Do you watch TV with the subtitles (closed captions) on? I recently read an article in THE ATLANTIC that was very interesting!
My hubby and I watch TV with subtitles when they’re available. It started with foreign films, of course, because if you don’t speak Korean, you’re not going to understand the language being spoken in a Korean movie. Then we used it when we watched streaming movies from ACORN, because sometimes those Welsh and Irish and Scottish accents are a little hard for us to understand. Now we use subtitles whenever we can–even with American TV. Why?
I was beginning to quietly fear that I was losing my hearing, but I could still hear everything else with no problem. Then I discovered that there are real reasons for why I’m finding TV so hard to hear.
Personally, I suspect that people have forgotten how to enunciate–actors used to take pride in pronouncing words carefully, but these days actors seem to value “normal speech,” and normal speech is very lazy. Instead of saying, “Did you eat?” we ask, “Jeet?” See what I mean?
But there’s another reason for why we’re using subtitles. I learned that broadcast TV channels used to mix sounds so that the dialogue was always the loudest element–but with the rise of so many steaming channels, some channels are mixing the sound in a “flat” way so that dialogue often gets swallowed up by music, sound effects, etc.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that commercials are always louder than the show you’re watching (perhaps so you can hear them when you leave for the kitchen?). Lately we’ve noticed that the music is often louder than the dialogue–so we really NEED the subtitles to hear what’s being said. Apparently this drives some movie people crazy, because we’re not watching the actors’ expressions and what not, but I can read and watch actors at the same time. In fact, usually when I’m watching TV, I’m also sewing or checking emails or playing a game on my iPad. Aren’t we all?
So–are you using subtitles when you watch TV? If not, have you tried it? You might discover a lot that you’ve been missing!
And oh! I have to celebrate my new arrival! THE WOMAN FROM LYDIA releases next week, and you can order it here!
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As someone who is hearing impaired, I ALWAYS use captions to fill in the blanks. Please, if you see someone using a caption box at the movies or a speech-to-text app at the theater, show some good manners and compassion. Someone like me is inconvenienced by hearing loss 24/7. You can be understanding for an hour or two. Thank you.
Well said!
Yes, we started using closed-captioning when we started watching some British shows. We liked it so much that we’ve kept using it for all the reasons you stated. We get a kick out of the descriptions of the music (lively, ominous, etc.), types of sighs, etc.
Congrats on your book’s soon release!
Thanks, Deb! And yes, now we really miss the CC when we can’t figure out how to turn them on!
I have a friend who uses CC when watching fantasy films and movies. It makes all those mystifying names (of people, places monsters, etc) easier to keep track of. She’s less confused and doesn’t have to rewind to try to understand what in the world was just said. 🙂 It’s a handy feature for sure!
Yes–although sometimes I wonder if the caption folks are spelling those names correctly! :-). But we sure love the captions!
Yep, we use them for our BBC shows and for drama/suspense because the music is often too loud to understand what the actors are saying. Best of luck with your new release!
We were commenting on the loud music just last night! So glad we had the captions on. 🙂
I watch everything with CC. I don’t think I’m hard of hearing, so I’m glad to know there is a reason why sometimes I struggle to understand. I began with the show LOST because I didn’t want to miss any clues to what was happening. But becoming a fan of so many British shows really brought home the need. Now I just like them. In fact, I go to the movie theater and I wish I could turn on the CC across the big screen.
My husband and I are the same way now, too. I started using them when I had babies because I wanted to watch TV while nursing in those early months, but I didn’t want the volume too loud if they were dozing off to sleep. We’ve used them ever since, and I miss them if they’re not there! (And they’re extremely helpful for the British shows!)
I don’t use Closed Captions because I like to see the facial expressions, and I can’t read fast enough. I do think they are great for people who need them.