Why Are English Movies Dubbed…
By
on
October 14th, 2008
Print This Post
Email This Post
……in so many places? Why not keep the English language and show text in a local language below? English is the "world language", it's the most useful language you can learn. Yet, there are a large number of countries where people don't know a single word of English. Not countries in some remote African village, quite modern countries with large populations. Without exception, at least in my experience, these are countries where English/American movies, programs, and shows are dubbed. It's quite shocking to mention universal words such as "car", "water", "beer", "food" , "sick" and be met by a huge "Ehhhh,??? Why are movies dubbed, why not give the population free language lesson while they catch a good movie?
English is the world language but it's not the language most spoken. That's some dialect of Chinese, Mandarin or something similar, since there currently are about 3 quadrillion people living in China. But English is the language for business, making new friends, and it can be used almost everywhere. This is a large advantage for Americans and people in UK but also a HUGE disadvantage. Why? Because few of those bother to learn another language. Language skills are just pathetic compared to any country on earth.
So why are movies dubbed? Is it because the population is so stupid and uneducated they can't read text in their local language? I don't think so. Germans and French are pretty well educated, yet their English spoken movies are dubbed. Don't even ask about their English skills. Is it for financial reasons? Doubt it, the extra work in dubbing movies must be considerable. I think the main reason countries dub movies has something to do with being proud of their country. Like it would somehow be a shame to expose the population to another language. How incredibly stupid and shortsighted.
You've ever watched and listened to Eddie Murphy, Williams, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, or Al Pacino in German or Turkish? I hope you never have to go through an experience like that.
In todays global world, language is a huge asset. Being able to communicate with other people is not only convenient but also opens many doors. People like when you speak, or at least try to speak, their local language. I speak four languages and can switch between them without even thinking. My kids already speak three languages and aren't even out of their toddler years. You won't believe how nice people are when speaking a local language, when people know you made an effort to learn without ever knowing if it would be useful.
Make your kids learn another language while they are young. They won't thank you for another 15 years but you'll be glad you made the small effort early on. And if you live in a country where movies are dubbed, make your kids listen to the English language. They won't learn a new language simply by watching television but you'll be surprised how educational it can be.
Good question. If I see a “foreign” film here in the US I usually get to see subtitles. I’d hate dubbing, and I’m glad it’s not done.