# When watching a foreign-language film, do you prefer subtitles or dubbing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-watching-a-foreign-language-film-do-you-prefer-subtitles-or-dubbing/547226>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 19, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-watching-a-foreign-language-film-do-you-prefer-subtitles-or-dubbing/547226 "2010-07-19T14:45:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-watching-a-foreign-language-film-do-you-prefer-subtitles-or-dubbing/547226/61 "2010-07-21T16:50:29Z")

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Generally I always prefer subtitles. Dubbing is just silly.

However.

I could go either way when it comes to dubbing animation. And if the movie is supposed to be ridiculous anyway, dubbing can make it even more ridiculous.

Also, in addition to the dialogue being subtitled, I’d like written text that’s relevant to the plot (store sign, gravestone, etc) to be subtitled. It also annoys me if songs aren’t subtitled. IOW I’d like my subtitles to be at least as thorough as closed captioning is.

It’s also important that the subtitling be both a non simplified translation (witness the Let the Right One In subtitling scandal) and properly rendered (white with black outline so that it is readable on any background).

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-watching-a-foreign-language-film-do-you-prefer-subtitles-or-dubbing/547226/62 "2010-07-21T17:45:41Z")

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There’s a free project to provide subtitles to popular films. Anyone fluent in a language can type one up and submit it. I’ve downloaded a few for Italian films with Laura Antonelli.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-watching-a-foreign-language-film-do-you-prefer-subtitles-or-dubbing/547226/63 "2010-07-21T19:39:10Z")

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If it’s a really good dub job, like in _Spirited Away_ or _Princess Mononoke_, it’s fine. I suppose that means I could have taken the second choice, but in practice, dubs that are good enough are rare enough that I felt justified in the first option.

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