology kept consistent across the programme.
Documentary and interviews
Factual programming and interviews, where the register shifts between speakers and has to survive the move.
Advertising and social video
Campaigns and short-form video, cut to land inside the time available.
Subtitles and captions
Frame-accurate subtitles kept within a comfortable reading speed.
Voice over and dubbing scripts
Scripts timed to the original, ready for a native voice in the booth.
Built for video and audio
Getting Vietnamese right on screen
Vietnamese brings its own on-screen considerations, and who the speaker is addressing is the one that shapes every line of the file.
Address fixed at the brief
Each you and each I becomes a term of address that names a relationship. We agree it before translation starts, so the whole file speaks with one voice.
Tone marks survive delivery
Vietnamese stacks diacritics on the vowel. We check the delivered file renders them rather than dropping them into boxes.
Subtitles inside the standard
Where a house standard applies, Vietnamese subtitles are commonly set at 42 characters a line and 17 characters a second for adult content — we write to the space, not around it.
Timed, not dumped
We deliver spotted subtitle files and two-column voice-over scripts timed to the original — never a loose document that still needs spotting.
Deliverables
How your Vietnamese translation arrives
Subtitle files
SRT, VTT, STL or TTML, burnt in or as separate files, ready to drop into your edit.
One form of address, start to finish
The relationship agreed at the brief is applied to every line, so the file does not drift between formal and familiar halfway through.
Dual-column scripts
Source and target side by side with timecodes, the format the studio records from.
Reviewed, never single-pass
Every script is checked by a second native linguist before it reaches the studio.
Translation rates
Professional Vietnamese translation
For internal documents, correspondence and material where accuracy is the main requirement.
- Native subject-matter translator
- Second-linguist review
- Subtitle files or a timed script
For marketing, eLearning and technical content, with review, terminology management and layout adjustment.
- Everything in Standard
- Terminology management
- Layout and expansion handled
- Dedicated project manager
Every project is quoted individually and backed by our Price Match Promise. Send us your files for an exact, no-obligation quote.
Trusted by global brands
We have used GoLocalise on a regular basis for projects in a number of languages. The service we receive is great. The team is always friendly and professional. The voiceovers we receive are of a very high quality and the turnaround is extremely quick. We are very happy to recommend GoLocalise to other businesses.
It was a pleasure to work with David and the team at GoLocalise. David gave me lots of help and advice, guiding me through my first subtitling project. He really knows his stuff! The experience was completely pain-free. I would not hesitate to recommend GoLocalise – outstanding work at a good price.
They're reliable, adaptive and obsessed with quality. And while you can never be 100% guaranteed of perfection, you can be sure GoLocalise will go the extra mile to get it right every time. We've worked with them now for over 5 years and we are truly thankful to have such a strong localisation partner for our business.
Related services
The rest of your Vietnamese project
Vietnamese voice over
Native Vietnamese voice actors, recorded in broadcast-quality studios.
Learn moreVietnamese subtitling
Frame-accurate subtitles and captions, burnt in or as separate files.
Learn moreAll translation services
Our full audiovisual translation offer across 100+ languages.
Learn moreVietnamese transcription
Verbatim or clean-read transcripts, with timecodes and speaker labels.
Learn moreAudiovisual translation in 100+ languages
Native translators for subtitles, voice over and any content. Browse another language, or ask us about yours.
Most common questions
How much does Vietnamese translation cost?
Vietnamese translation is priced per word for text and per minute for audiovisual, varying with volume, subject and turnaround. Send your files for a free, itemised quote, backed by our Price Match Promise.
Are your Vietnamese translations done by native linguists?
Yes. Native Vietnamese linguists translate and a second reviews every text, so it reads naturally and addresses your audience the way you intended.
Do you provide Vietnamese subtitling and voice over as well?
Yes — Vietnamese translation, subtitling and voice over from one team, with the form of address consistent across all three.
Why do you ask who the audience is before quoting?
Because Vietnamese has no neutral you. Each you and each I has to become a term of address that names the relationship between speaker and listener, and that choice runs through the whole text. Agreeing it at the brief is cheaper than revisiting it at delivery.
Can you change the form of address after delivery?
We can, but it is not a find and replace. The term of address affects the wording around it, so the text is revisited line by line. It is the main reason we settle it before anyone starts translating.
Do we need separate northern and southern versions?
Usually not for written work, where the standard carries across both. It matters most when the script is going to be read aloud, and we will flag it if your project is in that position.
Will the Vietnamese version be longer than the English?
We do not publish an expansion figure for Vietnamese, because we have not found a source we trust for one. What we do instead is write to the space available from the start, and tell you at the brief if your layout is going to be tight.
Do you deliver Vietnamese subtitles and voice-over scripts, not just documents?
Yes — audiovisual is our specialisation. We deliver spotted SRT/VTT and timed two-column voice-over scripts, plus translated text when you need it.
How quickly can a Vietnamese translation project be delivered?
Most short documents are delivered within 24 to 48 hours. Word count, subject complexity and turnaround all move the date, and your project manager will confirm the timeline at the start.
Ready to start your Vietnamese translation project?
Send us your documents, script or video and we'll come back with an exact, itemised 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