Well I wondered how this was in other countries and what you think about it. In the Netherlands all the English programs are in English and there are subtitles. Only on the channel for children there are cartoons that are translated and spoken in Dutch. But some other cartoons aren’t, but when they are meant for young children they often are.
I like it this way, because it can be annoying if you see someone’s lips move differently than you hear them speak. It’s also nice to hear the original voices. I don’t really care about the cartoons, because I rarely watch them and you don’t have the lips problem. I do think that it’s nicer to see for example Shrek the English version than the Dutch one. If films like this are in the movie theaters there is an english version and a dutch one. The English version is played on more different times and I think more people see it too. The Dutch version is there just for the (little) kids.
However when I’m in a foreign country like Germany, Switzerland or I watch a french/german channel they rarely have subtitles. Instead you hear them talking in German or French. It’s quite annoying because then it’s harder to understand German and French. Plus the lip thing and your actors suddenly have different voices. I think the voice and the actor belong together and together they make the actor. But when the voice is different it is weird and it kind of ruins things sometimes.
I do remember when “High School Musical” was on television. It was meant for children and it was an a child network. The thing was that they spoke in Dutch but they sing in English. It was so weird and annoying. Than I rather had everything in Dutch, but the best would be just everything in English. It was soo annoying.
What I find annoying too is that if I watch a Flemish serie on a Dutch network. They have subtitles and it is really annoying because you tend to look at the subtitles. But you already understand it if you listen to it. Same in the reversed way if I look at a Dutch show on a Flemish network, it has subtitles too. It’s kind of hard not to look at it, I want to do that with English speaking shows too. But it’s kind of hard to do, you focus on the subtitles anyway. It’s funny though that you sometimes don’t even realise subtitles are missing when they are.
edit It might be nice if you mention your country if you say “here”… /edit
Open TV is almost always dubbed. Paid TV can follow two patterns: they are either dubbed with the option that you turn on the sap and closed caption functions to get original language+subtitles; or they have the original language with subtitles and you have no other choice. More recently, with those smart television thingies, we’ve been able to choose language and subtitle from a menu, pretty much like we would in a DVD. But I don’t watch much TV either.
Here it is just like in the Netherlands except that they recently have started dubbing some real-actions shows aimed for younger viewers (Hanna Montana etc…).
But personally I hate dubs even in cartoons (especially anime), except for the ones on Shrek and the ones on The Longest Journey (video game) that I thought were better then the originals (especial TLJ; the Norwegian version of that was the best thing I’ve ever haired in my life XD ).
Here they sent both the English version and a version where everything except the songs where dubbed…and a sing along version…and a dance along version…and a DVD only remix version shivers!
High School Musical 2 is going to be all dubs here thought.
Edit: Here is Norway BTW.
The new layout apparently doesn’t show you location anymore…
most everything besides some anime that is shown here is made in English, so nah we don’t usually have subs or dubs!
but there are a few channels in spanish, and when they are showing movies they sub them. In fact, the movie selection for the spanish channnels around here is BETTER then the regular ones
i don’t actually watch a ton of TV, i’d rather be surfing the internet notanaddict, but when Heroes comes back i will gladly drool over the idiot box.
Here in Sweden we have subtitles, and it’s only shows for kids that are dubbed, so like the netherlands then I assume.
I prefer subtitles over dubbed, because people sound so wrong if they are dubbed(well not so bad in cartoons)
and when it’s subtitled you could learn the other language too.
I wanted to start a topic like this one, so I’m glad you started one Sandra.
I recently recieved some Spanish channels on my television and god haven’t anyone told them about subtitles?! They even dubbed ER! No wonder a Swedish (or Deutch I presume) 13 year old speaks better english than a spanish 24 year old (Okay, that is based on nothing but it is true… More or less).
I’m 14 years old and speak better english than most of the adults here. Pretty much all people do these days, cause we are raised with english television. And you should hear my accent - I mean, I learn british english in school and american english from the tv lol.
I remembered being like 9 years old when I started watching Charmed on tv. It was actually the first english tv show I actually enjoyed watching. After that I started watching like Fresh Prince in Bel Air and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I think some countries are not realizing what great impression television has on people, and especially young children these days. Reading the subtitles at the same time as you’re hearing the words and expressions - I learn more english at home then I do at school.
Hold on; you liked the dubbed versions of the Shrek voices better then the originals? Eddie Murphy and Mike Meyers were singlehandedly responsible for making that movie funny (IMHO). Without their quirky characterizations, the movie would pretty much be reduced to toilet humor.
Which is why I can’t stand dubbing. My parents always insist on using English dubbing when watching foreign movies such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Which had decent dubbing, mind you. But I swear the movie is not the same when it’s not in Mandarin.
I also find the “changes” made for the sake of lip movement to be annoying. Sometimes the meaning of entire sentences are changed for the sake of translation/lip problems, making certain parts of movies distincly different than the subtitled versions. Spirited Away was really bad about this.
When I was in Germany the more popular shows like the ones on MTV and on other networks we have back here in the States were in English but had German subtitles. But if it was on a German network and a show originally in English it was dubbed at least as far as I could tell.
It was strange but at the same time good cause it allowed me to understand words and the German language a bit more because I could hear it in English but read it in GErman and associate the words.
For not to speak of the fact that you are on ld4all
Here in Norway (as in sweden ) it’s seldomly dubbed. A funny thing was that me and my mates were to watch a french horror-movie, that were dubbed to english, we saw the first minutes, looked at each other and turned it on french with norwegian subtitles hehe
And BW: Ice age is WAYWAY better with norwegian dubbing, it kicks ass!
I just think the Norwegian dubbers did it even better.
Something that’s highly unusual BTW.
Yeah, I remember how me and my old teacher used to fight abut how you said sword and how you wrote color.
BTW My teacher doesn’t know what oblivion is, what’s up with that
I agree with Draginvry. (I’m in the USA) I watch a lot of Eastern films, and many of my friends watch anime, and they are a lot better without the dubbing. (Of course, my parents insist on using dubbing from time to time ) Same thing with Spanish, except when it is on TV it’s just straight Spanish. Of course, I love this since I’m trying to learn Spanish so I can pass my IB exams.
I bought a dvd movie (can’t remember the name of it) which apparently was dubbed.
It was made in spain and they had actors that couldn’t speak english good enough so they recorded it in spanish and then dubbed it themselves with english voice actors. At first I thought I could switch to original spanish with subtitles, but no I was forced to watch it dubbed which looked really wierd.
And I hate the TV subtitles here in Sweden The people that write the subtitles are like totally uneducated. If they don’t know a word, they’ll just leave it in. I mean, c’mon! Learn to use the dictionary! And the words are so simple, like SUSPECT, they will just change the C to a K and use it. So it becomes SUSPEKT when the real translation is MISSTÄNKT in Swedish
I also live in the Netherlands and I’m glad that everything is subtitled. I wouldn’t be able to write any english if everything was in Dutch. I learned almost all my english from television and internet. I think that most cartoons should be subtitled. Holland is a small country. And only a few people translate cartoons. So all the voices are the same -_-’ It is really annoying. But I understand that young children can’t read that fast so I suppose that it should stay this way.
You know, I think the USA needs more subtitled, foreign cartoons. It would actually get people to read. That, and I think English wouldn’t make a very good international language. I’m a native speaker and I find it confusing enough, while Spanish seems to be so much more sensible.
I generally prefer dubbed over subtitles. I find it takes a little away from the movie if you have to read subtitles as you can’t concentrate on what they are doing.
Well, I guess I’d agree with you when it comes to purely action movies. And cartoons can get away with it. (I watched this one French anime or something for like a year before I realized it was foreign. )
I’ll take subtitles over dubs any day. It totally ruins a movie for me if they dub it in English. Like they dubbed “Crusades”, it looks like it was a pretty decent movie but the English dubbing was just too weird and ruined it. I think subtitles are MUCH better. Example: Pan’s Labyrinth. One of the best movies I’ve ever seen, I love it to death, and the entire movie is in Spanish. Now, I can’t speak a lick of Spanish, (I learned more Spanish from watching Dora the Explorer and Seasame Street then from Spanish Class, the teacher was that bad. Everyone except the two Mexican kids failed, ) but it didn’t matter because I was “hearing” it in English. It’s hard to explain…
You’re right in that, but if something is dubbed which is often done badly (unless it is a cartoon) I get so annoyed by the dubbing that I can’t concentrate on what they are doing. It’s so great to be here and watch movies without subtitles Generally when I’m alone I put the subtitles off, but when I’m with someone else it’s generally on. Now I’m in the USA it’s different though. No subtitles anyway…
Also when you read subtitles you do notice that sometimes translations are really bad. Or “jokes” are left out because they can’t be translated. Sometimes, however, you found such language jokes in the subtitles that were originally not there or you have a better translation
And you’re right Ansie, they all have the same voices. When you’re watching a cartoon it’s like I recognise that voice it’s from the other cartoon
More recently, with those smart television thingies, we’ve been able to choose language and subtitle from a menu, pretty much like we would in a DVD. But I don’t watch much TV either.
notanaddict, but when Heroes comes back i will gladly drool over the idiot box.
we have subtitles, and it’s only shows for kids that are dubbed, so like the netherlands then I assume.
) it’s seldomly dubbed. A funny thing was that me and my mates were to watch a french horror-movie, that were dubbed to english, we saw the first minutes, looked at each other and turned it on french with norwegian subtitles hehe 
) Same thing with Spanish, except when it is on TV it’s just straight Spanish. Of course, I love this since I’m trying to learn Spanish so I can pass my IB exams. 
I was forced to watch it dubbed which looked really wierd.
That, and I think English wouldn’t make a very good international language. I’m a native speaker and I find it confusing enough, while Spanish seems to be so much more sensible.
I think subtitles are MUCH better. Example: Pan’s Labyrinth. One of the best movies I’ve ever seen, I love it to death, and the entire movie is in Spanish. Now, I can’t speak a lick of Spanish, (I learned more Spanish from watching Dora the Explorer and Seasame Street then from Spanish Class, the teacher was 
) but it didn’t matter because I was “hearing” it in English. It’s hard to explain… 
Generally when I’m alone I put the subtitles off, but when I’m with someone else it’s generally on. Now I’m in the USA it’s different though. No subtitles anyway…