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Subtitles versus Voice Overs and Dub-in

 

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Old March 31, 2011, 09:21 PM
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Question Subtitles versus Voice Overs and Dub-in

My experience in Spain was that majority of people don't like subtitles but preferred dub-in films and voice over events or news...

Probably I am a bit out of touch with the current trends, but I believe this is still the case, even if there is some tendency towards accepting more and more the subtitles... (?)

I'd like to have your input on this matter...

My "philosophy" is "translating to communicate" and doing it with the highest accuracy possible... (Sometimes one has to sacrifice a bit of accuracy in order to achieve some kind of communication... but...)

At any rate, your views and data on this will be appreciated!
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  #2  
Old April 01, 2011, 05:14 AM
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I prefer subtitles though some movies with extremely complex and fast dialogues are welcome if dubbed using talented actors (I remember first time I saw Citizen Kane. The person who made the subtitles didn't let any subtlety to be lost ... Gee!! I didn't be able to recall the faces of the actors)

Here the tendency is to dubbing, some American Spanish wishy washy sort of neutral thing with a shallow common vocabulary. No matter I would like to watch Entourage with subtitles including all profanities in porteño, that won't happen, as publics are small and the more demanding in quality a person is, the more that person is part of a small public and the less that person is responsive to bad screenplays, stale plots, naked skin and compulsive advertisement. So, in a time of aurea mediocritas being every day less aurea and more mediocritas, what caught 60% of the potential public is OK and here that doesn't use to include original sound with subtitles, voice-overs Russian-style, or local language -European Spanish the most resisted-.
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Old April 01, 2011, 06:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JPablo View Post
My experience in Spain was that majority of people don't like subtitles but preferred dub-in films and voice over events or news...
I remember having the same kind of preference while I live in Chile. Today, if I have to watch a movie in Spanish I also choose the Spanish track because I don't like to hear in English and read something else in Spanish.

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Originally Posted by JPablo View Post
Probably I am a bit out of touch with the current trends, but I believe this is still the case, even if there is some tendency towards accepting more and more the subtitles... (?)
I am not sure about that. My guess is that still they would prefer the dubbed movies.

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My "philosophy" is "translating to communicate" and doing it with the highest accuracy possible... (Sometimes one has to sacrifice a bit of accuracy in order to achieve some kind of communication... but...)
Wait. What you call sacrificing accuracy is really doing the job.

While translating, there are some things that cannot be translated directly, hence they have to be interpreted in order for them to make sense and fit in the translation.
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Old April 01, 2011, 08:43 PM
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Thank you to both of you for your views and data. (Understood on the accuracy point, Chileno...)

More viewpoints and experience with these are also welcome...
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Old April 01, 2011, 09:36 PM
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Here the tendency is to dubbing, some American Spanish wishy washy sort of neutral thing with a shallow common vocabulary.
What does that sound like to you?
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Old April 02, 2011, 07:44 AM
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As spaniard, I'm see (and prefer) dubbed films. So I can apreciate them at 95%, (translations do loss a little)
I have only see voice overs in eastern countries.
I only see original soundtrack with films I have already seen in spanish. So I can understand them fully.
I can see directly english chapters, I understand the plot and how it's going, but I can't catch the puns, fast speech, regional words or accents.
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Old April 02, 2011, 08:09 AM
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I absolutely cannot stand dubbed films. You lose half of the acting when you take away the actors' voices. Maybe I've just never seen a movie with dubbing done well, but the voices always sound awful to me, almost like it's supposed to be comical

I go with subtitles every time
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Old April 02, 2011, 08:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conejodescarado View Post
I absolutely cannot stand dubbed films. You lose half of the acting when you take away the actors' voices. Maybe I've just never seen a movie with dubbing done well, but the voices always sound awful to me, almost like it's supposed to be comical

I go with subtitles every time
Of course! For a Spaniard, it would be like watching a Spanish movie dubbed in English.
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Old April 02, 2011, 09:40 PM
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Thank you all... and thank you, Sosia... 20 years ago, it used to be 95% of Movie theaters with dubbed films, and the ones of "Arte y Ensayo" with original sound tracks and subtitles... only for the "artsy-farsi" guys...
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Old April 03, 2011, 07:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conejodescarado View Post
I absolutely cannot stand dubbed films. You lose half of the acting when you take away the actors' voices. Maybe I've just never seen a movie with dubbing done well, but the voices always sound awful to me, almost like it's supposed to be comical

I go with subtitles every time
I think the dubbed preaching shows are pretty funny. I mean, they might as well just get the dubber to preach the same thing.
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