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Subtitles

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Personally, I would rather see a foreign film with subtitles. Whether or not you may be interested in learning the language, subtitles greatly enhance the overall experience by allowing the true nature of the film to come through. The characters seem more real and believable and there is nothing taken away from the quality of the sound. I have only seen a few dubbed movies and they seemed more like a joke interfering with the affect of the storyline.

Like Water for Chocolate, or Como Agua Para Chocolate for instance; I have seen both the original in Spanish and the English made versions. If it were not for the subtitles in the original, I would not have been able to capture the essence of the film not being able to understand the language. However, even the film in its English version seemed to take something away from the cultural spirit of the story. I cannot imagine seeing that particular movie dubbed.

Subtitles are a great way to see a movie especially if you are trying to learn the language. The subtle nuances of the language come through enhancing the overall learning experience. While just seeing the words and repeating them is a good way to begin, hearing them spoken makes them more understandable. Many people of other cultures and languages benefit from watching subtitled films. I think they should be mandatory for children of other languages trying to learn English in America. It is one of the fastest and most enjoyable ways for a child to learn the language.

As far as dubbing goes, I honestly cannot find any advantage to that. What good does it do either adult or child to see someone from another culture speaking his or her native language and overriding that with another one? I say get rid of the dubbing. In addition to looking ridiculous, it just does not serve a good purpose.

Learn more about this author, Susan Hicks.
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