Do you read the subtitles when you watch movies/ television?

Television - Do you read the subtitles when you watch
the television?
@Iriene88 (5343)
Malaysia
September 12, 2009 10:37am CST
My dear myLotters, How are you? Hope you will join me in this discussion. When I was young, I will read the Bahasa Malaysia subtitles when watching English movies/programme on the television. I was trained that way, so..whenever I watch any movie in the cinemas I will listen to the conversations and at the same time read the subtitles. How about you? I learned my Mandarin from watching Chinese/ Mandarin shows and understand by reading the subtitles. Today we were watching the Mandarin News as we did not change the channel after the Korean Drama on 8TV. We can only understand the contents about 50% as we are not Mandarin speaking.. Suddenly my son was saying:~ [b]How nice if the Mandarin News have sub-title then we can understand better. At the same time we can learn Mandarin too:)[/b] Do share your views whether you like to watch tv / movie with subtitles or without the subtitles. Do you read those subtitles? Thanks :)
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22 responses
@acie_21 (5633)
• Philippines
2 Mar 10
hi iriene.. yeah!cause i dont understand Korean or Chinese!language!.. just like now...me and my hubby watching our favorite movie.."queen seondok..."hehehhe! this story is damn long!has many chapters.. and every time i watch this reading the subtitles for a long periods of hours just drives me crazy...hehehe! but i have no choice!i love this story...Korean movies are the best.. at first i find it boring..but now i considered myself addicted to it..heheh! have a nice day! cheers!
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@acie_21 (5633)
• Philippines
3 Mar 10
heheheh!sometimes dubbing distracts me from watching seriously... how about you??heheheh!
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
4 Mar 10
Dear Acie, Glad to hear from you again! I do agree with you I prefer to watch Korean drama in their origin - Korean language. I can hear the actor and actresses real voices and intonation, it will complements their facial expression well. But in Malaysia, most Korean drama are dubbed in Mandarin. Imagine they has been the same voice over (dubbed) for many dramas and different actresses. Hahaha, hearing the same voice on different actors is really weird, or to say that all the heroes have the same voice (dubbed)
@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
2 Mar 10
Dear Acie, Glad to hear from you "Queen Seondok", sound interesting. I have not watch this Korean drama. I hope Malaysia local television channel will air it. I too love Korean drama and I always read the subtitles too. At time I watch them in dubbing - Mandarin. Even though it is dubbed in Mandarin, I still read the subtitles to have a better understanding. Thanks and take care :)
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
13 Sep 09
I really wish I can read mandarin words too when I watched Mandarin drama. But too bad , I am blind in Mandarin. I can only read English,Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia,however, I can understand simple Mandarin. I love watching Singapore Drama. They always have English Subtitles to support and after been watching for more than 10 years, at last I can understand Singapore Mandarin and now I no longer read the subtitles when I watch their drama. But for Hongkong drama, I still prefer to have English subtitles as their mandarin is bit more difficult to understand sometimes. The best is every drama has English subtitles as it is more easier for me to understand the story. Happy weekend!!
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear Shia, Wow, two thumbs up for you. You are quite a good learner and quite linguistic too. Picking up Singapore Mandarin by listening to their conversation and reading the English subtitles can improve our English too. It is like 'killing two birds with one stone'.. Those Hong Kong movies or dramas are actually in Cantonese dialect. This Cantonese dialect are widely spoken in Kuala Lumpur too, but I hardly converse in it, therefore I can only understand a bit but can't speak at the right 'slang'..LOL Thanks for sharing and do keep in touch!
@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
27 Sep 09
Dear Shia, You are really good! You can converse the Singapore-Mandarin. That is excellent, good job, keep it up Perhaps later get a tuitor to guide your child with Mandarin. However if you plan to send your child Mandarin/Chinese school, you should start with Chinese kindergarten too. Can your husband speak and write in Mandarin?
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
27 Sep 09
Hi Iriene, Even my parents are quite suprised with my Mandarin,I can't even speak a single mandarin words before i went to Singapore. My father always asked me to have Mandarin tuition at home during my high school time, but I never wanted it. Especially when I see Mandarin words,my head started to get pain. Too difficult for me to learn. But now I feel so regret. If I were to learn Mandarin that time, now I must be able to write a simple mandarin words now. I am happy with myself,at least I can converse in simple Mandarin conversations. With my in-laws,I am using Mandarin words in our conversation at home. I am getting headache on how to teach my son Mandarin language in future as I don't read and write in Mandarin.
@smithid (122)
• Nigeria
12 Sep 09
Subtitles have now become part of any film hoping to sell well. I love reading the subtitles even if the film is an English film. It gives me a feeling of really following the film to the letter. I feel uncomfortable watching films without the subtitle no matter the type of film. At least I can comfortably follow a non-english film without stress.
@smithid (122)
• Nigeria
15 Sep 09
Wow! never heard of that before. That should be really cool!
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@smithid (122)
• Nigeria
15 Sep 09
wow! never really heard of it. That would really be great and soothing for people like me.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
15 Sep 09
Dear smithid, Some movies do not have subtitles, I do feel like there is 'something missing' in it! I was so used to reading subtitles since a very young age. I too agree with you, those actors/actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) I heard that we can download subtitles of some movie and watch it. Cheers and have a great day!
@sblossom (2168)
4 Jan 10
I have the habit to read the subtitles when I watch movies or tv. it can help me understand the programs, but it's not good for my eyes. also i focus on the subtitles so i will miss the programs themself. so now i try to not set subtitles when i watch tv or dvd. now i can say my english is improving a lot, so i can understand the programs easily.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
5 Jan 10
Dear sblossom, Great to hear from you Yes, I totally agree with you. We tend to missed the show when we busy focusing on reading the subtitles. At times, it is inevitable due to the actors/actresses speak too fast. It is good to know that your English has improved a lot after listening to the conversations. Keep it up, good job
• Malaysia
15 Sep 09
I think I was trained to read the subtitles, too, because even when the movies or Dramas are in Malaysian Language where I could understand perfectly well, I would still read the subtitles, which are in English! It's spontaneous. However, I think it's handy when I miss a few words because the scripts are too fast or something he he... Anyway, to answer your question, I do prefer to watch especially foreign movies or TV programs with subtitles, but it is quite annoying though if there are more than one subtitles and they are overlapping!
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear corrycrystal, I too agree with you, those actors/actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) I remembered my husband complained when watched Cantonese movie in the cinema. One quarter of the screen is covered by 3 languages of subtitles at the bottom. There are English subtitles, Bahasa Malaysia subtitles and the Mandarin subtitles. AS this is closely typed, it is quite hard even to read the English subtitles..just like what you said ~ overlapping Thanks for sharing and take care! Happy Holiday too :)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 09
Yes, of course. On the TV, I will read the vernacular subtitles as well as English. On the film circuit, since there will only be vernacular subtitles, I would have no choice.Subtitles are good. I re-learn my English. I also understand better since those Hollywood actors sometimes just talk too fast for me. For Mandarin, Korean and Hindi movies, without subtitles, I will be lost!
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@agv0419 (3022)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Sometime subtitles really helps to understand movies or tv shows because sometimes especially American movies or show they talk too fast or they eating what they are saying it is hard to understand them so I preferred to have subtitles so I can understand the story better. Here in the Philippines we don't have subtitles in our local shows because all of us understand English. Usually foreign soap operas like Korean or Chinese and Mexican are dubbed to Tagalog so everybody would understand it.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
15 Sep 09
Dear gracefuldove, I too re-learn my English. I also understand better since those Hollywood actors sometimes just talk too fast / certain words being 'swallowed' and was unable to gauge what ar they saying. For Mandarin, Korean and Hindi movies, without subtitles, I too will be lost! I learned my Mandarin from watching Chinese/ Mandarin shows and understand by reading the subtitles. I used to watched Singapore programmes which are dubbed in Mandarin with English subtitles...hahah..that was how I learned my conversation Mandarin and written English. Cheers :)
@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
15 Sep 09
Dear agv, Glad to hear from you... Glad to know that Phillipinos are great at 'dubbing' with full espression for Mexican, Korean, Japanese and Chinese dramas. In this case watching those dubbed dramas, it will be like watching the orignal Tagalog movies I too agree with you, those actors /actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies / dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it :) Cheers and have a great day !
@doryvien (2284)
• United States
13 Sep 09
Hi Iriene, Smart kid you have there, you must be proud of him. When I surf the cable channels I sometimes catch some chinese and korean movies with subtitles and since I don't understand a word they say, I just have to read the subtitles. But I find this quite tiring and stressful, as I have to watch the movement and relate it to what they say. Because of this, I try to stick to English films or English-dubbed films, it' easier to deal with.
@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Hi Doryvien, How are you, you got a nice post on your blog I learned my Mandarin from watching Chinese/ Mandarin shows and understand by reading the subtitles. I used to watched Singapore programmes which are dubbed in Mandarin with English subtitles...hahaha..that was how I learned my conversation Mandarin and written English. Truly agree with you, trying to gauge what the foreign actor/actresses converse in their native language and reading the subtitles (which at times are flashing/ moving very fast too) is quite tiring.. Thanks for sharing and happy myLotting!
@lemonjude (105)
• Malaysia
15 Sep 09
I do read the subtitles especially when watching English movie. Coming from a chinese educated background, more or less I'm poor in it and the worst is listening to those foreign slang in speaking English, that's really killing me if without reading the subtitles to go after what they have said. I may end up don't know what the movie talking about. I don't really like other languages movies like Japanese and Korean movie/ drama, simply don't understand what they say and I might just busying reading the subtitles without enjoying the show. Haha, I think I'm so "terrible" sometime, I'm too details in reading every words in the subtitles till I can spot mistake, wrong words, missing words and wrong spelling in the subtitles.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear lemonjude, I too agree with you, those actors/actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) Hahaha, you are fantastic...can spot mistake, wrong words, missing words and wrong spelling in the subtitles...Malaysia channels are very famous for this! Cheers and take care!
@picjim (3002)
• India
15 Sep 09
I watch mainly English movies on my T.V.One channel has subtitles which i can't say i depend upon to understand but certain movies where the actors mumble or i feel it is essential to reinforce those spoken words i look at the subtitle.I prefer watching English movies from my adolescent days as i learnt English language mainly from movies and reading.Some English movie channels have subtitles which i rarely follow except to reinforce my understanding of the movie.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear picjim, Great job! You too learned English from watching movies and reading. In actual fact watching good conversation movies is a good way to learn a language. My son too learn his English from English program like Sesame Street, Disney Magic English and Barney I too agree with you, those actors/actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) All the best and happy myLotting!
@seanbryan (349)
• United Arab Emirates
14 Sep 09
Hi Iriene! I feel annoyed when I listen to the characters and read the subtitles of movies at the same time. It took me a hard time watching korean, chinese films or any other films using foreign language as their medium. And so, I don't watch any movies except when the medium is in our dialect or in english. Nice to see here again!
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear seanbryan, Oh yes, another myLotter here also have the same views like you. She also avoided those foreign movies/dramas like Korean and Japanese dramas. My mum can't read, so she truly depend on the dubbed foreign drama to understand the story, she normally do not watch those Korean Drama in its original version because she cannot understand a single word spoken. Looking from this view, dubbed foreign drama have its good points too! Cheers and take care:)
• China
13 Sep 09
Yes,maybe I've been accustomed with this.I feel somewhat uncomfortable without the subtitle.When I was a kid,I formed the habit of watching tv with subtitles,nobody tell me should or should not.I was thinking it's for people watching,so i did...Right now,I don't think it's a good phenomenon,while you watch some movies without subtitles you can't hear each word so clearly.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear Jackie, I do feel like something is 'missing' when a movie without the subtitles..Subtitles are extremely useful when we can't on the sound louder when late at nights while other family members are sleeping. Quite a number of myLotters prefer to read subtitles especially when the actors/ actresses speak too fast, or some of the word sort of 'swallowed' and we might missed if there is no subtitles! Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) Cheers and hope to hear your views on my other topics too!
@calai618 (1773)
• Philippines
13 Sep 09
Since I got addicted to watching korean, Chinese and Japanese movies and series, I got used to reading the subtitles that even when I am watching an English or a Filipino movie, I would keep on looking at the bottom of the screen to look for subtitles. It's weird because sometimes I don't understand a movie I am watching even though it is already in ENglish because I have gotten so dependent on subtitles.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear Calai, Hahaha , it happens to me too! I love Chinese, Japanese and Korean Dramas but those shown on our local television channel are all dubbed in Mandarin with Bahasa Malaysia subtitles. Quite a number of myLotters prefer to read subtitles especially when the actors/ actresses speak too fast, or some of the word sort of 'swallowed' and we might missed if there is no subtitles! Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it:) Cheers and happy myLotting!
• India
13 Sep 09
ya of course I too read the subs that are provided at HBO.Moreover whenever I download a movie n its difficult to understand i use subs which i download from the net!
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• Japan
13 Sep 09
Reading subtitles really helped me learn Japanese. And now I watch Chinese movies with Japanese subtitles. I think it's really helpful when learning a new language. Though now I watch so many movies with subtitles that even if I understand the spoken language I'll still read the subtitles. :)
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear rikuou, Welcome to myLot, glad to hear from you Yes, reading subtitles really help us to learn foreign language and at the same time strengthening our own language grammar too! I learned my Mandarin from watching Chinese/ Mandarin shows and understand by reading the subtitles. I used to watched Singapore programmes which are dubbed in Mandarin with English subtitles...hahaha..that was how I learned my conversation Mandarin and written English. Thanks for sharing, hope to hear your views on my previous topics too :)
@Eisenherz (2908)
• Portugal
12 Sep 09
If they're there to be read, it's not unusual for me to read them. But if they become too distracting I prefer to ignore them. Actually I prefer to watch it as original as possible, as long as I can understand the language of the movie/tv show. One thing I hate is dubbing however, can't simply watch anything that's been dubbed.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear Eisenherz, I agree with you, the synchronize lips, voice and facial expression of original casts are not replaceable by dubbing. We will enjoy more in its original language as long as the subtitles are well explained! I remembered my husband complained when watched Cantonese movie in the cinema. One quarter of the screen is covered by 3 languages of subtitles at the bottom. There are English subtitles, Bahasa Malaysia subtitles and the Mandarin subtitles. AS this is closely typed, it is quite hard even to read the English subtitles... Cheers and take care!
@ImNotFish (106)
• Singapore
12 Sep 09
When I am watching movie I am more depend to the subtitles..However if I am watching movies in English, I always listen to the conversations and subtitle will help me to understand better..can't understand fully sometimes as the accents and slangs are quite different from mine, and English is my second language..If it is Korean or Japanese drama, I can speak neither so I can only relies on subtitles.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Hi, listen to the English conversation and at the same time reading the subtitles makes us understand better, I absolutely agree with you. I did the same thing too :) So, when I watched those DVDs, we have the choice either to watch it on original or dubbed. At times I do watched it 'dubbed' and have a better understanding of the story, then I watched again in original version..(or vice versa depends on my mood & time constraint) It's really awesome to listen in their original 'Hangul'(Korean dramas) and the actors and actresses voice...soon youwill pick up some simple phrase like " sarang er"= love, and 'kamsa hamnida'= thank you. So, by listen to them speak in Korean and read the English subtitles truly helps a lot :)
@JamesKYTan (1605)
• Malaysia
12 Sep 09
When I watch English movies whether in cinema or on television I listen to the dialogue. But if the movie is in Mandarin or Cantonese, I switch to reading of subtitles in Bahasa Malaysia. But it is a sad case when most of the times there were wrong translation. I don't know how those translators can get their jobs. This shows that they are not fluent in BM. In the first place those translators shouldn't be working in the translation Department unless they have strong 'connections.' Well, in Malaysia it is not what you know but whom you know that counts.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear James, It is so true, some they just translate literally word by word and may ended up as different context... I remembered my husband complained when watched Cantonese movie in the cinema. One quarter of the screen is covered by 3 languages of subtitles at the bottom. There are English subtitles, Bahasa Malaysia subtitles and the Mandarin subtitles. As this is closely typed, it is quite hard even to read the English subtitles. All the best :)
@dbutheking (2347)
• India
13 Sep 09
Hi Iriene, I am not that intelligent to learn a language from the sub-titles. But, i like to have the sub-titles in the English movies. I sometimes don't understand what they are telling when they speak very fast. So, in that case i see the sub-titles to get what they really talking. Some times i don't know some words. So, it is easy to see the subtitles and then search the dictionary to see what the meaning will be.. Have a great day..
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear dbu, You are a very hardworking person and this is definitely a very good habit to check the dictionary for the words that you do not understand. Keep it up I hope I can be like you :) I too agree with you, those actors/actresses who speak too fast with certain slang are not easy to gauge what are they saying. Therefore subtitles are of great help in this case where those movies/ dramas that need us to listen to its conversation attentively in order to understand the story or the twist in it
@rg0205 (2636)
• Hong Kong
12 Sep 09
Yes, I read subtitles because I watch international stuff. I don't limit myself to languages I can understand. I am particularly fond of watching international films that have subtitles. I normally find these types of movies in film fest reviews because I have a wide range of interests and it's always interesting to learn about different cultures. I think it would be better if more programs/ movies had subtitles for different languages to reach a wider audience.
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Dear rg, Glad to know that you are fond of watching international films that have subtitles. I too enjoying movies that showing in the cinemas during International Movie Fest. I remembered watching a Japanese animation with its original voice without dubbing, it was great, by reading the subtitles. Thanks for sharing, I truly enjoy reading your response.
@hexeduser22 (7418)
• Philippines
12 Sep 09
I'm fond of watching foreign films ever since I was a kid. Watching Chinese and Korean films is somewhat my hobby. I'm very dependent on subtitles if I watched those kind of films. In english movies I hate watching with subtitles on because more often done not the subtitle shown is wrong(almost all my movies are from the net).
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@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
17 Sep 09
Hi, I love Chinese, Japanese and Korean Dramas but those shown on our local television channel are all dubbed in Mandarin with Bahasa Malaysia subtitles. So, when I watched those DVDs, we have the choice either to watch it on original, then reading the English subtitles really help a lot in my understanding of the story and conversations :) I think it would be better if more movies had subtitles for different languages so to reach a wider audience. Thanks and do keep in touch!