Subtitling people with accents on TV

[lbsjob87]

AIBU to get REALLY pissed off when TV producers patronise viewers by putting subtitles on the screen when people are speaking English with a strong accent?
I was just watching Comic Relief Bake Off and Ed Byrne (who has a thick Irish accent) was interviewing a Ugandan lady. The woman was subtitled, even though we could clearly hear her - she was a bit quiet but by no means inaudible.
Ed Byrne wasn't subtitled, though - despite him also having a thick accent.
I'm not saying he should have been, but the lady shouldn't have.
I've seen Scottish people subtitled, Welsh, Irish, but very rarely English.
I am English and live near London - I also used to work in TV so I know that most producers exist in an alternative reality, but I wondered if it annoys anyone else, or if I just think too much?!

Im scottish we used to watch a programme about Aberdonian fishermen and their families some of them were subtiitled by god I needed I had no clue what they were saying some people struggle with accents that woman on the bake off had a really low quiet voice yes she was speaking English but some of the words were hard to make put, I would much rather know what people were saying and understanding them than not and if they programme makers chose to subtitle some accents then imo thats fine, I would imagine they have domebody eciting and deciding

Somebody editing and deciding (sorry)

I'm Scottish and would also need some Scottish people subtitled. Depends on the particular accent/dialect, how strong it is, speed of speech etc.

What about investigative journalism where the speech is a bit indistinct due to secret filming etc? Should we all just be turning the sound up and hoping?

YABU. I had to rewind to catch what the Ugandan woman was saying initially. I'm not hard of hearing. She was speaking quietly in an accent I was not immediately attuned to.

With Ed Byrne I guess I knew what was coming and put on my Irish ears.

I am always baffled by the weird things folk are offended by.

OP, this happens in factual programmes/news/documentaries where the content of what the person is saying, the point they are trying to make, is what's important. If there's doubt about whether the person can be understood, whether they're from Bosnia, Bhutan or Birmingham, then the producers take a decision to subtitle in the interests of clarity.

I really don't see what's to be offended about.

Yes, we should just go back to the days when everybody on telly spoke RP. No other accents, everybody can understand everything and no patronising people with subtitles.

YABU

I am hearing impaired and these subtitles can make the difference between understanding and not having a clue what's going on. I really struggle with accents. It's especially helpful given how horrendous subtitling is - often subtitling as the programme goes along is bizarre if there is any kind of accent - at least subtitling done in advance makes sense.

I sometimes mis hear DH and he is a southerner. It's the vowel sounds that catch me unaware. For example Paul sounds like pool, cup like cap etc. Usually I'm fine but if he calls through from another room or the context is unexpected it still gets me. So I can see how really strong accents may need subtitling.

You also need to remember that BBC programmes go out all over the world, so the idea that, say, Scottish accents shouldn't be subtitled because all British people should be able to understand (even if they actually don't) is a bad argument because the audience is by no means just other British people.

Some posters said they had difficulty understanding Ed Byrne and Dara O Briain.
If they give you difficulty you ain't heard nothing yet re a strong Irish accent.
They are very 'east coast yuppy' Irish accents.
You should hear a strong Kerry/ Cork/ Waterford or Mayo accent.
Tis then you'll complain

I bet they'd need subtitles for Jackie Healy-Rae, or some South Kerry farmers!

Holly

The guy who lived opposite me a few years agonhad a Kerry accent. I was stumped by almost everything he said to me, i felt so embarrassed.

Yarp I'm having difficulty with David Tennant's Scottish accent on Broadchurch

this is an annoying import from America over there they put subtitles on practically anyone foreign even when they're perfectly understandable much to my DC's outrage when they watched TV and all the English people got subtitles!!

still i suppose they can't win. remember all those people complaining about whatever drama it was saying all the actors were mumbling?

countess You also need to remember that BBC programmes go out all over the world, so the idea that, say, Scottish accents shouldn't be subtitled because all British people should be able to understand (even if they actually don't) is a bad argument because the audience is by no means just other British people.

I'm sure the Dutch and the Germans can work out whether to subtitle foreign languages programmes themselves!

I do find it patronising to subtitle native English speakers with perfectly clear yet not South of England accents. When those same Scots might well find the drawling mumble that is Cockney or Estuary English equally difficult to understand. But those accents never get sub-titled.

They are watched in English in many places, so no need to re-subtitle with Dutch or German.

Perfectly clear TO YOU. People are telling you they do not find them perfectly clear. Why do you ignore them?

countess They are watched in English in many places, so no need to re-subtitle with Dutch or German.

News to me. And most of the Dutch and German populations I should imagine.

Perfectly clear TO YOU. People are telling you they do not find them perfectly clear. Why do you ignore them?

This goes down as one of the strangest sentences I've read on mumsnet.

I wish there was more subtitling tbh.

TheChandler

Did you see the BakeOff segment referred to?

Already pointed out by pp's, but so what if you understand every accent in the world. A lot of people don't. It's not an issue of ignorance or being patronised, it's recognising not everyone has an ear for accents and ensuring that as many people as possible can understand the information conveyed because it's important.

I really struggle with certain Irish accents - no amount of exposure has helped my ear just can't grasp it. However, a large part of my job involves transcribing foreign speakers and I'm pretty decent at it if I do say so myself.

Incidentally, for people who English is a second language for, accents can really throw them. They have learnt very specific sounds for letters (which all languages do slightly differently) and variations in accents can throw them massively.

Someone trying to understand a new accent in their second language spoken by someone for who it is also a second language is not ignorant fgs.

What are you waffling about Dutch and German for? BBC shows are on in America, Australia, lots of English speaking places where they might have trouble with strong british accents?
And even in Europe BBC World is not dubbed or subtitled everywhere. Can't see why you are obsessed with simply German and Dutch people (who by the way will also probably struggle with thick accents when watching english language tv, which is not uncommon as they have great english on the whole).

And I can't see why mypoint is so strange to you? You say you object to people being subtitled when YOU find them perfectly clear. Lots of people have told you that they do not find them perfectly clear, and appreciate the subtitles. You ignore them, repeating that its uneccessary. It's incredible selfish of you.
Whats so hard to grasp there?

Yarp we're no longer talking about Bake Off.

Countess I can see why you struggle understanding programmes in your native language.

Who said it was my native language? Appreciate the did at my language skills though, thanks.
Especially when its you that can't understand that not everyone has the same level of accent comprehension that you do.

*dig, not did