Deutsche Synchronkartei

Deutsche Synchronkartei is a German-language online reference database focused on dubbing and voice acting in film and television. It connects international screen performers with the German-speaking voice actors who dub them, and, where the information is available, identifies the dubbing studio, dialogue director, and dialogue-book author responsible for a production. Users can search by film, television series, actor, or voice actor, making the site useful both as a cast-reference tool and as a specialist archive of German dubbing credits. The service operates as an advertising-supported website. It is described as a largely nonprofit project whose operating expenses, including server costs, are financed in part through advertising and links to voice-actor agencies. The project is not itself a voice-actor agency. Agency links were added partly because the operators received booking requests that they could not handle directly. The site therefore combines a public information function with a limited commercial-support model rather than presenting itself as a conventional entertainment company or talent agency. Its data model depends on community participation. Visitors can propose new information or corrections without registering, while the project team reviews submissions before publication. Voice actors, dubbing studios, specialist contributors, and interested users all contribute information. Operators have described the source base as including personal listening and research, correspondence, screen credits, press coverage, radio-play material, television appearances, forum contributions, and call sheets supplied by voice actors. This collaborative approach is particularly valuable for smaller roles that may not be documented in publicly visible credits. The database developed from a collection of static HTML pages into a more interactive service. A redesigned version was launched at the end of 2005, followed in 2006 by an input wizard that enabled visitors to submit records themselves. A later revision of the wizard, version 2.1, was released in February 2008 and introduced more modern web functionality intended to make data entry faster. The service has also offered a mobile application for Android users. By April 2021, figures cited in connection with the voice-actor podcast stimmt! described a collection containing more than 172,000 actors, more than 11,000 speakers, over 40,000 films, nearly 7,000 series, and almost 400,000 film roles. The same account indicated that approximately 75 film roles and 100 series roles were being added each day. A separate description from early 2022 reported more than 800,000 total entries and average daily traffic of roughly 45,000 users. These figures illustrate the scale reached by a project that began as a manually maintained web archive. Deutsche Synchronkartei is regarded as one of the most comprehensive freely accessible resources of its kind in the German-speaking world. It has been referenced by entertainment, film, and anime websites, and it is listed in the Datenbank-Infosystem as a scientific and freely accessible information source. Its usefulness is balanced by an important limitation: entries do not generally display a systematic source trail, so users cannot always independently verify the provenance or accuracy of every credit. Even with that caveat, its breadth and continual community maintenance have made it a prominent reference point for researching German dubbing history.

Deutsche Synchronkartei began as a collection of static HTML pages documenting German dubbing information. In that early form, the database was maintained as a relatively simple web archive rather than as a fully interactive public platform. According to descriptions of the project, the static version remained in use until 31 December 2005. A new version launched on that date, marking the transition to a more modern database service. The redesign made it possible to expand the archive more systematically and laid the groundwork for wider user participation. On 30 April 2006, developer Christopher Beppler completed an input wizard that allowed visitors to submit new records independently. This changed the database from a largely operator-maintained collection into a collaborative system in which users could help document missing or incomplete dubbing credits. The project’s information base has always been assembled from multiple channels. Martin Schowanek described research based on listening to productions, emails from contributors, visible film credits, newspaper articles, radio-play cassettes, television appearances, and discussions in the Synchron-forum. Over time, voice actors increasingly supplied their own daily call sheets, while studios provided larger lists of credits. Contributors also used the site to identify and report errors. This combination of professional submissions and community review helped the database capture minor roles and older credits that might otherwise have disappeared from public records. The input system continued to evolve. Version 2.1 of the Input Wizard was released on 9 February 2008. Its technical changes included AJAX-based functionality intended to reduce delays when users selected information from long menus. The project later extended access to mobile users through an Android application, allowing searches to be conducted away from the main website. The database grew substantially as its collaborative model matured. Figures cited in April 2021 described more than 172,000 actors, over 11,000 speakers, more than 40,000 films, nearly 7,000 series, and close to 400,000 film roles. The reported addition rate was approximately 75 film roles and 100 series roles per day. By early 2022, another description placed the service above 800,000 entries and reported average traffic of about 45,000 users per day. Deutsche Synchronkartei is supported by advertising and links to voice-actor agencies. The operators have explained that agency links arose because users sometimes asked the project to arrange bookings, even though it was not an agency. Revenue from those links helps pay running costs such as hosting and server rental, while the project continues to be characterized as nonprofit in orientation. The service has become a widely used specialist reference in German-speaking media and entertainment circles. Film, television, and anime websites have cited it for dubbing information, and it has been used to assemble overviews of the work of individual voice actors. It is also listed in the Datenbank-Infosystem as a scientific and freely accessible source. Its principal limitation is that records generally do not identify their sources in a formal citation system, leaving the verification status of individual entries unclear. Nevertheless, its scale, searchability, and continuing contributions from actors, studios, and users have made it one of the leading public databases for German dubbing credits.

• 2022

  More than 800,000 entries reported

  [1]Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org

  A report from early 2022 stated that the database contained more than 800,000 entries and received approximately 45,000 users per day.

• 2021

  Large-scale database figures reported

  [1]Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org

  Figures cited in April 2021 described more than 172,000 actors, over 40,000 films, nearly 7,000 series, and almost 400,000 film roles.

• 2008

  Input Wizard version 2.1 released

  [1]Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org

  Version 2.1 of the submission tool launched on 9 February 2008 with interface and AJAX-related improvements intended to make data entry more efficient.

• 2006

  Input Wizard introduced

  [1]Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org

  On 30 April 2006, an input wizard was completed, enabling visitors to submit new database information without prior registration.

• 2005

  Interactive successor to the static archive launched

  [1]Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org

  A new version of Deutsche Synchronkartei was launched on 31 December 2005, replacing the earlier collection of static HTML pages with a more developed database service.

A freely accessible, community-maintained specialist reference for German-language dubbing credits, positioned between a public entertainment database and a research-oriented archive.

• Online entertainment database

  Deutsche Synchronkartei web database

  The core service is a searchable German-language database of international actors and their German-speaking voice actors. Records can cover films, television series, individual roles, dubbing studios, dialogue directors, and dialogue-book authors when known. Users can browse by production, performer, or voice actor. The database is freely accessible and supported by advertising, with records expanded through contributions from users, actors, studios, and other specialists.

• User contribution tool · 2006

  Input Wizard

  The Input Wizard allows visitors to propose new credits and correct existing information without registering first. Submissions are generally reviewed by the project team before activation. The tool was introduced in 2006 and substantially revised as version 2.1 in 2008, helping transform the site from a static archive into a continuously updated community database.

• Mobile reference application

  Android mobile application

  A mobile application has provided Android users with access to searches in the Deutsche Synchronkartei database. The available reference material identifies the application but does not provide a confirmed launch date or detailed feature list.

• 2008

  Input Wizard version 2.1Other

  Background

  The project continued refining the interface used to enter and manage database records.

  Action taken

  Version 2.1 introduced technical improvements, including AJAX functionality that reduced the need to wait for long dropdown menus to load.

  Aftermath

  The update supported more efficient contribution and maintenance of the growing archive.

  Source

• 2006

  Opening the database to community submissionsStrategy

  Background

  Maintaining a large dubbing archive required more information than the operators could gather alone.

  Action taken

  The Input Wizard enabled visitors to add or correct records without prior registration, subject to review before publication.

  Aftermath

  Voice actors, studios, and specialist users became important sources of additional credits, including smaller roles that could otherwise be missed.

  Source

• 2005

  Transition from static pages to an interactive databaseStrategy

  Background

  The original service consisted of static HTML files, which limited the speed and scale of public participation.

  Action taken

  A new version was launched at the end of 2005, creating the foundation for a more interactive and expandable database.

  Aftermath

  The redesign was followed by the introduction of public data submission tools and later technical revisions.

  Source

• Use of agency links to support operating costsStrategy

  Background

  Users sometimes approached the project with requests to book voice actors, although Deutsche Synchronkartei was not an agency.

  Action taken

  The site linked to voice-actor agencies and used proceeds to help cover expenses such as server rental.

  Aftermath

  The project retained its nonprofit orientation while using a limited advertising and referral-supported model.

  Source

1. 1Deutsche Synchronkarteien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Deutsche Synchronkartei official websitesynchronkartei.de