Do you find it hard to concentrate when watching subtitled movies

[Movie shy]

Just wondering if anyone ever gets distracted when watching subtitled films? I have many Hayao Miyazaki films and love them all but I watch them all with the English Audio as opposed to their native Japanese Audio with English subtitles. Just bought The Young Girls of Rochefort yesterday at the B&N sale and watched it last night. Knew it was a French film with only French Audio and English subtitles. I love the film but felt like I had to read very fast or will miss what is on the screen or miss what's happening in the background. The only other film I have that the Audio is not in English is La Cage Aux Folles but that film I have watched numerous times and know the entire film by heart.

[The Batman Professor]

I feel that with most subtitled films, you get in a "zone" where the reading and watching become seamless. The most recent exception for me was SHIN GODZILLA, where I found the dialogue was overbearing.

Interesting note- I've watched BATTLE ROYALE so many times, that I don't even turn the subtitles on anymore.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by The Batman Professor

I feel that with most subtitled films, you get in a "zone" where the reading and watching become seamless. The most recent exception for me was SHIN GODZILLA, where I found the dialogue was overbearing.

Interesting note- I've watched BATTLE ROYALE so many times, that I don't even turn the subtitles on anymore.

Yep, this seems to happen to me.

Subtitles can feel daunting for genres and styles I'm less interested in, and some movies might feel like a chore if they're really wordy. But it'd probably be just as daunting if I was fluent in the language. If I really love the film, it hardly matters.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Get a fidget spinner. That should help you concentrate while watching subtitled films.

[CouncilSpectre]

Anime I tend to watch dubbed, where I can.

World cinema, I stick to the subs, largely because they aren't dubbed anyway, but also because it would be somewhat immersion breaking seeing people in overseas locations speaking with perfect American or English accents. It's somewhat different for anime I guess in that most anime characters are drawn as western so even if they're set in Japan it's easier to forgive and overlook.

[bipbop13]

Does Shin Godzilla have a dub option as well, or just the original language with subs. I do pretty well with moody horror films with subs, because there's usually not a lot of dialog. I wouldn't enjoy trying a drama, or comedy though. A lot of Gialli are talky so 9/10 times I use the dub version.

[slimdude]

Watching foreign films can be a challenge to a person, especially if they're not accustomed to reading subtitles throughout the entire movie. The key to watching a foreign film with the native subtitles, the viewer must have fast reading skills to keep up with the dialogue, and watch the movie at the same time. To avoid the hassle of having to read a movie, some people don't watch foreign films at all.

[Movie shy]

Originally Posted by slimdude

Watching foreign films can be a challenge to a person, especially if they're not accustomed to reading subtitles throughout the entire movie. The key to watching a foreign film with the native subtitles, the viewer must have fast reading skills, and watch the movie at the same time. To avoid the hassle of having to read a movie, some people don't watch foreign films at all.

I agree with your assessment, just wish I didn't have to read so fast on films. It's not as bad if the dialog is not too lengthy then it's easier to read fast but when there too much dialog is when I find it hard to also watch what is on the screen at the same time.

[Aunt Peg]

The only problem I have are when things in English also happen to be subtitled. I saw The Square recently and not only was the Swedish & French subtitled in English, all the English was subtitled as well and I found myself reading the subtitles distracting when English was being spoken at the same time.

[singhcr]

I've seen many subtitled films since I was a teenager so reading and focusing on a movie is no issue to me. The only time it becomes an issue is if the subtitles are too low on the screen, such as when subs are in the letterbox bars on a 2.40:1 movie. That's rather annoying and distracting in my mind. I'd rather the subs be in the picture so I don't have to keep looking down.

I also agree that reading English subs when people are speaking in English is annoying. I don't know how my dad puts up with it when we watch Hindi movies together as I don't know the language and need the English subs.

[Dragon Ranger]

Short answer no; I got into watching sub titled anime from around the age of 12 (am now 37) so watching subs is easy for me and I will pick them over dubbing 99% of the time.

[pottu]

No.

Subs are easy for me as all foreign movies are subbed in Finland. (Dubs are reserved for children programs and even then we have sub option even at theaters.)

[Jaymole]

It is a process that takes time to master. When I was a teen, I found it much harder to follow along, but over the years it has gotten easier to concentrate and now I have no problem with it. I even watch many films in English with the subtitles on due to accents or dialogue that is very low to hear.

[dallywhitty]

No.

[UpsetSmiley]

No, not really. Although I do feel like I have to put the extra work in when it's anything heavy like The Millennium Trilogy, which irregardless of subtitles needs to be studied otherwise I'll get lost. Generally international cinema such as horror, comedy or Anime the subs aren't distracting for me but I do understand why subtitles aren't for everyone.

[The Great Owl]

I'm a quick reader, so I usually forget that I'm even reading subtitles once I'm a few minutes into a film.

Even when I'm watching an English-language movie that I've never seen before, I'll use the subtitle option during my first viewing.

[Just Jimmy]

i have a problem when its anime....i can't get into said zone and preferred the english dubbing. other than that i'm good.

[Ruined]

As long as the screen is large enough, after a few minutes it seems like I am hearing the movie in English, even though I am not. Odd.

[HD Goofnut]

No. I always use subtitles the first time I watch a film because there is often soft spoken dialogue that is hard to hear and I even have my center channel turned up.

[RockyIII]

Subtitles in HDR are torture

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