When you decide to watch a movie or TV show with a group of friends, someone always asks for subtitles. Some people agree, some don't. What makes someone want subtitles or not?
Subtitles are a script of everything that is said in a TV show or movie that appears on the screen as it happens. This enables people who are hard of hearing to be able to watch something and still have an understanding of what's going on. Some people like to watch with the subtitles on even if they are not hard of hearing, just because you might miss something that is said without them. Some people do not like subtitles, and think that they are distracting and cover up important parts of the set or movie. It's all a matter of opinion. In a group of people, subtitles do help because odds are someone's going to say something and laugh and then you won't be able to hear what just happened.
Subtitles sometimes can be funny too. As an action is happening, they describe it, or imitate a sound. Sometimes it's "Whoosh,"sometimes is "Bang," sometimes it's "rolls eyes sarcastically." Regardless of what it is, the outcome can be pretty funny.
Subtitles are also used in foreign movies so we can understand them. Movies in different languages can have different language subtitles. For example, a movie made in English can have Spanish subtitles, or a movie made in Russian could have Chinese subtitles. Subtitles enable different cultures to view movies made in other countries. Watching movies from different cultures is interesting because you get to learn a bit about those cultures and what they view as entertainment.
I recently saw a Bollywood movie called "Mohenjo Daro" in a movie theatre. Yes, a Bollywood movie played in the United States move theatre. Given, it was the only theatre with the movie in it and it was only playing on a specific Thursday, but it was still there. Maybe if movies like this that are played more often in the US, more people will be open to subtitles.
Animes have made subtitles more popular, as they have grown in popularity. Most animes are in Japanese with English subtitles, and the surge in popularity they have in the United States is overwhelming. These have made subtitles more common, and more people use them because of it, regardless of what they're watching.
Regardless of your taste in whether to use them or not, subtitles help out a lot of people. You can understand scripts in which you would not without them. They are good for the hard of hearing and for those who wish to learn about other cultures.
