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When a speaker of a foreign language is shown on TV, the options are either a voice-over or subtitles.
But on many occasions, a foreigner is speaking English. Accented English, certainly. Imperfect English, quite possibly. But - and this is the important thing - perfectly comprehensible English.
Yet
there are many instances of such speech being gratuitously and unnecessarily subtitled. This shows a marked lack of respect to the speaker, who is doing the Right Thing by learning and speaking English. Many foreigners are justifiably proud if their English skills, and are to be applauded for their efforts - particularly considering the handicap they have, i.e. they aren't English.
Now, it is notable that many of the programmes having this feature are intended for the american market, where it's known that the inhabitants don't speak the language very well. But this is their problem.
What is required is a panel of native English speakers from different regions who have normal hearing. When a broadcaster wishes to overlay subtitles on a segment where English is being spoken, they must submit it to the panel. If 75% or more of the panel get 75% or better of the meaning, then permission for subtitles would be refused.
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Well at least this isn't in other: [general] |
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//Many foreigners are justifiably proud if their English skills// As are many natives. |
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Incidentally, those of us who were around in the 1970s can remember when the BBC always used to subtitle Americans so that people could make sense of what they were saying. |
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No, wait - that was Argentinians. |
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What's the difference ? What sort of foreign do they use in argentinia for their weird gibberings ? |
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Probably the same as in Argentina. |
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We in the states find it fascinating that you Brits can
have
so many incomprehensible dialects of one language on
one
tiny little archipelago, while we here in the Midwest
literally define the universal lingua. So much so that
newscasters from everywhere come here to learn how to
speak. Do you simply not travel enough to blend the
language? I realize that most parts of the countryside
look exactly the same in the fog, but seeing the other
side of island every once in awhile will do you some good. |
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Dubbing always sounds so fake. Gotta be a way to improve
that. |
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// We in the states find it fascinating that you Brits can have so many incomprehensible dialects of one language on one tiny little archipelago, // |
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Ah yes, the Isle of Wight accent is exceptionally dense. |
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// while we here in the Midwest literally define the universal lingua. // |
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Midwest ? You mean Wiltshire ? |
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// So much so that newscasters from everywhere come here to learn how to speak. |
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Yes, we are aware that the majority of trainee newscasters, particularly those from south of the Manson-Nixon line, are deficient in linguistic skills, communicating largely by hand gestures and incoherent grunts. Those that eventually succeed in acquiring spoken language go on to careers in the media; the failures end up working as White House staffers under Democratic administrations. |
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// Do you simply not travel enough to blend the language? // |
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No, because it's much easier to have an irrational instant prejudice against someone who's identifiable as a stranger because they have a slightly different accent. |
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"Blend" = "pollute", "adulterate", "dilute". |
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// I realize that most parts of the countryside look exactly the same in the fog, // |
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... and indeed when it's not foggy. |
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// but seeing the other side of island every once in awhile will do you some good. // |
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Went there once, it was awful. The water tasted funny, the beer was different, they all spoke strangely, and they lacked a sense of humour. Never again. |
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While we're all bathed in a nice xenophobic glow, can I say something about the voice-overs on American documentaries? I mean, seriously, how do you watch those things? They can be about the search for the Higgs boson, the first world war, kidney transplants or mesolithic art, but they always sound like an infomercial for statins. |
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"Ask your physician if painting on cave walls with a stick dipped in wet clay is right for you ..." |
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// bathed in a nice xenophobic glow // |
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<inserts toasting fork into pikelet, offers to heat source> |
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//"Ask your physician if painting on cave walls with a stick
dipped in wet clay is right for you ..."// |
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And if they say "no", find a different doctor, after all the
patient* is always right**. |
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*with money
**unless they want no drugs, different drugs or don't watch
TV |
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Ah, the incomparable advantages of private medicine ... the illness you want, when you want it. |
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...and bragging rights about the higher costs... |
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