Subtitles facts for kids

A movie with subtitles in English. Dashes are used to show who is speaking.

Subtitles are text that shows what people are saying or what sounds are happening in a movie, TV show, or other video. They can be a written version of the spoken words or a translation into a different language.

Sometimes, subtitles are called captions. Captions are special because they also describe other sounds, like music or sound effects. This makes them super helpful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Subtitles can also add extra information that isn't in the audio, like explaining a cultural detail. And sometimes, they're even used for jokes! For example, in the movie Annie Hall, subtitles show what characters are really thinking, even if they're saying something different out loud.

How Subtitles Are Made and Shown

Making, sharing, and showing subtitles involves a few steps.

Writing the Subtitles

First, someone needs to write the text for the subtitles. If there's lots of time, this can be done by hand. But for live TV, like news, people called stenographers might type them very quickly, or computers can use speech recognition to turn spoken words into text. Subtitles made by fans, not official companies, are called fansubs. No matter who writes them, they must include exact times for when each line of text should appear and disappear on screen.

Professional subtitlers use special computer programs. These programs let them see the video and decide exactly when each subtitle should pop up and go away. The final result is a subtitle file. This file contains the words and the timing information, often based on a special "timecode" for TV or video, or film length for movies.

Sharing Subtitles with Viewers

Next, subtitles need to get to you, the audience.

• Open subtitles are permanently added to the video itself. This means you can't turn them off.
• Closed subtitles are stored separately from the video. This is cool because it means you can choose different languages for subtitles without changing the video. There are many technical ways to store these subtitles.

Displaying Subtitles on Screen

Finally, subtitles need to be shown.

• Open subtitles are always there when you watch the video because they're part of it.
• Closed subtitles are optional. Your TV or media player adds them on top of the video if you choose to turn them on. Sometimes, in theaters, a separate screen above the main movie screen shows the subtitles. These are called surtitles.

Subtitles for Everyone

Subtitles are not just for people who need them for hearing. Many people use them for convenience!

Same-Language Captions

Captions in the same language as the audio were first made to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

What Are Closed Captions?

The "CC" symbol for closed captions.

In America, "closed captions" are subtitles specifically for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. They don't just translate; they write down everything said and describe important sounds like (WIND HOWLING) or (DOOR CREAKING). This helps viewers understand the full experience. In the UK, these are often just called "subtitles for the deaf or hard-of-hearing" (SDH).

Live Captions

For live shows like news or sports, captions are created in "real time." This means a person or a computer types them as the words are spoken. There's usually a small delay of a few seconds. Sometimes, there might be typos because it's happening so fast!

Pre-prepared Captions

Some shows are ready a few hours before they air, but there isn't enough time for perfect, timed captions. These "pre-prepared" captions look good, but their timing might not be as exact.

Offline Captions

For shows that aren't live, like movies or recorded TV series, "offline captioning" is used. This allows for very detailed captions with special features like different styles, speaker names, and sound effects. It's a careful process that helps viewers really follow the story and feel the mood.

Subtitles for the Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (SDH)

SDH is a term from the DVD world. It means regular subtitles in the original language, but with extra info about sounds and who is speaking. The main difference for you is how they look: SDH subtitles usually use a normal font, while older closed captions often appear as white text on a black bar. Many people find SDH easier to read because it doesn't block as much of the screen.

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  This shows how SDH tells you who is speaking, even if they are off-screen.

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  An example of SDH describing a sound that is off-screen.

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  Here, SDH describes sounds from both off-screen and on-screen.

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  This shows how SDH describes music playing in the background.

Sometimes, song lyrics aren't captioned because of copyright rules. This has led to some lawsuits, but courts have generally said that companies don't have to caption every single song lyric.

Why Hearing People Use Subtitles

Even if you can hear perfectly, subtitles are super useful! Many young people use them to understand dialogue better, especially if it's hard to hear, spoken quietly, or in an unfamiliar accent. A survey in the UK found that 80% of young adults (18-25) regularly use subtitles, while older groups use them much less.

Same Language Subtitling (SLS)

SLS means showing synchronized captions of words, like song lyrics, as a way to help people read. It's like a reading exercise where students watch a video with subtitles and then do a worksheet. When the text changes color with the audio, it's even more effective. Studies show that using subtitles can help kids improve their reading skills. Countries like China and India use SLS on national TV to boost literacy.

Subtitles in Asia

In some Asian TV shows, especially in Japan, subtitles are used artistically. Words might appear one by one, in different fonts, colors, and sizes to match the mood. This style has spread to countries like South Korea and Taiwan.

In Chinese-speaking areas, subtitles are very common because many different dialects are spoken, which can be hard to understand for people from other regions. But the written Chinese language is mostly the same everywhere. So, subtitles help everyone understand. In the 1960s, a movie studio in Hong Kong started adding subtitles in Standard Chinese and English to reach more people.

Translating with Subtitles

Subtitles are often used to translate dialogue from a foreign language into the audience's language. This is usually the fastest and cheapest way to translate content. Plus, it lets you hear the original actors' voices, which many people prefer.

Translating for subtitles is a bit different from translating a book. Subtitlers often focus on the main meaning of what's said, rather than translating every single word exactly. This is because they also need to make sure the text can be read quickly enough. Sometimes, they might shorten sentences or add notes in parentheses to explain cultural things or tricky phrases.

Real-time Translation

Real-time translation subtitles are rare. They involve an interpreter quickly translating while a typist writes it down. This is expensive and can have delays and errors. It's usually easier and cheaper for an interpreter to just speak the translation directly.

Offline Translation

For pre-recorded shows, subtitlers can create edited subtitles to fit different audiences. For example, some TV channels offer simplified captions for people learning a new language or for those with learning disabilities. They might show simpler sentences at a slower pace.

Subtitles vs. Dubbing

There are two other ways to "translate" films:

• Dubbing is when other actors record the voices in a different language, replacing the original voices.
• Lectoring is when a narrator speaks over the original audio, telling you what the actors are saying while you can still hear the original voices quietly in the background. Lectoring is common in countries like Russia and Poland for TV.

The choice between dubbing and subtitling often goes back to decisions made in the 1920s and 1930s. Some countries chose dubbing, partly for financial reasons and sometimes for political control, as dubbing allowed them to change the dialogue. Other countries chose subtitling because it was cheaper and faster.

Today, dubbing is still popular in countries like Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. But subtitling is slowly becoming more accepted, especially among younger people who are good readers and often know some English.

Many countries in Latin America show dubbed versions of English shows on local TV, but cable channels often broadcast subtitled versions. For kids' shows, dubbing is almost always used.

When DVDs and Blu-rays came out, many high-budget films offered both subtitles and dubbing. Sometimes, the subtitle translation is different from the dubbed version, which can be tricky if you're trying to learn a new language!

In countries that traditionally use subtitles, dubbing can feel strange because the voices don't match the actors' lip movements. It's usually only used for animated films or shows for very young children.

A map of Europe showing which way of translating films is preferred in each country.      Subtitles: Countries where dubbing is mostly for kids' shows and family movies; otherwise, subtitles are used.      Mixed areas: Countries that sometimes use voice-overs or dubbing; otherwise, subtitles are used, except for kids' shows.      Voice-over: Countries that usually use voice-overs (one or two voices over the original sound); mainly for TV and home videos.      General dubbing: Countries where most foreign films and TV shows are dubbed.      Countries that sometimes dub their own shows, but often use dubbed versions from nearby countries with similar languages.      Belgium: The Dutch-speaking part sometimes dubs, but mostly uses subtitles. The French and German-speaking parts always use full dubbing.

In many countries, almost all foreign TV shows are subtitled instead of dubbed. This includes:

Also, TV channels in minority languages often subtitle their programs in the main language of the country. For example, the Welsh channel S4C and the Irish channel TG4 subtitle their shows in English.

Different Kinds of Subtitles

Subtitles for the same show can come in different types:

• Hearing Impaired (HI or SDH) subtitles are for people who are hard of hearing. They include details about music, background sounds, and who is speaking, even if they are off-screen. For example: [sound of typing on a keyboard], [mysterious music].
• Narrative subtitles are the most common type. They show the spoken dialogue and are often used to translate a film from one language to another.
• Forced subtitles appear automatically when characters speak a foreign language, or when text on screen (like a sign) isn't translated in the main audio. Sometimes, foreign dialogue is left untranslated on purpose if the movie is seen from the view of a character who doesn't understand that language.
• Content subtitles add information that might be missing from the video or dialogue. They are often used in lower-budget films to fill in gaps.
• Titles only subtitles are used with dubbed programs and only show text for any on-screen writing that hasn't been translated.
• Bonus subtitles are extra text blurbs on DVDs or Blu-rays. They give fun facts, behind-the-scenes info, or point out mistakes in the movie.
• Localized subtitles are special versions that explain cultural references (e.g., "The sake [a Japanese Wine] was excellent").
• Extended/Expanded subtitles combine regular subtitles with localized explanations.

How Subtitles Are Stored

Subtitles come in two main forms:

• Open subtitles are "open to all" because they are burned directly into the video. You can't turn them off. They can have cool effects like karaoke lyrics that change color. But you can't have different language options.
• Closed subtitles are separate from the video. You can usually turn them on or off, and choose different languages. Examples include subtitles on DVDs or Blu-rays.

When sharing videos, subtitles can be:

• Hardsubs (or open subtitles): The text is permanently part of the video. No special software is needed to play them.
• Prerendered (or closed) subtitles: These are like separate image frames that are laid over the video. DVDs and Blu-rays use these. You can turn them off or switch languages, but they might not look as smooth as hardsubs.
• Softsubs (or closed subtitles): These are separate text files with timing info. They need a player that supports them, but they are easy to create and change. Fans often use softsubs.

Subtitles for Fun

Sometimes, movies use subtitles to be funny or make a joke!

• In Annie Hall, subtitles show the characters' secret thoughts, which are different from what they're saying.
• In Austin Powers in Goldmember, Japanese subtitles are hard to read because they blend into white objects, leading to funny misunderstandings.
• In Airplane!, characters speak in slang, and the subtitles translate it into very plain English, which is part of the joke.
• In parodies of the German film Der Untergang, people deliberately use wrong subtitles to create funny situations.
• In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Swedish subtitler starts promoting Sweden in the subtitles until they get "fired."
• In the TV show Green Acres, a character corrects the English subtitles for a Hungarian conversation, saying, "We have a lot of trouble here with subtitles!"

Sometimes, humor comes by accident from badly translated subtitles on illegal DVDs, often made by computers. For example, a Star Wars movie was once subtitled "Star war: The backstroke of the west."

Images for kids

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  A map of Europe showing which way of translating films is preferred in each country.