Am I the only one who can't understand Brit accents in movies?

[zanana1]

Netflix has a lot of Brit movies and series. I'm so frustrated. Netflix doesn't provide subtitles.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. I always have to turn the volume up...

I don't know why this helps, but it does.
Most of my tv watching is Japanese anime, so I don't have to worry about no CC.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Netflix does provide closed captioning. That should solve the problem.

I'm OK with British accents but the Scots sometimes lose me, so cc does the trick.

[hlthe2b]

3. the really strong Scottish or Irish accents, sometimes and some of the slang among Brits.

I can't believe Netflix does not provide subtitles. I don't currently subscribe, but I ususally have them turned on because I get distracted and don't always listen very closely. I don't remember not seeing them on Netflix but I take your word for it. Why don't you contact them and complain?

BTW, I watch LOTs of British tv and I've found I get better at the accents over time.

[targetpractice]

4. I rely on Netflix subtitles mostly for that reason...

... It's probably setting your playback device, not a Netflix setting. I have an Apple TV. If i turn on subtitles... they display in all apps until I turn them off.

[comradebillyboy]

5. As the setting moves north fom London the accents get

worse and I need subtitles to follow the dialogue.

[mucifer]

6. I think watching Monty Python when I was a kid helped me

learn the accent

[Iggo]

25. Word.

[Fla Dem]

7. Yes they do. I watch a lot of foreign movies and use subtitles all the time.

I even use them for English language series, if I have trouble hearing the dialogue. It may depend how you are watching Netflix. Are you watching right from your tv, roku, android device. They all may have different steps to turn on "CC".

[zanana1]

8. How do you get the subtitles?

[Fla Dem]

11. Hope this helps

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/372


To enable or disable subtitles or alternate audio on most Blu-ray players, Smart TVs, and set-top boxes: Launch the Netflix app. Select a TV show or movie. Select Audio & Subtitles from the options panel. Select your preferred audio or subtitle options. Press Back to return to the options panel. Select Play.

[Fla Dem]

32. Did you try it? Are you now getting subtitles? You're welcome.

[zanana1]

33. I don't have Blu-ray or a smart TV.

Thanks for the info, anyway.

[Fla Dem]

34. so how are you watching netflix? Iphone? Ipad? Computer? Roku?

They all have the option of adding sub titles. Which device are you using and I'll try to tell you where to look for the option.

[zanana1]

40. I found the cc.

[Grins]

9. Nope. I do fine.

But in central London years ago in a flea market, a kid came up to sell me something. I’m guessing he was 14 or 15. With an accent so strong I had to ask him 3x to repeat!
He did.
Nothing! Might as well have spoken Arabic.

So there accents - and there are ACCENTS!!

[Duppers]

38. Once had difficulty understanding a deep Cockney accent

Even after living in England 3yrs.

The only other British accent I had a bit of trouble with was Glaswegian accent. A friend of ours from Shanghai asked if they were speaking English!

[Polly Hennessey]

10. I thought I was the only one who had trouble with British, Irish, or Scottish

accents. I use closed captioning or headphones. Once the headphones are on I hear every word. Amazon Prime has closed captioning and along with my ear thingies, I don’t miss a word. I think Netflix also has it. Amazing how much more plots make sense when hearing the dialogue. To me the English sound as if they are speaking through mush. I was watching the Japanese/English movie Hiro/Giri (sp). The Japanese actors voices were strong. I don’t speak Japanese but I could hear every word. The English actors not so much.

[gibraltar72]

12. As I've become more post like in my aural senses I find that also.

[Lars39]

13. I'm having a bit of trouble with Yiddish

accent while watching Hunters. Love the series so far but I feel like I’ve missed some dialogue.

[IcyPeas]

14. I gave up on Peaky Blinders because of this.

[LAS14]

15. Don't know what we'd do without closed captioning!!! We can get it..

... on regular cable, Amazon and Netflix.

[DFW]

16. For the first ten minutes of "The Full Monty" I thought I was watching a dubbed version from Hungary

Or some such place. It took me while to figure out that it was the original English.

[Skittles]

17. well

I spent a good portion of my childhood in England and my mum was a Brit and even I get confused with some of the words they say

[GoneOffShore]

18. Unfortunately yes.

Unless the characters are from the north east of England.

No one can understand anything they say.

Even people who live there.

[Duppers]

39. 😅

BTDT.

[shenmue]

19. I watch everything with subtitles

[NurseJackie]

20. Netflix does provide subtitles. (Well, on our Roku device it's easy to access them.)

I rely on subtitles for almost everything now. (I still haven't broken down and ordered hearing aids.)

[Wounded Bear]

21. Some are worse than others...

[Fla Dem]

22. I just watched the 3 seasons of the Norwegian series. "Occupied "

It was excellent, but in Norwegian and Russian with some English. The subtitling was excellent. But enjoyed listening to Norwegian being spoken. A very unique language.

[Iggo]

23. I have a problem sometimes with Brit shows made for Brits.

They usually flatten it out a little bit for international audiences.

[uriel1972]

24. I watched "Stalingrad" made by those who made "Das Boot"

It was in German and Russian but they had subtitles - In white and it was snowing most of the time in the movie, so if they had been in yellow I would have had more than half a chance.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

26. Some accents are tough, yes.

[doc03]

27. They should learn to speak English LOL, I can't understand them either nt

[MyOwnPeace]

29. Was gonna' say the same.....

wish they'd learn to speak English, you know, like we do here in the states!

Seriously, just watched a Michael Caine movie (Harry Brown) and am just about done with the Idris
Elba series "Luther" and yes, really tough to follow along with the dialog.

[Iggo]

30. Their cop shows (like ours) have a ton of slang.

And since you can't even read Elba's lips...

[lynintenn]

28. I love Outlander but

sometimes I do not know what those Scottish actors are saying.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

31. DERRY GIRLS - the No.Ireland way of speaking would have been impossible had it not been for

the captioning. Are you sure you cant get it to work? I think maybe osme shows have it and some don't.

This white Midwesterner is not too proud to admit Ive had to rely on subtitles for some African American speech as well (eg. the urban black Baltimore characters in The Wire) A few episodes and my ear gets tuned in so I can understand but at first its as clear as mud.

Its more than just "accent," its different words, different ways of constructing a sentence, different frames of reference.

I LOVE the regional variations of English language around the world and captioning is the key for me to learning to hear and appreciate new ones - without having to travel!

[Joinfortmill]

35. No, it takes a lot of listening practice

[csziggy]

36. I watched a lot of British shows before we went and spent a couple of months in the UK

It really helped me to understand the people we met from Scotland to Wales. The place I had the hardest time understanding people was in Cornwall. You'd think with all the Doc Martin I watched, they would have been easy to understand.

[frogmarch]

37. I can't. Also, when

my British relatives come to visit, my husband, who's lived in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming all his life, has to translate for me.

[smirkymonkey]

41. I watch a lot of British films and TV so I have become used to the accent, but

depending upon the region, some accents are harder to understand than others. Northern English accents (especially the slang), Cockney and certain Scottish accents are still very hard for me. Most of the others are pretty easy for me now.

At first, one of the hardest things was getting a lot of the references, but as I have watched shows/films repeatedly (and sometimes I have had to look things up) I am rarely thrown off anymore and hardly ever have to rewind to try to figure out what they are referring to.

I love British comedy and drama and I think they have some of the best actors in the world. I can't get enough of it.