the anglophone mind cannot comprehend subtitles.
When I learned some people can’t watch something with subtitles I was so confused, because ADHD auditory processing issues mean I really can’t hear without subtitles. If I don’t have subtitles on my mind wanders off without me and I have to keep rewinding because I missed something. I remember buying a ticket to Pan’s Labyrinth in theatres a long time ago and being baffled when the person in the ticket booth warned me that it had subtitles. Took waaaay too long for me to get diagnosed.
I was diagnosed about 6/7 and I only learned to use subtitles in my 20’s. So many movies, shows and games I didn’t experience completely because it took me far too long to realize that I don’t actually hear things the first time around. Many times I have to ask someone to repeat something and only when they’re repeating it do I actually process what they’ve said the first time.
To tack on here I love having other ADHD people in my life because when they speak and I say, “huh?” And they start to repeat themselves, if I then begin answering shortly after they begin talking they don’t even seem to notice, instead of being a constant fucking dick about how it takes me a couple minutes to understand English sometimes.
On the flip side what I hate is when you say, “huh?” And instead of someone repeating themselves they try and explain something you didn’t even hear.
“-------?”
“Huh?”
“Like if it was blue instead?”
The above is one of the few things in life that make me experience genuine anger.
Another thing I’ve always struggled with that turns out to be an ADHD thing? Maybe I should really get a diagnosis
Same, I’ve been reading about ADHD and every time someone describes the struggles they face I feel like they’re talking about me.
Haha.
I’m used to subs since I was a kid, but felt this when I went to watch Dune with my brother in a Finnish theatre.
A large portion of the movie already has English subs for the Fremen language. In addition to those, there was also Finnish and Swedish subtitles.
And while my Swedish is the poorest, I kept reading them occasionally as well, as my natural tendency for learning just couldn’t help it.
So hearing Fremen, reading English, Finnish and Swedish. Eyes were kinda like that, trying to follow the actors as well.
In addition to those, there was also Finnish and Swedish subtitles.
Hold up - they run two simultaneous subtitle tracks at a single screening of a movie?
That’s wild.
Yup.
If you count the English during the Fremen bits, then three.
Finland is bilingual officially, and my city is a bilingual city. All the road signs and well, everything you can really think of, official forms, ingredients lists on products, restaurant menus, websites, everything, is bilingual. Or rather usually trilingual, since English is there for those who don’t speak Swedish or Finnish.
And in public transport, you’ll also get directions on the screens in addition at least Arabic and Russian, and, uhm I’m sure there was at least one more I’m missing. Not Saame though, as I live in the far South of Finland and it’s uncommon here.
Not all the time though, a lot of official things aren’t in Swedish or English. As someone who speaks much better Swedish than Finnish it’s hilarious that the native language listed in my medical file is Finnish with no chance of ever changing it (there just isn’t any other option). And this is in one of the top 3 cities.
I’m outside the U.S, but I’ve never been to a screening with multiple language subtitles in a single screening - usually what I’ve seen is that you can go to different screenings subtitled in different languages, but never two languages at the same time.
Sounds like a skill issue to me
