SAWANT: English dubs depreciate viewing experience of international films
Column: Sincerely Rue
If, like me, you are also a film lover, you probably have a bucket list (physical or mental) of movies and TV shows that you want to watch at some point. Even though I would consider myself more of a reader than a cinephile, I can appreciate a good film. There is something special about a story so captivating that it makes you question the world in ways you did not consider before.
In a film, the actors and actresses can convey something worth an entire page of words with a simple gesture or facial expression. Colors, lights, sets and the character’s tone of voice all make cinema enchanting.
A good story can really leave you with a lovely feeling in your chest. If you have yet to experience such a sensation (or are eager to experience it again), I am here to propose that if a good amount of the movies on your bucket list are not international films or TV shows, you would be seriously missing out.
While we may tend to gravitate toward English movies put out by well-known Hollywood directors, American media is just a tiny speck in a sprawling collection of media created internationally.
One of the biggest disservices to a director and the actors — who put months of creative energy and thought into even a single scene — is when their works are dubbed in English. In my mind, it is the equivalent of crossing out every single line in a foreign-language book and writing its translation in blotchy, scrawled print in the blank spaces between the lines.
If you are going to watch an international film or TV show, you have to do it right and watch it in its original language with English subtitles for the full experience intended by the director.
For one, that is the best (and only) way to truly experience the film in all of its authenticity. Line delivery is an extremely important part of an actor’s craft, and they may spend hours or even months working on developing a voice that feels just right.
The actor becomes the character, and the way they use their tone to create nuance can only be absorbed when you listen to the original audio. All of the subtle gradations of voice and emotion are effectively lost in a dub.
Believe it or not, voice acting is a skill. But it is oftentimes overlooked when voice actors are chosen to dub a movie. In a case where the actor neglects to immerse themselves in the kind of role the film requires, the dub can actually take away from the movie and lessen its value immensely.
The first time I ever watched the TV show "Squid Game" was when my friend put it on for us with the English dub. It sounded like the voice actors were just reading off of a script, overplaying their emotions where it was not necessary and not giving enough when the situation called for it. I really did not enjoy those first two episodes we watched in English, and it was difficult for me to understand the hype around the show.
It was only when I watched it on my own in Korean that I truly enjoyed the show. Something as easy to take for granted as the language genuinely changed my entire viewing experience. Watching the words of the actors match the shape of their mouths, hearing their true voices down to the cracks and the skips, truly made all the difference.
It felt nice to experience the show as the director intended for it to be experienced. It was immersive on a whole different level and reminded me of the reason I had never even considered watching an international show or movie dubbed in English before.
In addition to an immersive sonic experience, listening to foreign media in its original language is a truly amazing way to learn that language and pick up some conversational phrases. When you match what you are hearing to the English subtitles, your brain links what you hear and what you read together.
Especially if the film is in a language you are trying to learn, it will give you a good idea of how natives speak it, whereas formal lessons tend to focus on conventional, traditional sentence structures almost nobody uses.
For example, even though I stopped taking French classes after high school, I still try to practice the language in any way I can to maintain the skill. One of my favorite ways to do so is to spend a cozy weekend in bed watching French movies with English subtitles.
When I watch enough of them, it is often quite exciting to try to listen and see how much I can understand without reading the subtitles. But if I struggle, the subtitles are always a half-glance downward to fall back on.
So yes, I am a huge proponent of English subtitles with original audio when it comes to international movies and TV shows. While I do believe in the "to each their own" philosophy, I will say that there is a reason why "Parasite" in Korean, "Money Heist" in Spanish, "Young Royals" in Swedish, "La Vie en Rose" in French and honestly any 90s Bollywood movie in Hindi are all on my list of all-time favorites and their English-dubbed counterparts could never compare.
Rujuta Sawant is a Rutgers Business School junior majoring in business analytics and information technology and minoring in political science. Her column, "Sincerely Rue," runs on alternate Mondays.
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