# Who turns on the English subtitles when watching films on DVD? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698 "2005-10-04T04:23:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/21 "2005-10-04T12:30:18Z")
I do! On everything all the time. If a show doesn’t have CC then I’ll write to the station and complain. FOX’s Sunday nite lineup (Simpsons, yay!) was painfully absent of captions, but now they’ve fixed it. I blame the locals. If there aren’t captions on a show I really want to watch, I can’t watch it. I’m about 50% deaf. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/22 "2005-10-04T12:37:13Z")
Only if there’s some line I never was able to understand. As I noted a long time ago on these Boards, I could never figure out what that “recognition code” between Prof. Henry Jones and Marcus was in **Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade** until I used the captions. I _still_ don’t know where the damned thing comes from (it’s apparently a college toast), but at least now I know the words. I also wanted to know if the alien’s words at the end of **Predator** was really just a repetition of arniold’s words. I couldn’t quite tell. I’m somewhat amused by the fact that the subtitles aren’t transcriptions of the actual text – they’re edited down for space and time. Makes me wonder what I’m missing in subtitled foreign films… ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/23 "2005-10-04T13:15:14Z")
I resorted to watching the subtitles on the Lord of the Rings movies. Having never read the book, it helped to see the names of the characters and locations when others speak of them. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/24 "2005-10-04T13:22:30Z")
Always, for anything I’m watching, although my hearing is fine. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m really annoyed if a DVD doesn’t have subtitles. I do watch a lot of British movies, and the captions help me to catch every word of the dialogue. As much as I enjoy watching Sean Bean, for example, I can’t understand a word he says. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/25 "2005-10-04T13:28:08Z")
I always try to turn them on. Just in case there’s someone with a thick accent, or I’m watching the movie with someone who hasn’t mastered the ability to talk _between_ dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/26 "2005-10-04T14:38:39Z")
I don’t have CC on for TV shows, but I almost always turn on subtitles for DVDs. It helps during loud scenes. With widescreen DVDs the subtitles usually don’t interefere with the picture. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/27 "2005-10-04T14:56:55Z")
I don’t know how people can stand subtitles if they’re not watching a foreign language film, or don’t have hearing difficulties. I’m a speed reader. I read far faster than people talk and act. (I suspect most people read faster than people talk and act.) Using subtitles is like having someone constantly telling you what’s about to happen next. It spoils the flow of the acting and action. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/28 "2005-10-04T15:15:33Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > I don’t know how people can stand subtitles if they’re not watching a foreign language film, or don’t have hearing difficulties. > > I’m a speed reader. I read far faster than people talk and act. (I suspect most people read faster than people talk and act.) Using subtitles is like having someone constantly telling you what’s about to happen next. It spoils the flow of the acting and action. Heh heh, it’s funny that you say that. I am a Law and Order addict and I have the captions on (for the reason I mentioned above). When it gets to where the jury reaches the verdict, though, I cover up the lower portion of my screen so I don’t read it before the foreman/woman actually says it. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/29 "2005-10-04T15:27:20Z")
I’ve only done it once, and that was to make sense out of some of the dialogue in **Snatch**. If there is a better use for subtitles, I haven’t found it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/30 "2005-10-04T15:37:48Z")
> [@Squee](#): > > I’ve only done it once, and that was to make sense out of some of the dialogue in **Snatch**. If there is a better use for subtitles, I haven’t found it. 🙂 I usually turn the subtitles on if I’m listening to a commentary track. It helps to follow along with the dialogue, which is sometimes being commented on. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/31 "2005-10-04T15:45:57Z")
I frequently watch television news with the subtitles on, although live captioning is often condensed and nowhere near as accurate as a movie or TV show. I’ll watch a lot of other older movies with the caps on, as it helps me frequently identify the names of songs playing on the soundtrack and better understand the dialogue. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/32 "2005-10-04T16:13:37Z")
I do constantly, and yes, I am a speed reader as well, and constantly can read ahead. But I’ve been able to switch my brain off enough to make it work and not think too much about what I read until they’ve said it. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/33 "2005-10-04T16:33:10Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > I don’t know how people can stand subtitles if they’re not watching a foreign language film, or don’t have hearing difficulties. > > I’m a speed reader. I read far faster than people talk and act. (I suspect most people read faster than people talk and act.) Using subtitles is like having someone constantly telling you what’s about to happen next. It spoils the flow of the acting and action. I also “read ahead.” The main reason I don’t like it I don’t like it is because if I’m looking at the subtitles, I’m not looking at the image, which is kind of the point of video. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/34 "2005-10-04T17:36:08Z")
I do it almost all the time for several reasons.[ul][_]Loud background noise. A dog who wants to play and chases a ball in and out of a room over and over can drown out quiet dialogue, and I’d rather watch a movie and get some fetch time in simultaneously rather than take a half hour to tire the dog out and then watch the movie.[_]It’s a movie I want to see but don’t really care for, if that makes sense. I’ll put the subtitles on and then watch it at 4x speed. Condensed movies.[_]Picking out phrases I’ve never understood, like **CalMeacham** said earlier.[_]And also to allow me to devote more time to studying the visuals in the scene – if the captioning comes on, I can flash through that in a second and then watch the scene develop with a little advance notice.[/ul]Now, if it’s a movie that I don’t want spoiled, I’ll make an effort to fit the circumstances to my desires. I’ll tire the dogs out, I’ll close the door, I’ll leave the subtitles off and turn the volume up just a little more. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/35 "2005-10-04T18:03:08Z")
I do this pretty regularly. At first I had my DVD connected incorrectly and could not get the sound loud enough to be heard over my air conditioner. Now I do it because I find I often understand what is going on better. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/36 "2005-10-04T18:04:25Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > What has happened to Steve Coogan, AKA Alan Partridge? He looks years younger in that 2003 released film than he did in his later TV stuff. Well, Jarmusch filmed _C&C_ over the span of 15 years or so (quite easy given its episodic nature), so it’s possible that that segment was filmed earlier (though the reference to Spike Jonze means it probably wasn’t filmed any earlier than 1999). ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/37 "2005-10-04T18:11:24Z")
I turned them on once for a one time run-through of _Billy Elliot_. The Northeastern English miner accents were sometimes almost impossible to figure out. And even then, I had to go look up words like “poof” (homosexual). ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/38 "2005-10-04T18:49:11Z")
I tend to have the subtitles on if I’m watching a movie with a group of friends, or if it’s noisy where I am. I used to live in the dorms at my university, and it was IMPOSSIBLE to watch a show without subtitles. Sometimes I’ll have them on out of habit, and in some cases, the subtitles are just funny. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/39 "2005-10-04T18:56:50Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Actually, my DVD player has an annoying little quirk … and I have to go back to the menu and turn them off. Drives me crazy. The remote for our DVD player, which we have had maybe four years, has a button labelled “subtitles”, which, if pressed, turns the subtitles on and off. I just noticed it a couple weeks ago (I don’t want to talk about it). Perhaps your remote has one, too. I turned on subtitles just the other day, to see what Sky Captain’s last name was. Strange, because Angelina Jolie usually has excellent enunciation. (It’s Sullivan, by the way.) ---
**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698/40 "2005-10-04T20:05:46Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I do constantly, and yes, I am a speed reader as well, and constantly can read ahead. But I’ve been able to switch my brain off enough to make it work and not think too much about what I read until they’ve said it. Same here. I am hearing impaired, but I can generally get by watching a TV show or movie without subtitles. But I find it helps so much more with my memory of what happened, and with small background sounds that may be significant but not necessarily picked up. I always find myself better able to recall a line of dialogue if I’ve read it and heard it, rather than just heard it. I always watch shows with captions/subtitles. Usually I won’t watch a show if it’s not captioned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-turns-on-the-english-subtitles-when-watching-films-on-dvd/324698.md?page=3)