With all of the fantastic movie productions going on in the world today (including those fun superhero movies), it would be a crime to limit yourself to media productions only in your native language. Since you don’t have the time to learn a foreign language just to appreciate a given work, the alternative is to use either dubbing or subtitles to let you follow along with the plot. But which is better dubbing or subtitles? I’m here to tell you that dubbing is better for the majority of titles you would like to experience. Why? Let’s a look.
Dubbing Allows Multitasking
If I had to pick one and only one reason why dubbing is better than subtitles, this would be it. You can simply get more done if your eyes aren’t glued to the set, literally reading every word. I don’t know how you spend your movie watching time, but I am usually doing something else during the show, from working on the computer or tablet to fooling around with a hobby or building something. I do try to give the media my undivided attention, but there are only so many hours in a day for each of us, and I need every one of mine.
Dubbing Is Better For Following Along
I think I have accomplished a lot while multitasking during TV shows and movies, and for the bulk of my watching I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I have tried watching subtitled movies during such times, and I lose the plot rather quickly. I mean, everything is going well with watching and doing, then suddenly everybody’s dead on the show and I have no clue as to what happened. With dubbing, I can follow along and get a warning when something is about to happen. Strangely, the backgr0und music doesn’t always work for this.
Dubbing Has Its Weaknesses
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to be said for viewing a movie or show in its original format. In many cases dubbing replaces the actor’s voice with a native speaker, and the results can be a mixed bag. Sometimes even the music gets changed, making the overall experience different in the new language than it was originally.
These are great points, but now you have to ask yourself one simple question – under what conditions are you going to be watching the title. If there is even a hint of normal multitasking while watching, go for the dubbed version.
Save The Subtitled Version For Those Really Special Titles
If there are any movies or shows that have special meaning to you, you’ll probably want to experience these in the original language with subtitles. It would seem that the distinction could be made with a simple question – would you like to own a copy of this for yourself? If the answer is yes, you may want to go for the subtitles. But consider again how you will view familiar material – is there a greater chance that you will be multi-tasking while enjoying it? You might find that to be the case, once again swinging the pendulum into the dubbed side of the decision tree. This is a question everyone has to answer for themselves, whether it is Kagemusha or Grand Hotel.
It will, of course, depend on the individual and as to what degree they hope to enjoy the producer’s vision, but in many cases, a practical approach is needed when planning to watch a foreign work. It could be the greatest epic ever recorded, but if you spend the last half of the movie just trying to guess what the plot is, you end up pretty much missing it. My final word – if in doubt, go for the dubbed version.
