I fear I can’t hear without subtitles, and apparently, I’m not alone in this sentiment. We’re all becoming increasingly reliant on subtitles to understand what’s going on in film, tv, and other media for several reasons. Firstly, subtitles make it easier to keep up with what’s happening on screen as they prevent you from missing slight but crucial details in dialogue. To some, they minimize the already minimal effort we have to put in as we consume and enjoy visual media, enhancing the experience but to others, reading while watching seems counterintuitive. For those of us with short attention spans (thank you Tiktok), the constant attentiveness subtitled media requires can help maintain focus. Anyhow, our increasing dependence on subtitles/closed-captioning isn’t entirely our fault.
By the way, the difference between subtitles and closed-captioning is that closed-captioning is intended for people who have difficulty hearing, so it includes background noises, sound effects, etc. while subtitles assume the viewer can hear background noises and effects, and transcribe/translate just the dialogue.
In fact, advancements in technology have really altered the viewer (listener) experience. The use of tiny portable mics hidden on actors means that they don’t have to project their voices to reach a fixed microphone hidden out of frame. This allows for more naturalistic enunciation and more realistic performances but often results in dialogue that is difficult to interpret. Moreover, the sophisticated audio technology of our times loses a lot of its quality when sound is forced through mobile, laptop, or television speakers. Subtitles are also sometimes essential in deciphering partially made-up languages or real accents that perhaps sound made-up.
All of these reasons apply to why we, as English speakers, might use subtitles while consuming English-language media. However, the role of subtitles in the increasing attention towards international media and the subsequently diminishing dominance of English-language media is also worthy of attention. In recent times, wide international audiences have been consuming foreign-language media ranging from interviews with BTS to immensely popular Netflix shows like Money Heist, Squid Game, Lupin, and Elite, with the aid of subtitles. Subtitles help cross the bridges between people, cultures, and languages.
Bong Joon-Ho, the director of Parasite, the first non-English-language film ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars, famously said that “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” The prevalence of subtitled media greatly reduces language barriers, providing audiences access to a whole wide world of content. For some of us (embarrassingly so), English subtitles enhance our understanding of media even in our own mother tongues. However, the inaccessibility of subtitles to those with sight issues as well as the complexities and incompleteness of translation cannot be ignored.
How big is the barrier, actually?
Translation theory is highly complex and true translation is deemed near impossible. I will not go into detail, as exploring the nuances and complexities of translation warrants the word count of at least a few dozen blog posts. This article, through the case of Squid Game, explains how Netflix often mistranslates subtitles, which detracts from the viewing experience and the message and misrepresents the culture and context the media is coming from. Languages differ in so many ways, and it is challenging to convey through translation completely the meaning, tone, and undertones of certain dialogues while abiding by their length constraints. Still, it is imperative for streaming platforms to improve the subtitling process to fulfill their responsibilities towards the people and cultures they represent, as well as to the deaf and hard of hearing.
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Let me know:
- What is your experience with subtitles and do you find them to be an essential part of your viewing experience?
- What do you think is the importance of consuming diverse international media?
i can’t hear without subtitles either! more and more people are watching at home when the sound design is for the theatre experience anyway.
i’m not a film snob, but i do roll my eyes whenever someone talks about films as a whole and fails to mention literally every country outside of the US. I think engaging with foreign cinema is very important, even though it can seem daunting at first because of the language barrier. whether you prefer subbed or dubbed, you’re missing out on a large aspect of the human condition as a whole if you neglect foreign language works of art.
Great read! I love this topic, Ayesha!
To answer your first question, I think subtitles are a very important part of the viewing experience. I need them not only for shows in other languages I don’t understand-like the Turkish drama I watch- but also for those in my own mother tongue language. I feel like especially in scenes where things escalate quickly and there’s so much suspense, subtitles can help me catch up with what’s happening and not miss certain important things said.
For your second question, I think that subtitles can help you not only understand other languages and get exposed to different cultures, but can help you learn the language itself! Because of how much I watch Turkish shows with subtitles, I now can speak a little bit of Turkish! When I visited Turkey, I was able to understand what the local people and relate it to what I’ve watched.
This is an insightful and well-written blog post. Amazing job Ayesha!
To answer your first question, I support the fact that subtitles are an essential part of many people’s viewing experience, particularly those with hearing impairments or who are not native speakers of the language. They help viewers to catch nuances and understand the dialogue better, enhancing the overall experience.
Regarding the importance of consuming diverse international media, it is crucial to broaden our horizons and gain exposure to different cultures Subtitles play a vital role in this by breaking down language barriers and facilitating cross-cultural communication (which also adds to the overall viewing experience). This is particularly relevant in today’s globalized world, where international media has become more accessible than ever before.
What an interesting post! I wonder why I use English subtitles when watching English shows, eventhough I understand the language pretty well on a daily basis. When I watch a show in my mother tongue, I tend to switch of the English subtitles.
Great work Ayesha!! I loved reading this.
I also find it really hard to watch movies/shows without subtitles. I have noticed that whenever I am consuming English language media, I NEED to have subtitles, even though I just glance over them and never even read them properly. On the other hand, when I am watching shows or movies of my own language (Urdu), the lack of accuracy and the alteration in the meaning that comes from the subtitles, really ruins my viewing experience, so I tend to watch shows of my own language without subtitles.
Its interesting to think about our choice of having subtitles for different medias. Even though I do find them to be essential with English language media, I think its important to update the accuracy of the translations to be more efficient towards building understanding between different cultures and languages.
even though i have been learning english language and literature ever since kindergarten i still like to watch everything with subtitles. even in arabic shows and movies, i watch them with arabic subtitles because it is very important to understand and take in every word thats being said in what i am watching
I appreciate your excellent blog, Ayesha. When I saw the topic you are writing about, I became quite excited!!
I, too, feel worried about the fact that I struggle to hear without subtitles, but you can definitely see that there have been different artistic choices that make dialogue hard to hear in recent years. I’ve grown accustomed to reading subtitles because I watch a lot of media that isn’t in English or Arabic. To see how the dialect is translated, I also enjoy watching Arabic Egyptian movies with English subtitles, but I often feel like a lot is lost in translation. While watching movies or TV shows won’t necessarily teach viewers everything they need to know about a particular country, they will undoubtedly give them new insight into the different cultures of other countries. Art is exceptionally diverse worldwide; even with the same genre, you can find different approaches in each country.
This is definitely one of my favorite blog posts because subtitles are a huge part of my life. To answer your question, “What is your experience with subtitles, and do you find them to be an essential part of your viewing experience?”. I have relied on subtitles for as long as I can remember, and I do not think I could enjoy any movie/show if I did not have the subtitles on. I noticed that I find it very hard to follow the dialogue and storyline if I do not have the subtitles on.
Great read, Ayesha! I feel like I have become heavily reliant on subtitles – if they’re not there, chances are I won’t watch the show/film! I think a lot of the times they are necessary. In some scenes, the characters speak in a very low voice or over music for a certain dramatic purpose, and it is impossible to decipher what they are saying without subtitles! Also, I like how you highlighted how subtitles expose us to more media, and help remove the language barrier – although as you said, there can mistranslations. Not just that, but some phrases in one language cannot be accurately captured or be as effective in English. Nevertheless, subtitles still remain a great tool, in my opinion.
Good job Ayesha , I really enjoyed reading your blog post. Answering your first question yes subtitles are essential for my viewing experience as I like to watch foreign shows as well as anime . As I have watched a few foreign shows I have learnt a few customs from around the world which is really cool .
Translation is something I do on an almost daily basis; albeit it is almost instantaneous and mostly inside my mind. It is mostly to try to convey to English-only speakers a specific situation that happened. However, the issue is that trying to describe a situation and transferring that complexity and expressiveness into English may or may not require the use of some English words that are not usually used in this day and age. People refer to some of these words as “Old English”.
What I found out from these “translations” is that going from Arabic to Old English is much more indicative of what I am trying to convey. I have also noticed something similar when translating Chinese into English. When I read older translated Chinese books, they seem richer in expressions and vocabulary compared to the modern translation of some Chinese books. However, modern translations from Arabic/Chinese to English have the advantage of being more refined and effective in conveying the direct information needed to understand the core of the situation.
Similarly, when watching shows with subtitles (usually foreign shows with English subtitles), I find that the information is translated similarly to how the current translations of books go. This is understandable given that the episodes have a set amount of length (also, it would not make sense for characters to speak in Old English since most people would struggle with understanding it).
Beautiful pos! Expanding your horizon is important, thus watching international media can be a very nice experience. It gives you a way to understand the cultural and heritage of different parts of the world. However, I find subtitles to be slightly imperfect as they can never truly encapsulate language in its entirety.