Dubbing or Subtitling?

Abstract

Dubbing and subtitling are the two most common methods of translating television broadcasts or movies. Both dubbing and subtitling may present specific advantages and disadvantages. In this study, the effects of these two methods on presence, transportation, flow, and enjoyment were investigated in an experimental approach. Participants (N = 154) watched a 30-min segment of a movie. Between-subject factors were translation method (dubbing without subtitles, dubbing with subtitles in a foreign language, and original language with subtitles) and genre (drama, comedy, and thriller). Findings indicate that subtitles in a foreign language decrease feelings of spatial presence, transportation, and flow. However, the difference between dubbing and subtitling failed to reach significance. No effect of translation method on enjoyment was found. The pattern of results is equal for all genres. Further analyses showed spatial presence, transportation, and flow to be related. In addition, transportation is more strongly related to enjoyment than flow and spatial presence.

Dubbing versus subtitling in young and older adults: cognitive and evaluative aspects

“…From the theoretical point of view, the results of our studies undermine the perspective assuming that processing subtitled film is cognitively demanding and that it negatively affects film enjoyment and viewers' appreciation (as in Díaz Cintas, 2001;Gottlieb, 1994;Grillo & Kawin, 1981;Koolstra et al, 2002;Maihlac, 2000;Marleau, 1982;Mera, 1998). Our findings are generally consistent with the view that subtitle processing is cognitively effective (d 'Ydewalle & De Bruycker, 2007;Perego et al, 2010) and does not negatively affect film evaluation (Wissmath et al, 2009). Another theoretically interesting consideration relates to the positive effects of subtitling on the lexical aspects of performance.…”

“…Film appreciation and perceived effort were similar in the two conditions, as well as the participants' metacognitive judgments about their cognitive performance. To conclude, subtitling does not lead to a lower satisfaction with the viewing experience (see also Wissmath et al, 2009).…”

“…The authors conclude that the potential differences in the evaluative effects of the two translation methods have been overstated. Wissmath et al (2009), however, did not investigate the cognitive effects of the two translation methods.…”

“…Procedures and measures followed previous research on subtitled audiovisual processing (Perego et al, 2010;Wissmath et al, 2009).…”

“…In the study conducted by Peeters et al (1988), the subtitled programme was preferred to the dubbed programme even by the youngest Dutch children, possibly because of their familiarity with subtitles (the Netherlands is a subtitling country). In a recent Swiss study, Wissmath et al (2009) investigated the effects of dubbing versus subtitling on psychological immersion, assessed through the four measures of presence, transportation, flow, and enjoyment. 1 They found that the translation method does not have a significant influence on the participants' evaluation of the film experience.…”