Klarinet Archive - Posting 000241.txt from 2007/05

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Beyond Silence
Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 12:55:21 -0400

The only DVD version of "Beyond Silence" available in Region 1 (USA) format
has English available only as subtitles, not as dubbing. IMHO, that's a
good thing, especially for "Beyond Silence," because much of the spoken
dialogue is sotto-voce translation or speak-along with sign language. The
hearing characters accustomed to translating for the deaf characters often
sign and speak-along even when they talk with other hearing characters.
Getting that quality of speech across with dubbing would have been nearly
impossible, I think.

Tony Pay wrote:
> It's a trivial example, but... if you've ever seen a Bond movie dubbed
into
> Italian....you lose EVERYTHING.

Yes. As a staff writer for "Scarlet Street," I've often watched several
different versions of movies (classic monster movies, science fiction, film
noir and murder mysteries) with various language and subtitle options. I
was looking for variant versions (different countries censor different
scenes or alter dialogue to take out "offensive" references; some movies
get re-edited three or more different ways even in the domestic market, for
TV, early VHS and modern DVD release; etc.), but I often noticed, as well,
that good subtitles give a more accurate idea of the acting than dubbing or
looping.

Subtitles aren't perfect, because, as Fred comments,
>... I find it more comfortable to watch a movie in
>my own language, and without having to stare at
>the screen every second lest I miss something.

It's true that sometimes we need to be speed-readers to catch everything!
I like to watch a movie straight through the first time, but often I'll go
back later and use the "Pause" button. I can understand why people who
aren't reviewers don't want to bother. That's why, in rapid dialogue,
sometimes the titles are compressed, omitting parts of the dialogue.
Still, IMHO, that disadvantage is more than offset by being able to *hear*
the original line-readings (tone of voice, emphasis, phrasing) that go with
the facial expressions and the gestures.

The worst problem with dubbing is that the dialogue-writers and the audio
readers try to match the actors' lip movements, and as a result, even good
dubbing often gives a misleading or even completely false idea of the
original screenplay. Often the original dialogue is intact or nearly so in
the original language, even if it's butchered or censored, oops, I mean
*made more understandable to the overseas audience,* in the dubbed version.
Subtitles in languages I can't speak are useful for reconstructing original
dialogue. When I suspect a mistranslation, I'm not confident about writing
down what I think I hear, but I can write down the subtitle from the
original language and then e-mail that line to someone who does speak the
language.

Getting comfortable with subtitles greatly enhances the enjoyment of
watching movies at home. Since "Beyond Silence" uses two different foreign
languages (from the English-speaking point of view) *and* a dialect
(German, sign and speak-along), I think the captions are a must for this
movie. The young character, Lara, often signs one thing to her parents
while giving a hearing person the impression she's telling them something
different, and meanwhile she signs along with her German to give her
parents the impression she's telling the hearing person exactly what her
parents asked her to say, when she's really saying something different.
She manipulates the conversation in both directions. Without the road map
at the bottom of the screen, I think I'd get lost in a hurry!

Lelia Loban
Frodo failed! Bush has the Ring!

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