TV English subtitles may be primarily for deaf people or for those who are hard of hearing, but research has revealed they are used by six million people who have no hearing impairment.
Jonathan Duffy thinks he knows why
He puts it down to directors’ search for authenticity. Years ago, onscreen action tended to be a tad stilted and characters’ lines were delivered with Rada-like clarity, often in Received Pronunciation. Nowadays, in the name of authenticity, key plot developments might turn on a muffled comment, or a piece of dialect indecipherable to outsiders.
According to Jonathan Duffy, for those who have discovered the joy of subtitles, the idea of keeping up with the countless plot twists or the rapid-fire ramblings of actors delivered in various regional accents, would be nigh-on impossible without the aid of English subtitles.
We found other reasons why English subtitles were popular with people with no hearing impairment:
- You can eat a packet of crisps at the same time as watching a film without missing crucial dialogue.
- Baby can be lulled to sleep with sound turned off.
- You don’t need to be frightened by the suspenseful music in horror films anymore.
- You can read the on-screen subtitles while at the gym.
- You can use the subtitles to create your own karaoke system.
- Subtitles are brilliant for those learning English.
- If you’re watching a commercial channel, you don’t need to listen to the adverts.
- Excellent for when dialogue is drowned out
Perhaps all of the above is the reason why we’re seeing a steady month-on-month increase in demand for our English subtitling service. If we can help you by producing high quality English subtitles for any of your video or film material, do please get in touch.
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