Unnecessary Subtitles
The Wizard
Posts: 11,071 Forum Member
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What is it recently about having to put subtitles on the screen whenever someone happens to talk with the slightest accent?
You get someone speaking perfectly understandable English but because they happen to have a bit of a local brogue or a foreign accent they seem to slap subtitles on there just for the sake of it. Do they think that we are incapable of understanding people with accents or something? Just because someone hasn't got perfect diction or speaks in what would appear to be the more acceptable "Southern" accent doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding what someone is saying.
The other night I was watching a programme and someone was talking in English with a Jamaican accent but was perfectly understandable yet they felt the need to provide us with subtitles. I even saw something a few weeks ago where someone from the North West with a Rochdale type accent had subtitles slapped on them. Ridiculous!
I can understand most of these people perfectly even with my eyes shut so why do they feel the need to put subtitles on there? This seems to be happening more and more across all tv channels.
You get someone speaking perfectly understandable English but because they happen to have a bit of a local brogue or a foreign accent they seem to slap subtitles on there just for the sake of it. Do they think that we are incapable of understanding people with accents or something? Just because someone hasn't got perfect diction or speaks in what would appear to be the more acceptable "Southern" accent doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding what someone is saying.
The other night I was watching a programme and someone was talking in English with a Jamaican accent but was perfectly understandable yet they felt the need to provide us with subtitles. I even saw something a few weeks ago where someone from the North West with a Rochdale type accent had subtitles slapped on them. Ridiculous!
I can understand most of these people perfectly even with my eyes shut so why do they feel the need to put subtitles on there? This seems to be happening more and more across all tv channels.
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Comments
Obviously mumbly dialogue combined with overbearing music is a different matter!
BIB what 'rule' would this be, your rule I'm guessing.
I've had over a month to try and understand the Northern Irish accent, no chance whatsoever unless the speaker modifies their accent.
This is a YMMV topic.
I've seen Undercover Boss where they subtitled a Venezuelan gentleman but didn't do the same for a man from New Orleans with a strong Louisiana accent. However, on another show, I think it was Storage Wars, they did provide subs for a guy from Shreveport (or Baton Rouge).
Maybe its just down to the editors and producers, if they can't understand they assume that us viewing public won't.
Just so you know, the op was referring to subtitles just on voices with strong accents, not subtitles for just the deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles for these people are available at the touch of a button, just so you know.
There's already the subtitle service available for all programmes should deaf people need them by pressing the "subtitle" button or hitting txt/red button on the remote and typing in 8888 and you can turn them on should you need them but this isn't the case here. I wasn't referring to deaf people. This is subtitles for those of us who don't need them only for certain parts of a documentary that can't be turned off because programme makers think were incapable of deciphering regional accents or any programmes where someone has a slight foreign accent.
Just seems like more dumbing down if you ask me. I bet if it was a strong London or Essex accent they wouldn't bother.
Would you make an exception for this?
I worked with an NI man. He kept apologising for his accent being unintelligible when in fact he spoke so clearly and beautifully I didn't know why he had developed his complex. All in all I like accents and local slang and dialects. I just make an exception for the South African one, like nails on a blackboard to me!
Nordie accents are pretty easy to understand I find. Even the thickest Scottish lowland is not beyond comprehension after a minute or so. Admittedly if the voice is telling you to "look out for that truck!" a minute is a bit too long.
I suppose it was inevitable that I had to look up the meaning of YMMV;-)
Its going to be a hard call for producers - a lot of my southern relatives struggle with Scottish and Northern accents as they've never visited those parts of the country, whilst I'm fine with them. Its probably better for subtitles to be used where theres doubt as otherwise some viewers will be missing out.
I assumed that it meant You Make Me Vomit.
Somethin' about horses and being delighted!
I see what you mean and in this case yes I would say it warrants it but to be fair it doesn't exactly help that the video was shot on a cheap camera pointing at a tv set making it sound tinny with lots of echo, talking and noise going on in the background. It's like trying to listen to someone whilst stood by a busy main road with a bucket over my head. Not the best of examples and I suspect, had I seen the original with better sound quality, I may be able to understand him a bit better.
I can understand doing it for people with hard to understand strong local accents and Irish can be a particularly difficult one to tune into when they're talking fast. However it seems they are slapping compulsory subtitles on just about anyone with a slight accent these days even when they're perfectly understandable.
The interviewer was understandable.
Oh good gawd.
Look up obtuse.