English to English subtitles are annoying!

[alexiscartwheel]

BBC America actually subtitles some of the dialogue in Ashes to Ashes, mostly Gene's. I can't figure it out, cause it's just random lines, not entire scenes, and not even lines that seem particularly hard to understand. I suppose it's the Mancunian accent. Every American knows that all Brits sounds like either Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins or like Her Majesty The Queen.

I'd expect the 1980s British cultural references would be more problematic than Gene Hunt's accent, apparently that's just me...

Comments

[carrotgirl.livejournal.com]

Ugh I hate when shows do that. It makes it look like they think all North Americans are too stupid to figure out accents.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

If you can't talk like you're from America Vancouver, then get off my TV!

[carrotgirl.livejournal.com]

Hahaha

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

It's funny cause it's TRUE!

[carrotgirl.livejournal.com]

I know it is. They do it with lots of accents. Ridonculous.

[mysticalchild_isis]

It's weird how much trouble some Americans seem to have with some UK accents. I can't count the number of friends who have to watch Billy Elliot with the subtitles on, and yesterday, while watching Gosford Park, one of my friends put on the subtitles.

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

Gosford Park is hard to understand sometimes when they're all talking at the same time, but that's half the fun! Subtitles would ruin it.

[sea_thoughts]

WTF? That's like changing all the British English words in the HP series. -_-;

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

The Scholastic editors apparently thought it would scar children forever if they thought Mrs. Weasley knitted "jumpers" for all her sons at Christmas!

What's really strange is that the subtitles weren't translating slang or other British-isms, just transcribing the speech! If you really can't understand British English, reading it probably won't help.