I like dubs!

[Raiden]

Dubs are the best! I'd rather watch a show with dubs in it, because they usually say stuff that makes sense. I watched one show that had subs in it, and they were going "Join me and eat. The food is good and nice." I'm thinking, "What the hell! Nobody talks like that!" But with dubs, they went "Sit down, the food is good." I'm thinking, "I can understand somebody saying that."

Dubs are better, in my opinion, because they usually talk in ways we would talk.

[Neverwhere]

Well, subs are literal translations where as dubs are interpertive forms of subs.

[Bezo]

That's one thing I'm glad for. In all the dubs I have, no one has ever been called san, chan, kun, senpai, sensai, nii, nee, or sama.

The purpose of translation is to communicate, not confuse, which is why I generally prefer dubs. Otherwise, I'd learn Japanese and I wouldn't need dubs OR subs. :p

[GatoFiero]

Ooo, i just thought of a really bad dub. Has anyone here ever heard the cartoon network dub of Eva? Worst...dub....ever!

[Neverwhere]

Eva is one that must be watched subbed..

[Bezo]

Personally, I'd rather just not watch Eva at all.

[Priest4hire]

I don't envy studios the task of creating a good dub. Subtitles are easier for a number of reasons. Besides the whole casting issue, and the problem of getting decent lip sync, there's the issue that while a sub can get away with some pretty crappy writing, people will just expect a decent screenplay with a dub.

And that's probably the key. It has to hold up in English. A good dub must be good in English while at the same time being faithful to the source. That requires a translator that is both skilled as a writer and able to capture the spirit of the original material. Or a collaboration between a good writer and a good translator.

I should point out that there is no such thing as a purely literal translation. Such a thing can not exist. Some words don't translate; sometimes there are other meanings in a word or phrase other than the literal meaning, and so on. If you translated Japanese to English literally, there would be almost no pronouns for example.

Ultimately the translator is walking a very fine line. And with a dub that line is thinner yet. On the other hand, a dub done really well can add something to the piece a sub can not. For one thing, a dub can move dialog, as in the bulk of words, than a sub since it doesn't have the issue of the audience reading and following the action. Some movies benefit from this greatly, like Patlabor 2 where the big speech just hasn't the impact in the short and not well written sub. The dub on the other hand is very well written and delivered. Thus the dub adds weight to this long monologue.

So in the end I think at its best a dub can transcend a sub, especially if the material lends itself that way, but on the other hand a dub has many time more the pitfalls and thus can suck far greater.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Originally Posted by Priest4hire

Ultimately the translator is walking a very fine line. And with a dub that line is thinner yet. On the other hand, a dub done really well can add something to the piece a sub can not. For one thing, a dub can move dialog, as in the bulk of words, than a sub since it doesn't have the issue of the audience reading and following the action. Some movies benefit from this greatly, like Patlabor 2 where the big speech just hasn't the impact in the short and not well written sub. The dub on the other hand is very well written and delivered. Thus the dub adds weight to this long monologue.

So in the end I think at its best a dub can transcend a sub, especially if the material lends itself that way, but on the other hand a dub has many time more the pitfalls and thus can suck far greater.

But in effect, doesn't that mean that a sub can actually transcend a dub if the person watching it is use to watching subtitled works? Where as a dub, even if done correctly, still can never get away from the fact that it is using a different voice actor and type of language which ultimately makes the character different?

This isn't a disagreement by any means. I'm kinda seeing an extension to your idea.

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And sorry you don't want to watch Eva. Amazing show.

[Mashirosen]

It's really nice to see that you're keeping it civil so far, but please take any discussion of the technical superiority of subs to the sub thread, please. You won't be asked again.

[Outbounder]

I prefer dubs as well. When they're done well. I just prefer to be able to just watch and listen, without having to be distracted by reading things, and not understanding what they're saying. It is very easy to miss small details in the time you looking down and reading the subtitles, plus I don't feel I can really get a sense of their emotions and feelings while just reading words. I like to hear the pronunciation, and if the voice is laced with sarcasm and that sort of thing.
I just like it better when it's in my own language.