TIL that watching a show's original language version with subtitles instead of the English dub made my 'Dark' binge way more intense.

Switched to German audio with English subs halfway through season 1 and the actors' actual voices added a whole new layer of creepy atmosphere I was totally missing before, anyone else try this for foreign shows?

4 comments

4 Comments

moore.beth3mo ago

Read an article once that said dubbing can lose up to 40% of the original performance... the little breaths and cracks in the voice get smoothed over. Makes total sense why the original audio feels so much heavier.

jadej503mo ago

Totally get what you mean, the original audio just hits different. I did the same thing with Dark and it was a game changer, the emotion in their voices felt so much more real. I always try to watch foreign shows that way now, even if I have to read fast. The dubs just sound flat and weird in comparison.

the_leo3mo ago

Try turning the subtitles on a second early.

shane_hayes2mo ago

Oh man, the worst is when the dub actors sound like they're reading a grocery list. You get this huge dramatic scene and the voice coming out is just... bored. I tried watching Money Heist dubbed once and had to stop after five minutes, it was like listening to robots. The original audio has all those little shaky breaths and real shouts that make you feel it. Reading subtitles is a tiny price to pay for that.