Where do you stand on subtitles in "authentic" shows?

[Flint]

I've noticed that nearly all modern TV shows and movies are now having non-English speaker characters speak in what should be their native tongue while providing subtitles for those of us who don't speak whatever language the actors are using. This means that if I watch a spy drama where our protagonist jaunts around the globe I might hear Arabic, Hebrew, German, French, and perhaps Russian. I'll have to pay close attention to the screen so I can tell what they are saying as it applies to the plot, and I might have to replay scenes to catch something I missed in the dialog.

Right now I am lazily watching "The Son" on Hulu, which is about a rancher in South Texas around the beginning of the 20th Century. Some scenes are in English, some in Spanish, and others in whatever Native American language they are using, and it isn't uncommon for a party scene to have them hopping around between languages when the Mexicans might make an aside comment about their American hosts. At first it was okay, but since the plot isn't 100% entrancing, I find myself looking at my phone or leaving the program playing while I go get a drink in the adjacent kitchen. There are entire 10 minute scenes entirely in Spanish or Native American. I find it frustrating because I know I am missing much of the plot, which is moving very slowly. Now I am confused because I haven't bothered to study every section with subtitles so subplots and hidden motives of the characters surrounding the old general are not on my mind because I missed them.

Now I wish they would do the old trick of letting them speak the real language they should be speaking from time to time to remind me that they aren't always speaking English, but make sure the crucial dialog pertaining to plot development be in English, maybe with a thick accent.

I know...

Does any of this resonate with you guys?

 

[Deleted member 133]

Nope.

I watched all of The Bridge (original) in Danish and Swedish - with subtitles. No problem. (After many weeks of watching, I even picked up several words / phrases.)

I love that Klingons speak Klingon (with subtitles) in the new Star Trek series.

I grew up watching "foreign" films - some with subtitles, some without. No problem.

What does annoy me is not being able to find some French movies without subtitles. Since that's the other language I'm fluent in, in those cases I find subtitles distracting in that I tend to start reading them when I can understand perfectly well what's being said on screen. I imagine those who understand Spanish etc. might have the same problem.

Jeff

 

[The DirtMerchant]

I hate subtitles on all English shows. Find them maddeningly distracting. When my wife watches a show at low volume and uses subtitles, I'll annoy her until she turns it up and gets rid of the subtitles.

But on shows with mixed language or other languages and subtitles, no problem. I'd prefer native language over dubbing for sure.
And for the spots where the language suddenly changes...I guess I enjoy the authenticity.

 

[Deleted member 133]

I hate subtitles on all English shows. Find them maddeningly distracting. When my wife watches a show at low volume and uses subtitles, I'll annoy her until she turns it up and gets rid of the subtitles.

But on shows with mixed language or other languages and subtitles, no problem. I'd prefer native language over dubbing for sure.
And for the spots where the language suddenly changes...I guess I enjoy the authenticity.

I highly recommend Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) and its sequel.

From Wiki:

Bon Cop, Bad Cop claimed to be Canada's first bilingual feature film, although that accomplishment in fact belongs to Amanita Pestilens (1963). Since the film revolves around the concept of mixed cultures and languages, most scenes include a mixture of French and English dialogue, with characters switching language rapidly. The entire movie was filmed using both a French and an English script, and the language used at each moment was finalized only later, during editing. The film was then released in two official versions, one for Anglophones and one for Francophones, which differ only in their subtitles and in a few spoken lines. The DVD also includes an option for bilingual viewers to switch off all subtitles.

 

[Akula]

I had an interesting experience this last spring. I was down in Mexico and went to a movie with friends there- it was The 15:17 to Paris. It was in English with Spanish subtitles. Strange- my Spanish is so-so at best, but I do consider myself fluent in English. It was interesting to compare my understanding of Spanish to what was being said. I didn't really find it distracting- at times I could tune it right out.