Why are your favourite english tv shows sporting english subtitlies that carry a "softer" word to replace an offensive one, that you can hear the character mouth anyway?
Why are your favourite englishu00a0TV shows sporting english subtitlies that carry a "softer"u00a0 word to replace an offensive one, that you can hear the character mouth anyway?
What the hell are you doing, you scared the c**p out of me!" Ross says in an episode from F.R.I.E.N.D.S. "What the hell are you doing, you scared the hell out of me!" you read in the subtitles at the bottom of your LCD, and do a double take. Or not, if you've been watching Star World repeat this pattern on all their television shows, and on movies screened on Star Movies and HBO.
While "offensive" words continue to be mouthed by characters, the subtitles are being altered, making space for what channels call a "softer" word. But what's the point of reading a mild word if you are hearing a cuss word anyway? "For one, we have internal guidelines that cater to the socio-cultural context of a particular country/region.
But isn't that a form of confused censorship? Shruti Bajpai, Country Manager, South Asia, HBO Asia, has an explanation similar to Viriyala's. "Some words and slang may not sound too bad. But when written down, they may not read very well. So, these are edited in the subtitles." She adds, though, that that's the second stage of censorship, because highly objectionable and abusive words are edited out of the movie anyway. "It's only the words that don't sound rude when spoken, but may sound so when written, that are changed in the subtitles."
But there isn't a binding rule on this. The Information & Broadcasting ministry dishes out fixed guidelines regarding excessive gore, vulgarity, and potentially inflammatory political and religious material. But the decision to omit and change specific words lies with the channel. "This is done as a channel initiative. The HBO team and the subtitling agency have the prerogative to omit words based on their discretion."
What's confusing if not annoying about this new initiative, is why have same language subtitling in the first place, especially when most English viewers in India are able to comprehend fluent English. "Studies have revealed that certain accents can be a constraint. Including subtitles takes care of the accent-handicap and enriches the movie experience. We've got great responses to this effort from viewers," claims Bajpai about the move.u00a0
Viriyala says that's exactly why Star World and Star Movies have also followed suit. "An unfamiliar accent, heavy ambient sound (mostly seen in action sequences), complex/ lengthy dialogues are some reasons why subtitling works wonders. It also attracts new viewers," she explains. Statistics prove that statement. STAR Movies saw a 12 per cent increase in viewership after the channel started airing subtitled content, and the STAR Movies audience base increased by 5 per cent during this period.
Viewer-speak: If you can hear it, you might as well read it!
Tony Singh, producer of Jassi jaisi Koi Nahin
I don't see why a word is okay if you hear it, but has to be changed if you want to read it. TV is watched by children too, so censoring offensive language may be required. But I'd rather that they just beep out the word and replace it with something less profane in the subtitles, rather than what's happening right now.u00a0
Purab Kohli, actor
Yes, some South American accents can be extremely difficult to comprehend. I've travelled to these parts and wished fervently that I had a translator to follow that lazy drawl! But what I don't get is why words need to be changed in the subtitles if the audience is going to hear them anyway.
Anu Menon, VJ and anchor:
Maybe it's for those with domestic problems, where one partner needs to keep the volume down so the other can't hear what s/he is watching! Maybe it's a way to entertain the audience u00e2u0080u0094 create a guessing game. Seriously, though, I think people are just scared of being sued these days-and with good reason, because anything seems to become an issue, as Shah Rukh Khan will tell you.
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