Subtitles are the words of the characters that appear at the bottom of the screen, either in the original language or a translation. They are no longer just for the hard of hearing as many people now use subtitles for a variety of different reasons.
When watching foreign movies, subtitles can help you to understand what you’re watching, and even when watching movies in your own language, they can help you process the finer details. Subtitles can also help you to learn a new language. Here are five tips to get the most out of watching movies with subtitles.
1. Practice reading subtitles
Some people don’t like to read subtitles because they find it tiring. The ease with which you can read movie subtitles may be directly related to your reading capabilities. If you have poor reading skills, you may battle to read subtitles but the more you practice, the easier it will become.
You can train yourself to read quicker. At a glance, look at the text as though it is one picture so you can quickly absorb it and return to what’s happening on the screen. If you take too long trying to read the subtitles and dwell too long on each word, you will probably miss out on most of the movie. Practicing will help you to read quickly enough so you won’t even have to think about it.
2. Know how to download and activate subtitles
Whether you watch movies on an iPhone, TV device, or Mac, there are tools you can use to download and open subtitles. For example, there are video downloaders for Mac with support for subtitles.
You can get a movie with subtitles included and play it on your Mac or stream it to a large screen. If you already have a movie downloaded on your computer and you want to add subtitles, there are various online platforms where you can find them and download them.
If you’re using a streaming service like Netflix, it is easy to activate subtitles. When you open Netflix and start playing a movie, you can open a dialogue box at the top or bottom of the screen. This enables you to turn on subtitles and select a language. Netflix displays relevant languages based on your location and language setting.
3. Watch movies with the subtitles on, even when you don’t necessarily need them
Do you find yourself missing what somebody was saying on screen? Even if you’re not hard of hearing, it is easy to miss some of the dialogue. Using subtitles means you don’t have to rewind again and again.
When you have subtitles on, you can also catch more details than ever before. See character names and how they’re spelled, see song lyrics and follow plots more closely. You don’t only see the names of characters but of places and much more. You may just develop a new level of appreciation for well-written dialogue.
4. Use them as an authentic resource for learning a language
If you watch subtitles, you have exposure to authentic speech in the language you want to learn in a context that’s entertaining and informal. You can simply read along as you watch. If you want more of a challenge, you can try to ignore the subtitling at times and focus on the spoken language. When you listen to a native speech, you are more likely to be able to understand actual speech in context.
Without subtitles, words in a foreign language tend to run together and you can’t identify where one-word stops and another starts. You can learn vocabulary by seeing and hearing the dialogue and even hit “pause” and look something up in the dictionary. Simultaneously hearing and seeing words helps listening comprehension.
5. Watch from your mobile device while you’re on the go
Even for those who don’t have problems with being able to focus and pay attention, using subtitles can help. For example, the fact that you can now watch from your mobile device means you may have plenty of action going on around you while trying to watch.
If you’re trying to catch up on Netflix while you’re on the treadmill at the gym, the loud hum in the background can be very distracting. If a movie is a loud action film, it is easier to keep up if subtitles are on.
As the use of mobile devices increases, subtitle use increases too. More and more people watch from their smartphones on commutes by dialing down the volume and turning on subtitles.
Conclusion
Subtitles are making visual media more dynamic, understandable, and accessible. They serve many different purposes, from allowing you to watch foreign movies, improve your language skills, learn a new language or watch on a mobile device while you’re in surroundings not conducive to listening.