Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Do you watch tv/movies with subtitles even in your native language?
Poster: Christine Andersen
Post title: Mixed situation
I live in Denmark, and films in all varieties of English have Danish subtitles. My husband tries to turn them off, usually unsuccessfully. They annoy him, but I actually enjoy them at times, or I can ignore them. I really respect some of the elegant translations the subtitlers come up with. (And occasionally have a good laugh when they get it wrong, but that happens far less than it used to.)
I may actually need the translation for American or other varieties that are not spoken in my neck of the woods!
OK, Danish is not my native language, but it is my language of habitual usage, and after 40 years I am as fluent as many natives.
There have been occasions when we have given up on Danish TV series in Denmark - we simply could not hear the dialogue, and it was not subtitled! Forbrydelsen (The Killing) was one! We waited for the English version, but did not watch more than a couple of episodes. We gave up on The Bridge as well, even though that had subtitling for the Swedish characters...
We can also see Swedish, Norwegian and German channels, and English films on the Swedish and Norwegian channels are subtitled in those languages. I am fascinated, especially when the subtitling is in New Norwegian (Nynorsk). The other written form of Norwegian, Bokmål, is very close to Danish, and it must be VERY difficult at times to relate some of the spoken dialects to the written word.
I do not understand spoken Swedish or Norwegian very well, so without subtitles I actually struggle to follow. Luckily most films and series are broadcast later on Danish channels with Danish subtitles, and then I can catch a lot of what is said!
I understand German quite well, but we always turn on the subtitles - there are passages in dialect or details that are easier to understand with the text to help. It keeps my German a little more active, so I can actually use it when we go shopping over the border. Again, my respect to the subtitlers!
(And I am always amazed at the variety of adjectives used to describe the music! Ominous, tense, excited, cheerful, melancholy, romantic ... I may not register it at all if there are only a couple of bars, or to me it may be just thump, thump, thump...)
We see very little television in the UK - I feel I ought to watch more for professional reasons, but it can´t compete with a lively grandchild! On the other hand, I can see English TV at home until I am square eyed, so never mind.
Topic: Do you watch tv/movies with subtitles even in your native language?
Poster: Christine Andersen
Post title: Mixed situation
I live in Denmark, and films in all varieties of English have Danish subtitles. My husband tries to turn them off, usually unsuccessfully. They annoy him, but I actually enjoy them at times, or I can ignore them. I really respect some of the elegant translations the subtitlers come up with. (And occasionally have a good laugh when they get it wrong, but that happens far less than it used to.)
I may actually need the translation for American or other varieties that are not spoken in my neck of the woods!
OK, Danish is not my native language, but it is my language of habitual usage, and after 40 years I am as fluent as many natives.
There have been occasions when we have given up on Danish TV series in Denmark - we simply could not hear the dialogue, and it was not subtitled! Forbrydelsen (The Killing) was one! We waited for the English version, but did not watch more than a couple of episodes. We gave up on The Bridge as well, even though that had subtitling for the Swedish characters...
We can also see Swedish, Norwegian and German channels, and English films on the Swedish and Norwegian channels are subtitled in those languages. I am fascinated, especially when the subtitling is in New Norwegian (Nynorsk). The other written form of Norwegian, Bokmål, is very close to Danish, and it must be VERY difficult at times to relate some of the spoken dialects to the written word.
I do not understand spoken Swedish or Norwegian very well, so without subtitles I actually struggle to follow. Luckily most films and series are broadcast later on Danish channels with Danish subtitles, and then I can catch a lot of what is said!
I understand German quite well, but we always turn on the subtitles - there are passages in dialect or details that are easier to understand with the text to help. It keeps my German a little more active, so I can actually use it when we go shopping over the border. Again, my respect to the subtitlers!
(And I am always amazed at the variety of adjectives used to describe the music! Ominous, tense, excited, cheerful, melancholy, romantic ... I may not register it at all if there are only a couple of bars, or to me it may be just thump, thump, thump...)
We see very little television in the UK - I feel I ought to watch more for professional reasons, but it can´t compete with a lively grandchild! On the other hand, I can see English TV at home until I am square eyed, so never mind.