| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Why are English films so difficult to understand? Thread poster: Marina Steinbach
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Karen Wooddissee 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:40
Member (2011)
French to English
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| Much less tolerance of swearing on US TV than UK | May 22, 2012 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
I do find it interesting that in general there is much less swearing in US films than in British films.
Since moving to the US from the UK a few months ago, I've really noticed the difference in tolerance of swear words on US network television in particular. The mildest swear words will be overdubbed in films, even when they are shown very late in the evening. It's really noticeable in a film you know well, and sometimes the line they replace the offending words with is terrible, clearly written in a hurry!
Violence, on the other hand, seems to be fine at most times of the day...
| | | | Carole Paquis
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:40
Member (2007)
English to French
| Did anyone watch "Great Expectations", BBC production | May 22, 2012 |
It was shown last Christmas in the UK.
I could just make out what Ray Winstone (who played Magwitch) was saying. Good job I knew the story. I know his way of speaking is part of the character, but I could have done with subtitles in English!
My partner, born and bread in the Midlands was just following him....
However, I thought Mr Winstone was fabulous as Magwitch.
Carole PAQUIS
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:40
Member (2011)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER | No, they don't. | May 22, 2012 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
If it's any consolation, I came close to having to switch on the subtitles when I watched 'Brokeback Mountain'.
I missed that one. Was it good? If the actors spoke with a Texan accent, then I would not have understood them either.
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
A lot of British accents are also impenetrable - have you tried 'Trainspotting'? I'm sure you'd be fine with the standard RP stuff like 'The King's Speech' or 'Hugo' (not a British film but all Brit actors from what I remember) - did you struggle with them?
I haven’t tried ‘Trainspotting’ yet. ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Hugo’ and ‘Downton Abbey’ are the most recent films I have seen with British speaking actors, and I understood them very well.
On the other hand, the ‘Harry Potter’ films really freaked me out…
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:40
Member (2011)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER | They do that all the time. | May 22, 2012 |
Lingua 5B wrote:
Are you saying they are altering the movie script? Are they authorized to do so? What about copyright issues?
I don’t know if they are authorized to change the script, but they do it all the time, because they have to “fit the words into the actor’s mouth”. Sorry, but I just don’t know how else to express this…
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:40
Hebrew to English
| Stefano Papaleo
Italy
Local time: 21:40
Member (2005)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Beauty of language | May 22, 2012 |
I remember watching London Boulevard synced in Italian in a cinema a few years ago and - if I remember correctly, I guess the mumbling/whispering and foul language were well reflected into the dubbing and yes, having watched The New World just the other day, I have to admit Collin Farrell is a bit of a mumbler;) Still have to watch "In Bruges" though;)
I wasn't a big fan of British accents up to a few years ago and always preferred American English to them but then I start watching ... See more I remember watching London Boulevard synced in Italian in a cinema a few years ago and - if I remember correctly, I guess the mumbling/whispering and foul language were well reflected into the dubbing and yes, having watched The New World just the other day, I have to admit Collin Farrell is a bit of a mumbler;) Still have to watch "In Bruges" though;)
I wasn't a big fan of British accents up to a few years ago and always preferred American English to them but then I start watching more British films and TV Series and got used to it (even though sometimes it is indeed hard). If London Boulevard or Harry Potter freak you out then I cannot imagine what series like Shameless, Misfits, This is England or sometimes even Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes would do to you;) Fairly thick accents and lots of swearing:) On the contrary, series like Spooks or Sherlock are clear & easy. I know they aren't all brand new series but that is what comes to mind, sorry;)
The same can be said about other languages too though... plenty of accents and local words & regional references here in Italian productions, too. What about German? Ever watched Kommissar Rex?;) Not the same as - for instance - watching Derrick. The viennese accent is fun;) but it would put off anyone not familiar with it, even Germans.
Maybe US productions are - usually - more neutral because they are distributed worldwide and yes, unless on cable TV etc. language is surely less explicit than in the UK. GErman productions though are not that "clean"... when dubbed into Italian they are toned down a bit sometimes and even graphic scenes may be cut in some countries. It's the beauty of language and different cultures after all. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:40
Member (2011)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER | I’ve never been to Wyoming. | May 22, 2012 |
Ty Kendall wrote:
...for Brokeback Mountain, whether is reflected an accurate or exaggerated version of it would take someone from Wyoming to comment on.
I’ve never been to Wyoming. Therefore, I tried to find some folks speaking with this accent on the internet. I found something on You Tube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ytyazIMAI&feature=related
They all seem to speak normal to me.
Ty Kendall wrote:
What's wrong with Harry Potter films?
Nothing is wrong with the films. It's my fault, because I haven’t read the books. That's why I often didn’t understand what the characters were talking about in the film. On top of that, they seemed to speak with a strange tongue. I have found a little example here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=wBFkA9mAlX4
Perhaps the actors have acquired a better speech after the initial film.
| | | | | The fashion for realism | May 23, 2012 |
I think the "inaudible dialogue" thing in films and TV dramas (on both sides of the Atlantic) is a matter of fashion. Quite understandably, films today aim to be more realistic, so dialogue is often muffled, mumbled, full of colloquialisms and swear words, just as it is in real life. Contrast modern films and TV programmes with those of the 1940s and 1950s when dialogue (Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Celia Johnson, Kenneth More, etc. etc.) was crisp, theatrical and thoroughly audible, whether America... See more I think the "inaudible dialogue" thing in films and TV dramas (on both sides of the Atlantic) is a matter of fashion. Quite understandably, films today aim to be more realistic, so dialogue is often muffled, mumbled, full of colloquialisms and swear words, just as it is in real life. Contrast modern films and TV programmes with those of the 1940s and 1950s when dialogue (Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Celia Johnson, Kenneth More, etc. etc.) was crisp, theatrical and thoroughly audible, whether American or British.
To me, it's not only a problem of *hearing* the words, it's also the problem of actually *seeing* clearly. Again, a fashion for realistically dim lighting, rather than the universally brilliant studio lighting of earlier days.
As for the Harry Potter films, the young cast speak as young people really do - quickly and incomprehensibly, to some of us oldies - I think directors are trying to attain "realism", even with plots as unrealistic as the world of HP. Why, even the older and thoroughly fascinating Alan Rickman speaks through tightly clenched teeth!
Trying to keep up,
Jenny ▲ Collapse
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XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:40
Portuguese to English
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| Gianni Pastore
Italy
Local time: 21:40
Member (2007)
English to Italian
| Sound quality... | May 23, 2012 |
...is often appalling. Apart from the f-word issue (which doesn't bother me one bit) sometimes the speech is just unintelligible so I am forced to rollercoast the volume in order to hear what's going on.
[Edited at 2012-05-23 09:37 GMT]
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:40
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| Not English, Irish | May 23, 2012 |
The teacher has an Irish accent. Harry Potter and Hermione enunciate very clearly, a lot more clearly than most children these days where the tendency is most definitely to mumble and swallow half of each word.
| | | | Stefano Papaleo
Italy
Local time: 21:40
Member (2005)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Sound in movies | May 23, 2012 |
Gianni Pastore wrote:
...is often appalling. Apart from the f-word issue (which doesn't bother me one bit) sometimes the speech is just unintelligible so I am forced to rollercoast the volume in order to hear what's going on.
[Edited at 2012-05-23 09:37 GMT]
I have to agree with you. I guess this may be due to the fact that in the past few years more and more films are distributed with 5.1 audio, surround etc. and - unless the TV set or home theater system supports it well, it often happens that the sound score and effects are louder than the characters' voices which... makes you go nuts with the remote every 2 seconds!;) Sometimes good headphones may help or setting the audio track to something compatible with the display device.
Or the audio track just plain sucks:)))))
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Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:40
Member (2011)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER | Films trying to be more realistic | May 24, 2012 |
Jenny Forbes wrote:
(...) films today aim to be more realistic, (...)
Films trying to be more realistic should come with a warning (e.g. ‘Take your motion sickness pills!’), because the camera work bobbing up and down makes me sick to my stomach.
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:40
Member (2011)
English to German
TOPIC STARTER | Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch the film. | May 24, 2012 |
Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch the film. The video box says: "This video contains content from NBC Universal, who has blocked it on copyright grounds."
| | | | Rebecca Hendry
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:40
Member (2005)
Spanish to English
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| Harry Potter for the uninitiated | May 24, 2012 |
Marina Steinbach wrote: Nothing is wrong with the films. It's my fault, because I haven’t read the books. That's why I often didn’t understand what the characters were talking about in the film. On top of that, they seemed to speak with a strange tongue. I have found a little example here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=wBFkA9mAlX4 Perhaps the actors have acquired a better speech after the initial film.
Hi Marina,
Reading the books and understanding the HP vocabulary would probably help, but "Mad Eye" Moody has quite a strong Irish accent so I'd imagine that's what has caused the problems. Hermione speaks very clearly indeed.
A crash course in magic and wizardry would help you understand that one!
All the best,
Becky (HP fan extraordinaire).
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