# Dubbing or Subtitles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2017, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313 "2017-07-28T08:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/41 "2017-07-29T02:03:40Z")
I like good dubbing better than subtitles, but bad dubbing is too distracting. I don’t care if I’m seeing the original performance in most cases, as that’s usually not why I’m watching. But I do care if what I hear and see seems realistic enough. Plus, in my experience, if both are available, the sub will be more exact but awkward, while the dub will be more natural but less exact. So, then, the same realism issue rears its head. I generally can’t detect bad vocal acting in other languages. So it’s the translation quality that is relevant to me. And this is why I don’t care about the original vocal performance so much. It’s all going to seem decent to me. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/42 "2017-07-29T02:46:17Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Yes we can. We can enjoy the work as much as we, the viewer, the consumer, wants. If you enjoy something more by giving it your full attention, that is your prerogative. Doesn’t mean it is the one true way. I didn’t say you can’t enjoy it. I said you can’t fully _appreciate_ it. Not the same thing. You can appreciate something without enjoying it, and you can enjoy something without appreciating it. If you divide your attention between a film and something else you’ll miss bits of both. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/43 "2017-07-29T03:00:28Z")
Another movie I found hilarious with subtitles was _Kung Fu Hustle_. I later tried watching it with dubbing and the humor was completely lost. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/44 "2017-07-29T03:53:04Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I didn’t say you can’t enjoy it. I said you can’t fully _appreciate_ it. Not the same thing. You can appreciate something without enjoying it, and you can enjoy something without appreciating it. If you divide your attention between a film and something else you’ll miss bits of both. All “appreciate” means in common parlance is to recognize something’s value, which you can do while only partially paying attention. I’m honestly not sure why the top definitions when I looked it up were about understanding something thoroughly, or fully understanding the value of something. That’s not how I use the word, nor how I’ve heard or seen it used most commonly. To say what you apparently mean by the term, I’d say “fully appreciate all the nuances” to avoid confusion. For me, the stuff I watch is rarely of sufficient quality where I think that sort of appreciation is necessary. Especially when it comes to translated material: it’s all either bad movies or children’s shows or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/45 "2017-07-29T04:08:30Z")
Subtitles no contest. ---
**Author:** ![wadsal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a9a28c/32.png) [@wadsal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wadsal)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/46 "2017-07-29T07:24:26Z")
My problem with subtitles is that I like to look at what the cinematographer envisaged. All that trouble for a scene, and then you miss most of it while reading the dialogue! ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/47 "2017-07-29T12:29:56Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I didn’t say you can’t enjoy it. I said you can’t fully _appreciate_ it. Not the same thing. You can appreciate something without enjoying it, and you can enjoy something without appreciating it. If you divide your attention between a film and something else you’ll miss bits of both. A distinction without a difference. By this definition, I don’t _appreciate_ any form of artistry (except maybe cooking, and only taste and technique, not elaborate plating); I simply _enjoy_ it. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/48 "2017-07-29T15:48:03Z")
> [@wadsal](#): > > My problem with subtitles is that I like to look at what the cinematographer envisaged. All that trouble for a scene, and then you miss most of it while reading the dialogue! All that money spent on acting talent and then some random dude comes in later and talks over the actors instead! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/49 "2017-07-29T16:08:50Z")
I prefer subtitles because, like others stated above, I’m distracted by the mismatch of voice and mouth and I’m a fast reader, so I don’t miss any of what’s going on in the performance. But I’d like to add, I wish there was a way that films could adjust the subtitle word placements when it comes to releasing the film on DVD, TV, BluRay, etc… Since many films are released in those formats as widescreen, we have a nice black strip of space where subtitle text would fit nicely and we’d have no conflict of text color and what’s going on onscreen. I know that my DVD copy if _ **Inglorious Basterds** _ have several scenes of subtitles that are white text on a white image, making it difficult to read. ---
**Author:** ![yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yellow_sausage_bandit/32/394_2.png) [@yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellow_sausage_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/50 "2017-07-29T17:23:01Z")
Subtitles for movies, dubs for anime because I can’t stand those Japanese voices. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/51 "2017-07-29T17:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Dubbing or Subtitles? Yes. Both are good, as long as we get more foreign films. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/52 "2017-07-29T19:19:36Z")
Dubbing is strictly for illiterates. Anyone who cannot be bothered to read subtitles down not deserve to watch foreign fare. You really need to hear a work performed in its original language to get the most out of it. The sole exception might be animation, because _all_ animation is dubbing when you get right down to it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/53 "2017-07-29T19:31:01Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The sole exception might be animation, because _all_ animation is dubbing when you get right down to it. Outside of the aforementioned Disney adaptations of Studio Ghibli movies, dubs of anime in America are some of the worst possible dubs. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/54 "2017-07-30T05:35:35Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Dubbing is strictly for illiterates. Anyone who cannot be bothered to read subtitles down not deserve to watch foreign fare. You really need to hear a work performed in its original language to get the most out of it. The sole exception might be animation, because _all_ animation is dubbing when you get right down to it. I do not appreciate you attacking me or anyone else who disagrees with your preference. As I said above, I see no value in “getting the most out of it.” I’m watching something for entertainment, not studying it. All I care about is the story being told. I just need the acting to be good enough that it doesn’t break the verisimilitude and thus my suspension of disbelief. If I get that, I don’t need to know how good the vocal acting is. Which, again, I couldn’t tell anyways. Because I, like most people, cannot tell how good the vocal acting is when it’s in another language. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen sub-purists praise the voice acting in a work just to find out that native speakers think it’s stilted and badly acted. We don’t know the nuances of the language, so we can’t tell. Maybe you can. Fine. More power to you. I can’t, so I have no reason to care about that. I just care if what I’m getting works. If the dub is bad, it doesn’t work, so I prefer a sub. Otherwise, the dub is better because it will seem more natural. And the timing will be correct, not ruining jokes. I know exactly when they are saying each part. And I would think that my ability to give an explanation shows that I am not illiterate, not even culturally. People can prefer dubs without them being worthy of derision. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/55 "2017-07-30T12:40:54Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I will admit that the dubbing of the various Studio Ghibli films were nicely done, though. It’s probably easier in animation, where the lip movements aren’t that synchronized in the first place. Actually, with the Disney Ghibli releases they took pains to rewrite the dubbed dialog to reduce lip flap. This is noticeable because there are _two_ English subtitle choices, one that follows the dubbed dialog (with an occasional dropped word so the slow readers can keep up) and the other being the translated Japanese. Sometimes the two diverge quite a bit, if only temporarily. For example you find out someone is an uncle a minute later in the scene. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/56 "2017-07-30T15:20:54Z")
I’m definitely in the subtitles over dubbing camp. I once rented the dubbed version of _Cinema Paradiso_ by accident, and I just couldn’t get past the voice acting in it. I only ended up watching maybe 20 minutes of it, then returned it back to the Blockbuster (remember those?) for the subtitled version. I can’t quite remember what it was about the voice acting that bugged me, but it was distracting. I think it was they were speaking in Italian accent tinged English that I just couldn’t help focusing on, but it was over 20 years ago when I saw it. For me, part of is my interest in foreign languages. I love how foreign languages sound, and I’m always interested in immersing myself in a foreign experience. Plus, even with animated films which are almost always dubbed for kids (assuming a children’s cartoon), I still like to hear what the characters sound like in their original language. Although, it’s also interesting to me to see American cartoons like the Simpsons dubbed into various languages to see how other cultures render certain voices. Some of the foreign dubbed voice acting is quite good and true to the character of the original voices. The worst, though, was the type of dubbing that was traditionally seen in at least parts of Eastern Europe. I remember visiting my relatives in Poland several times as a child and watching Polish dubbed versions of American TV shows where every single character was voiced by the same male voice actor. [Here’s an example.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2VXfVuun_o) I don’t think they do it much this way anymore, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/57 "2017-07-30T18:18:14Z")
Subtitles, preferably French. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/58 "2017-07-31T02:07:56Z")
Dub, I don’t like to be required to look at the screen the whole time, particularly when I’m watching it on my laptop and I’m actually just listening 70% of the time. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313/59 "2017-07-31T06:17:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I do not appreciate you attacking me or anyone else who disagrees with your preference. > > As I said above, I see no value in “getting the most out of it.” I’m watching something for entertainment, not studying it. All I care about is the story being told. I just need the acting to be good enough that it doesn’t break the verisimilitude and thus my suspension of disbelief. If I get that, I don’t need to know how good the vocal acting is. > > Which, again, I couldn’t tell anyways. Because I, like most people, cannot tell how good the vocal acting is when it’s in another language. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen sub-purists praise the voice acting in a work just to find out that native speakers think it’s stilted and badly acted. We don’t know the nuances of the language, so we can’t tell. > > Maybe you can. Fine. More power to you. I can’t, so I have no reason to care about that. I just care if what I’m getting works. If the dub is bad, it doesn’t work, so I prefer a sub. Otherwise, the dub is better because it will seem more natural. And the timing will be correct, not ruining jokes. I know exactly when they are saying each part. > > And I would think that my ability to give an explanation shows that I am not illiterate, not even culturally. People can prefer dubs without them being worthy of derision. Piffle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubbing-or-subtitles/792313.md?page=2)