Subtitles survey!

[Metalhead]

Are you willing to watch movies in foreign language with subtitles?

Do you watch movies in your own language with subtitles?

Do subtitles bother you in general?

This poll is all about subtitled movie media.

 

[Tom]

I don't mind it at all. I kind of forget it is even happening after a while. And foreign films often add a level of interest to the genre of films I watch. ie. 'Malaysia's first Zombie movie!'

 

[Judge]

Sure, no problem. Some films I especially enjoy in foreign languages, such as Jan Vanderhoeven's "Black Book".

Shown with Dutch, German and a little English audio. With English subtitles.

If I were to study another language, Dutch would be my first choice.

 

[Raggamuffin]

Problem I find with subtitles is I frequently notice things that aren't written correctly. But I do enjoy having them on whilst watching stuff in my language.

Ed

 

[Bolletje]

I usually watch movies with subtitles. Dubbing really bothers me. English isn’t my native language and watching subtitled movies really helped develop my English vocabulary too. When watching English movies these days I prefer English CC subtitles to Dutch subtitles though. Otherwise I get all worked up about translation errors. I’ll never forget about the time a translator apparently didn’t know what “bisexual” was and instead wrote the translation for “bicycle”

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Sometimes I miss what people say which is why I like to watch movies and Hulu with captions.

 

[dragonfire42]

I don’t mind watching things in other languages with subtitle translation. I use subtitles whenever it’s an option, I tend to miss things because of auditory processing issues.

 

[Judge]

Otherwise I get all worked up about translation errors. I’ll never forget about the time a translator apparently didn’t know what “bisexual” was and instead wrote the translation for “bicycle”

Good point.

Something that happens...especially when you catch the subtitles/translations done differently regarding the same movie over a period of years. Remastering the video is great, but sometimes the process doesn't address proper translation shown in subtitles.

No quality control after the fact I guess.

 

[Metalhead]

I will admit that while I still refuse to watch live-action dubs to this day, the overall general quality of anime English dubbing has vastly improved since the early '90s when I first started watching anime. So I usually watch anime in an English dub and live action in the original foreign language with subtitles.

 

[Judge]

I will admit that while I still refuse to watch live-action dubs to this day, the overall general quality of anime English dubbing has vastly improved since the early '90s when I first started watching anime. So I usually watch anime in an English dub and live action in the original foreign language with subtitles.

I used to feel that way considering movies like Japan's "H-Man" (1959). Terrible dubbing. The sort of thing that made comedians like Michael Winslow's standup comedy so funny.

As kids we loved that "The H-Man" mostly because we could laugh at it compared to its American counterpart "The Blob".

 

[Misery]

I'm a long-time anime fan. All the way from back when Sci-fi used to do their super late-night anime block (and that was the only way to see any of it on TV).

So I was frequently exposed to dub jobs like... like this:

*shudder*

I think you can probably see that I am in fact absolutely fine with subtitles.

And yes, the dubbing in a lot of old anime series really was THAT bad at times.

 

[Metalhead]

I'm a long-time anime fan. All the way from back when Sci-fi used to do their super late-night anime block (and that was the only way to see any of it on TV).

So I was frequently exposed to dub jobs like... like this:

*shudder*

I think you can probably see that I am in fact absolutely fine with subtitles.

And yes, the dubbing in a lot of old anime series really was THAT bad at times.

I will say that the Ghost Stories English dub is far more interesting than watching it subtitled.

 

[Crossbreed]

1. English subtitles help to clarify low-volume utterances. Audio is good enough for everything else.
2. Foreign subtitles require me to read every line, drawing my eyes away from the center of the screen where the action is. (And I am a slow reader.)

 

[rainfall]

I've always missed certain things people say, including in songs, partly just because certain tones sound like mumbling to me. So, I always watch movies in my own language and other languages with subtitles. There are some mistakes, but mostly, I can understand what they meant or heard that particular word myself.

I've always been able to read pretty quickly, so most of the time, unless I'm distracted, I forget they are even on because I can watch and read pretty easily without missing things. I know others cannot.

I was so used to using subtitles that one day, 4-5 years ago, I started watching an anime in English (I prefer Japanese with English subtitles) with my brother and I had him press pause because I noticed there were no subtitles. He paused it, looked at me like, is she messing with me? When he realized I wasn't, he said, it's in English. HAHA! I didn't believe him and had him press play and sure enough, it was in English! We had a good laugh over that one.

 

[Darkkin]

I'll watch foreign films with subtitles. The last one was Trollhunter. Any other time, nope.

Well, there was the time I rewatched Fellowship of the Ring with subtitles because I blanked on how to spell chasm, (writing project related) but I knew Lord Elrond used it during the meeting at Rivendell.

Never mind that I had three dictionaries in my room and access to Google. Nope. We do it the LOTR subtitle way.

I don't use them because I usually read when I have the TV on.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

One of my favorite series is Midnight Diner. Reading the subtitles while listening to the cadence of the language does not detract from my enjoyment.

 

[Richelle-H]

Having subjected my hearing to hi-decibel arena-rock over several decades, I only have about 20% of reliable auditory perception. My hearing aids, when worn, bring it back to about 80% of normal unless I increase the volume level (super hearing mode).

Thus, I always tend to have the subtitles turned on unless they pre-exist on the print. It isn't absolutely necessary, but I like to compare the spoken to the text on screen. There is quite an art to doing effective subtitling and that is rarely seen due to the need for expediency. Goodness, the amusing things that can happen in the process, as one misplaced or misheard word creates some nonsense. I swear some films are done with Google's auto translate for the sort of insane and repeated errors you see, even in films of English origin with English subtitles.

When you get into dubbing and subtitles in tandem.... Well, it may be as if two different firms were involved in the process and there was no coordination of effort. As dubbing has gotten a bit better in matching dialog to mouth movement, at least here in the U.S., the dubbed dialog is altered to make it match more naturally, at least if the subtitles are in any way accurate in their own right. However, having seen the process in action on American made TV shows where I can absolutely verify the spoken with subtitle, sloppy translation happens even when no translation is required.

So yes, I enjoy watching everything with subtitles, as much for entertainment value as for intelligibility.

 

[Fino]

It seems like every time I go to somebody else's house, their television has subtitles on for everything. I've never understood the appeal. I can't believe I'm the only one so far that voted against subtitles. I'm a freak of nature!

 

[SusanLR]

@Fino Same here. I don't see the attraction either.
They interfere with the enjoyment of the immersion into the show.
Voted against also.

 

[Mary Terry]

I usually watch movies with subtitles. Dubbing really bothers me. English isn’t my native language and watching subtitled movies really helped develop my English vocabulary too. When watching English movies these days I prefer English CC subtitles to Dutch subtitles though. Otherwise I get all worked up about translation errors. I’ll never forget about the time a translator apparently didn’t know what “bisexual” was and instead wrote the translation for “bicycle”

I watch a lot of foreign films and TV series and often spot crazy mistakes in translation. For example, "drinking" becomes "Dr. Inking". Are they using AI or real people for translations?

I also often read a Mexican newspaper. A recent news article about a car wreck fatality kept referring to the driver who was killed as the "co-pilot". What the heck?!