America's Problem With Subtitles

By: Rafeeat Bishi

        Director Bong Joon Ho, of breakout Korean film Parasite, made a biting comment (without direct translation) aimed at people who refuse to watch media that is not in their native language.

        He said, after winning Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes,

"Once you overcome the one-inch tall barriers of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."

         I love that he said this. Especially since subtitles are not very impeding for many viewers.

        A lot of my favorite television shows, and some of the best I've seen are in other languages. On Netflix, there's 'Dark' (German), Elite (Spanish), Osmosis (French), and more. I use subtitles even when shows are in English because sometimes I just don't get what people are saying.

         I think it's ignorant to assume that just because something is in a different language it must be of lower quality. In my opinion, Dark is one of the best shows from the past few years but because it's in German, so many people I tell about it refuse to watch it. They know the dub sounds bad, but they refuse to read subtitles or are off put by the foreign language all together.

         What's weird is that this seems to be an issue mainly in America and majority English-speaking countries. I know in countries such as Brazil, fans watch television from all over the world in all kinds of languages without any problems. Also, some people (like me) in the US with parents who speak a foreign language, see no issue. I know it's not a problem cause I'll always be watching stuff with subtitles with my mom.

         What's disheartening is that other countries (if a dub is not available) see no issue in consuming American/English-language media. They do it often, and it's rare we do the same. They usually have more passion for our shows than we do.

          I think a valuable cultural exchange can come from removing the idea that a language barrier makes something not worthwhile. I may not be going to Germany or Spain anytime soon, but I have learned a little about the dynamics of the countries and their people by watching those shows.

         Here are some recommendations for some entertaining non-English movies and TV shows. A lot are on Netflix so if you need a link lmk ;).

Elite [Netflix] - Spanish (sometimes with a lisp because according to some Spanish speakers that how they talk in Spain. This is a really good teen drama)
La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) [Netflix] - Spanish
Osmosis [Netflix] - French
Atlantics (movie) [Netflix] - Wolof
Skam [some site called Dailymotion] - Norwegian
Burning (movie) [Netflix] - Korean
Dark [Netflix] - German
Attack on Titan [Hulu] - Japanese