# Does anyone else need subtitles for English movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883 "2006-04-23T19:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/41 "2006-04-29T21:23:28Z")
I have a little upper-range hearing loss, and I sometimes replay a scene with accents or whispering so I can cypher out what they said. I recently watched _Sexy Beast,_ and I had to replay some parts several times. After 5 run-throughs, I still couldn’t figure out what Cal said when the boss pressed him about the missing (killed) Don (Kingsley’s character.) Holy cow, what a vile character Don was! I would have killed him myself. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![rekkah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rekkah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rekkah)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/42 "2006-04-30T00:14:19Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > In my experience, Brits tend to lower their tone at the end of a question, while Americans raise it. That alone makes a huge difference–you may recognize the words of the sentence, but the rythym of the speech is off-and hence, your comprehension. This is very true, we tend to emphasize different parts of the word, totally changing the rhtyhm of the sentence. I recently had a holiday in New York and I couldn’t believe the trouble I had comunicating. I honestly feel more confident talking French in France (in which I’m really not fluent) than I do talking English in the US. I had no trouble understanding people (I suppose because I’ve been exposed to years of US accents on films and tv) but I was amazed how difficult people seemed to find understanding me. I don’t even have a regional accent, I speak in a slightly posh [RP](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_pronunciation) accent. The worst incident was trying to order a sandwich. I was a bit flustered anyway due to being confused by all the options and not really understanding what I was supposed to be asking for, but I asked for “tomato” - totally blank look form the guy. I tried again: “tomato” - still, totally blank, no spark of coprehension. By now completely defeated I turned to **garius** for help - he said “tomaYto” - the guy understood instantly. I did know the words were pronounced differently (I had just forgotten in my fluster) but I was astonished that he couldn’t even recognise the word as I was saying it. This sort of thing happened almost every time I tried to order anything. I did find the problem was worse speaking to people who didn’t seem to have English as a first language, which is understandable - it’s hard enough conversing a foreign language, let alone dealing with unfamiliar accents. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/43 "2006-04-30T00:55:05Z")
I’m usually doing something else when I’m watching TV, so subtitles help me keep track of what’s going on. It helps that I’m a speed reader. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/44 "2006-04-30T19:07:38Z")
I don’t have much of a problem with the British Films, even if they are prone to mumbling or chaotic speech-over-speak scenes at a fast pace. I’ve even served as an intrepreter of sorts for other movie patrons when watching some Brit Film and the slang comes up. Can’t remember the film we watched, but the women I translated the " Chuck a wobbler" and other charming vernacular for just were in awe of my skills. ( Some I figure out. Others I just knew for some reason. Dunno.) I’m crackers for cheese! Russell Crowe is neither English or a great speaker. He is the worst of the lot for mumbling, IMHO. What I cannot understand fer the life of me are the Brit-Bollywood films with the indian Accents thrown in and trying to figure out who the heck is who in the story line and who in the hell just said what. I usually have to watch the movie twice to grasp it. (Monsoon wedding, Bride and Prejudice and something else I watched and loved that I can’t remember.) Oh, and are all the women in India gorgeous or what? Now the irony is that when I first went to a shakespear film ( Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Brannaugh) I didn’t understand 1 word in 10 spoken. I felt like I was airdropped into a foreign world and by the end of the movie I had a splitting heading from trying so hard. ( It didn’t help I was not familiar with the story line at all. ) I was convinced I was the stupidest person on the planet. I was depressed for at least a week over my failings to grasp the Great Bard and hie thee butt off to the movies ( solo) again to force myself to figure it all out. With in about 20 minutes or so, whatever it was in the dialect _clicked_ in my brain and was translated. Now, i just watch anything Shakespear twice to have this work. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/45 "2006-04-30T20:04:12Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > No problem with most of them, but very occaisionally on something like _Trainspotting_. Also, I have no idea who can watch movies like _Monsoon Wedding_ without the subtitles. Are there really native born American people who can just listen and catch that? Yes. Born and raised in Massachusetts and I have never needed subtitles for any English language movie. I had no problem with _Monsoon Wedding_ , in fact it’s one of my favorite movies. \*The Full Monty, Bend it like Beckham, MOnty Python, etc. \*. I wasn’t raised listening to it. My mom never watched Masterpiece Theatre or anything like that. It just seems natural to me. However, I’ve never seen _Trainspotting or Snatch_ so it’s very possible it will happen to me eventually. I do use subtitles all the time though. I can’t watch a dubbed foreign language movie. It sounds so dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/46 "2006-04-30T20:48:04Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Yes. Born and raised in Massachusetts and I have never needed subtitles for any English language movie. I had no problem with _Monsoon Wedding_ , in fact it’s one of my favorite movies. \*The Full Monty, Bend it like Beckham, MOnty Python, etc. \*. I wasn’t raised listening to it. My mom never watched Masterpiece Theatre or anything like that. It just seems natural to me. > > However, I’ve never seen _Trainspotting or Snatch_ so it’s very possible it will happen to me eventually. > > I do use subtitles all the time though. I can’t watch a dubbed foreign language movie. It sounds so dumb. How on _earth_ did you follow _Monsoon Wedding_ on your own? They weren’t even speaking English half the time! ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/47 "2006-04-30T21:09:49Z")
Seriously? I don’t remember it being mostly foreign language. So, one of 3 posibilities: 1. The version I watched was dubbed and I didn’t realize it. 2. The version I watched had subtitles on the non-english parts and I didn’t realize it (wouldn’t be the first time. I had CC turned on for over a year before someone pointed it out to me - never noticed it.). 3. I understand foreign languages despite having no training in them. As cool as option 3 would be, most likely 1 or 2 applies. This is one of the reasons I don’t usually like watching foreign movies on TV - you never know if it’s the true version. Now I’m gonna actually have to pay to buy the movie to see if it’s the same one I saw on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/48 "2006-04-30T21:21:07Z")
I have to use closed captioning with just about any english movie. And South Park with the speeded up voices. I always thought that poor recording technique was the cause of my not understanding the english movies. But South Park? Does anyone understand Wendy with her high squeaky voice? I sure can’t without closed captioning. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/49 "2006-04-30T22:00:18Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Seriously? I don’t remember it being mostly foreign language. > So, one of 3 posibilities: > > 1. The version I watched was dubbed and I didn’t realize it. > 2. The version I watched had subtitles on the non-english parts and I didn’t realize it (wouldn’t be the first time. I had CC turned on for over a year before someone pointed it out to me - never noticed it.). > 3. I understand foreign languages despite having no training in them. > > As cool as option 3 would be, most likely 1 or 2 applies. This is one of the reasons I don’t usually like watching foreign movies on TV - you never know if it’s the true version. Now I’m gonna actually have to pay to buy the movie to see if it’s the same one I saw on TV. AIRC (and I did see it a few years ago, so I’m a little fuzzy) it’s in a fluid mixture of Hindi and English - I don’t know if they actually call it Hinglish, but you know how Spanglish radio mixes can be? Like that. But then I could just be wrong and have had a hard time with the Indian accented English - that’s one accent I have a really hard time with, even in person, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/50 "2006-04-30T23:31:56Z")
I watch a lot of British TV and listen to a lot of British radio, and I’m proud to say I can follow pretty much any accent now. Sean Penn in Snatch is the only one I’ve had trouble with in recent years, and as was pointed out, that was largely intentional. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/51 "2006-05-01T00:28:52Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > How on _earth_ did you follow _Monsoon Wedding_ on your own? They weren’t even speaking English half the time! But you could get the jist. They sprinkled Punjabi (I think it was) in with English, much like some do with Yiddish or Spanish etc. I had no trouble following most of the characters in MW, but when they spoke softly or didn’t face the camera, then I had to strain a bit. **rekkah** --I had a similiar experience in UK last month. Guy behind the counter at a fish and chips place was asking me something…took me three tries to get “vinegar”. 1. we don’t normally use that here, so I wasn’t expecting it\*, 2. he was all glottal and 3. I don’t think his lips moved at all! Also had trouble with the customs guy from France into UK. He also didn’t move his mouth, yet a string of words emanated from his just open lips. He was not pleased to have to repeat himself. :eek: \*I am now addicted to chips and vinegar. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/52 "2006-05-01T00:32:23Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > AIRC (and I did see it a few years ago, so I’m a little fuzzy) it’s in a fluid mixture of Hindi and English - I don’t know if they actually call it Hinglish, but you know how Spanglish radio mixes can be? Like that. But then I could just be wrong and have had a hard time with the Indian accented English - that’s one accent I have a really hard time with, even in person, for some reason. K, just watched it again (rented) and you’re right. Probably over half the movie is not English. I can’t believe I never noticed it before. I still had no problem understanding the majority of the English. The only time I did was when my boyfriend made me turn it down. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/53 "2006-05-01T03:20:38Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > K, just watched it again (rented) and you’re right. Probably over half the movie is not English. I can’t believe I never noticed it before. I still had no problem understanding the majority of the English. The only time I did was when my boyfriend made me turn it down. Well, it doesn’t help that that particular accent is always rapid-fire, as well. 🙂 I think it’s mostly that I have a real problem catching Indian English, and so I couldn’t necessarily seperate English from other words on the fly when combined like that and I was afraid I’d miss too much without the subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/54 "2006-05-01T04:53:51Z")
I had no problem with **Trainspotting** after the first few minutes. I _had_ to have subtitles with **Billy Elliot**. I like how with **Snatch** you have “pikey” subtitles and there’s this bit where all you see is “?” Thanks subtitles! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/55 "2006-05-01T11:30:29Z")
I can’t recall any English movies, although there was a Scottish film I had a heck of a time with. It was called “My Name is Joe” and I saw it at the theater in Germany. At first I had to read the German subtitles to figure out what they were saying in “English” (Glaswegian, iirc), although I picked up the majority of the slang and words about 1/3 of the way in. FWIW “Billy Elliot” is set in Newcastle and the Geordie (sp?) they speak there is unintelligible to me as well, although I don’t recall having any trouble understanding that film. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/56 "2006-05-02T09:34:16Z")
I am very anal about wanting to hear every last line of dialog (not necessarily in shows like ER where lots of medical jargon is being thrown around and is obviously not essential to the plot), so even in shows with American accents, I’ll pause and rewind and turn on the subtitles several times per episode. If there is background noise (someone eating or the dishwasher) I’ll leave them on for the entire episode. I swear I am deficient when it comes to parsing normal speech. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/57 "2006-05-02T11:30:06Z")
We have a (relatively) new TV, which has necessitated a fleet of remotes, so once the CC is turned on (and set up - we always play around with different fonts and colors, just for grins), it usually stays on for good. It comes in quite handy, even with everyday language. The only thing I don’tlike is being compelled to read what I understand - I cannot train myself to ignore the damn thing, so I end up missing things on screen because I’m reading! ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/58 "2006-05-02T14:10:07Z")
I can’t understand most things said in _Serenity_ unless the subtitles are on. It’s a shame, really. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883/59 "2006-05-02T14:54:26Z")
I used to work in the closed captioning biz, and I can attest to the fact that for most British shows, even where American viewers _think_ they’re hearing correctly, they often aren’t, as a look at the script will indicate. So just because you put the closed captions on, don’t assume that the captioner is understanding any better than you. Yes, they’ll usually have a paper script to work from, but sometimes the script itself is not accurate, and sometimes the captioner will just work from audio. If they think they understand it, they won’t look at the script for confirmation. A word to the wise! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-need-subtitles-for-english-movies/353883.md?page=2)