Sub vs Dub in Movies/films

[Moeboid]

So, when a film isn't in your native tongue, what do you prefer?

I generally prefer subtitles, as I see them as the safer option. Most of the movies that I watch are highly recommended, and I can usually assume that the original actor's performance is good. I don't want to risk the movie being ruined by a bad dub. However, occasionally I find subtitles annoying. Specifically, when I find myself spending too much time reading them, and not enough time watching the movie. In the end, I have to go with subs, since it's pretty rare that I'm not satisfied.

[Abel]

In my country, or at least in my part of the country, subtitles are the standard (in the French part they tend to use dubs) and I'm very grateful for that. When watching French or Italian TV I just can't help but think how freaking AWFUL it is. It just sounds so forced and the performance of the actors is completely lost. It also doesn't help that often the same voice is used in different shows.
Subtitles are also a great way to learn a foreign language. I'd say that for a large part I have learned English by watching The Simpsons as a kid.
I can understand that sometimes subtitles can be a bit distracting, but if you get used to it and see them a lot they aren't that distracting anymore.

[Moeboid]

There's actually only ever been one film where I didn't like the subtitles. This film had so much dialogue that I hardly got to watch it. Naturally, the dialogue was the most important part, but I still found myself regularly pausing and re-watching certain parts. Obviously I'd still prefer that over a bad dub, but the subs were annoying.

[DorostheConqueror]

Saw this today, made me think of this thread:


YouTube Link

[dzio]

Oh god, that's terrible...

In Poland they've invented the third option - the original dialogue is running quietly in the background, but there's a lector reading all the lines in Polish as well. The same guy (or rarely a woman) reading all the lines, of all the characters. I grew up with this crap so it seemed normal to me, but then the Internet happened and my English got better, and I started watching films in original English, or with English subtitles if they're in some other language (they're much easier to find than good Polish subs). And now I just can't stand it, Polish TV is literally unwatchable for me. This is the worst choice ever - you can't hear the original dialogue properly because it's too quiet and covered by the translation, the translation has to be simplified or altered, so that the timing stays right, and the lectors are definitely not the best voice actors ever. Most stations offer subtitle option now, but AFAIK Polish national television still uses that idiotic method of localization exclusively.

Personally I blame this for the terrible accents most Polish people have when speaking English. How the hell is anyone supposed to learn the correct pronunciation if they take away the simplest possible way to have the entire country listening to English language every day?

[Musicman247]

Subtitles, I find, usually have a translation closer to the original intent of the writer than dubs. I watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon with subs and then dubbed. Some of the dialogue is drastically different. I asked a friend fluent in Mandarin which was more accurate and they said the subs. By a lot.

[dzio]

Well, it has to be different. You can't have a twenty five words long dubbed sentence when you can clearly see the actor saying only six. They must aim for a translation of similar length and sometimes it happens at the cost of inaccuracy.

[Fiar]

Eh, if the dub us bad, subs, if the subs are bad, the dub. If both are good, it depends on what I'm feeling.

So, I guess it depends, haha.

[Vendetta]

Definitely subtitles. Dubs can sound just silly, especially if it is an Italian accent. I just can't really take the movie seriously.

[Ripcage]

As far as foreign movies go, I prefer subs. With anime, dubs. This is because in movies, an actor's words are supposed to match their lips. However, an anime does a [&@%!] job of matching lips with any kind of sound, so I can do without the high pitched girly voices that tag along with a sub. Though if a foreign movie requires me to pay attention to certain details, the movie White for example, I would prefer the subs be a bit smaller and less in the way. For me subs fit perfectly in a movie like Battle Royale, though. So it depends.

[philfredobob]

I picked ''it depends'' just because i sometimes like to watch stuff with really bad dubs, because i think they're funny.

but when i actually want to watch a serious film, I'll go with subtitles.

[Taters]

In theory, I prefer dubs, as it makes for a more "fluid" experience, where if my eyes aren't on the subtitles for a few seconds, I don't miss anything. That said, dubs are notoriously bad, so I usually go with subs. I'm fairly certain that 99% of the time, the dub actors never see what they're dubbing, or even have a sense of the original scene, and so make an absolute hash of it.

EDIT: There is, however, something truly magical about watching a badly dubbed Godzilla movie. Rarely will you ever find so funny a movie.

[Norroen Dyrd]

I never say no to a good, high-quality dub. By that I mean a combination of a good translation (which involves not only preserving the sense and feel of what is being said, but also adjusting the length of the words used to the actors' articulation) and the effort of the voice cast.

I don't usually deal with translated films these days - but the experience that I've had with official dubs has been a very positive one.

Although, there are always pirated translations, done by one voice actor and with maimed meaning. The latter bit, incidentally, also applies to subtitles. They, too, can be of low quality (like Google Translator, wut? ), which might lead to a total miscomprehension of what is being said.

Which leads me to a conclusion that one ought to either learn foreign languages to be able to watch films in the original, or be on the lookout for high-quality translation and voice acting (or subtitles).
Quality is the key determiner in both the subs and dubs.

[MARS]

Subs, no question. Dubs are only good for ironic purposes.

[Stendarr]

Usually subs. I feel like missing something when not watching the film in its original language. The actor's performance and all. But subtitles are not perfect. Yes, often dubs have different dialogues but sometimes the subs are what we call ''dubtitles'', as it they are the exact same text than from the dubbing. I'd still go with the subtitles though, unless it is distracting how different both are. But then, you also have movies in which there are no real original version. You got an international cast and they all speak in their language. It happens often with Italian movies. I do still watch them in Italian but it always depends on which dub is the better. Most of the time it seems the italians are better at dubbing but sometimes there's very good english dubs.

But, you got some pretty awesomely bad dubs which sometimes make the film or at least make for a fun experience even if the original version is good on its own. Jackie Chan films in french are pretty funny and there's this [&@%!] b-movie (Jaguar Force) with incredibly hilarious french dubbing. The ''actors'' are so bad it's like they read their texts but never tried to act before. And it's like they don't even know the language they're reading, just phonetic writing.