Subtitles can be distracting Just sit back and read a recap afterwards if you're struggling to follow along. Sure, you might notice something new with subtitles, like a prominent sigh, or a quiet sound or whisper.
Subtitles are flat out distracting. Shows and movies are propelled by exceptional writing or acting. Great ones master both. You are doing a disservice to that up-close-and-personal, deep character monologue if your brain is — at best — constantly toggling between the performance and the subtitles.
Yes, watching a series without subtitles will most likely be hard at the beginning. You'll feel like you don't understand almost anything. Yes, you might even want to give up, thinking “I'm not at the right level yet.” But don't do it!
Using subtitles allows your brain to connect sounds with written words, improving your speech comprehension. That also reduces the amount of energy your brain uses to hear.
They may distract the viewer's attention from the footage. Limited space on the screen to work with. When different speakers are involved, it becomes difficult to add subtitles.
Young people read more slowly, and foreign languages have different targets for characters per second. This is also why subtitles often don't correspond to the dialog—they're simplified to comply with reading speed limits.
However, research suggests adding subtitles to video content improves information retention and makes it easier for some viewers to focus. There are many well-documented benefits of multi-modal learning strategies for individuals with ADHD, and subtitles are a great option for providing additional support.
Captions not only help engage but can provide information that is easier to process when read, as some learners with ADHD will find it harder to process or retain what they hear. Emotions described in the captions also help some viewers who are on the autism spectrum.
75% of students that use captions said they use them as a learning aid. 52% of students that use captions said captions help as a learning aid by improving comprehension. 15% of students don't know how to tell if a video has captions. The most common reason students use captions is to help them focus.
Because we naturally read text that appears on a screen, using captions and subtitles can help boost literacy skills in a fun and engaging way. Consider recommending that students (and caregivers) turn on captions or subtitles at home to maximize exposure to print.
Is it better to watch without subtitles to learn a language?
Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, incorporating subtitles into your language-learning routine can boost your progress. By actively watching movies, TV shows, and videos with subtitles, you can improve your listening comprehension, grasp nuances of pronunciation, and expand your vocabulary effortlessly.
Is it better to learn a language with subtitles or audio?
Summary and conclusions
If you're watching movies, TV shows, or any other material in your target foreign language, it's generally better to watch it with subtitles than without them.
Millennials and Generation Z can hear just fine, but 63% prefer subtitles, says a new study. YouGov found that 18 to 29-year-olds overwhelmingly preferred subtitles compared to older people. Some of them said they used subtitles to concentrate better or to understand thick accents.
Another reason cited for turning on the captions is that it's become harder to hear the dialogue in shows and movies than it used to be. One reason for this is that in movie productions, professional sound mixers calibrate audio for traditional theaters with large speaker systems to deliver a wide range of sound.
50% of Americans watch content with subtitles most of the time. 55% say it is harder to hear dialogue in shows and movies than it used to be. 62% of Americans use subtitles more on streaming services than regular TV. 57% watch content in public; 74% of Gen Z do so.
Many autistic people put subtitles on for every show they watch, even if they have a strong sense of hearing. This may be because the auditory processing differences and delays that many of us have mean we wouldn't be able to follow what's happening on our screens without them.
For somebody who is on the autistic spectrum captions give a greater depth of understanding and context by providing a second input stream. People on the autistic spectrum may struggle with audio processing, that is filtering out different sounds and distinguishing between what's relevant and what is not relevant.
However, missing words for someone on the autistic spectrum may be even more frustrating, as many on the spectrum have a need for complete information. Whether or not this is the case, captions can fill in these gaps and provide a more complete understanding.
“Research shows that children read captions when they're available and achieve significantly better literacy outcomes — especially for those struggling with reading. It's so significant that India just passed a law that requires 50% of television content to have subtitles on by 2025.”
By providing a written transcript of spoken words, captions help bridge the gap for students who may find auditory processing or note-taking challenging. For students with dyslexia, captions can reinforce learning by connecting spoken language to written text, aiding in comprehension.
They delve into the reasons why so many people want to read dialogue: The first is that, for a lot of people, it's become a lot harder to understand dialogue on the TV. That's the top reason cited in the Preply survey, with nearly 72% of respondents who use closed captions marking that as one of the main reasons why.
Subtitles serve an important purpose for people with hearing or cognitive impairments, or for translation from a foreign language. They're not for fluent English speakers watching something in fluent English.
Why do people like watching movies with subtitles?
If you're watching something in your second (or third etc.) language, subtitles can mean the difference between straining to comprehend dialogue on its own versus unwinding after a long day knowing you're not going to miss what's being said because you've got your trusty subtitles on.
Most Americans watch TV with subtitles at least some of the time. Among people who ever use subtitles when watching TV, 40% say they do so because it enhances their comprehension. The same percentage (40%) do so because it helps them to understand accents, while 33% say they do so because they're in a noisy environment ...
