Lautrec Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 I read somewhere in this section that it is possible to get English subtitles on French TV programmes, if you have Teletext. I have tried to find this theme again but with no success! Can anyone explain to me how I can enable this process on my French (Thompson) TV set.[:D]I sometimes see French films on BBC4 with subtitles and find it very helpful to gain more knowledge of the language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 English subbies on French TV??? I would be amazed and astounded if that was true.How would they help with your language, though? (unless it's English you are learning). Genuinely confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Sounds like a fairytale to me, M Lautrec, but should you find how to do this then please let me know! I know the freeview TNT box appears to offer multilingual languages and subtitles in its menu but in practice the subtitles are not available - not on our box, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 This reminds me of when I connected a sattelite system (analogue, French only channels) for some friends and they then asked me to return to show them how to get teletext, they said it would help them with their French vocabulary so I was happy to help.When I showed them how to get the sub-titles they complained that they weren't in English! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Thinking about it (I should have tried that earlier) I suppose it does help, listening in French but reading the subbies in English. I watch DVDs that way (and vice versa) but I am certain you can't get English subtitles on straightforward French Teletext! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 I'm sure there is some logic to that - but the thought of simultaneously listening to French and reading English blows my brain cell!Re TNT, although I've never managed to get the box to show ANY subtitles, never mind English, you can get some film soundtracks in multilangue. There was John Wayne film on Arte which claimed to have either French or German. When we tried the German option it was in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Mind you, if you get French subtitles there's absolutely very little correlation between what is said and what is written - often the slang (spoken) is 'cleaned up' and the grammar formalised, and then because this takes up space, half the dialogue is missed out. Better than US English subtitles, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 True, Dick. But sometimes it's still the only way I can keep up with what's going on. It's quite fun (in a very boring sort of way) spotting the gaping differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tresco Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Dick, That's true, but once you start getting used to it, you can say, smugly, 'she didn't say that, she said this'.Mind you, by the time these words are out of my mouth, the whole plot has become a mystery (again).Edit: We were saying the same thing, I think, at the same time, Cassis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Your telly viewing mirrors ours, Tres! Poirot's the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Yes. Julie's normal response to 'That wasn't what they said' is "What?". Then I lose the plot... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lautrec Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 I stand corrected. The theme that I found again, says that you can get FRENCH subtitles on the French programmes, not English. Anyone that saw 'Jean de Floret' and 'Manon de Sources' on TV recently, I am sure would agree that it is very instructional to hear spoken French and read the English underneath.I will therefore keep an eye on BBC4 where they regurlarly have foreign films with the subtitles. But thanks for the info, even if it was not what I wanted to hear![:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Ah, Manon des Sources ... [:)] [:)] ... wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 If you have Canal Plus, there are a few channels (a very few) which have a choice of languages and subtitles. (Motors TV is one [:D]) but if you watch one language version and have the subtitles in another, they are completely different because the soundtrack is too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 We watched a cop show the other week with the subtitles on. Couldn't follow it at all, until we realised the subs were 30 secs behind the screen action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I think that we should perpetuate this to make it become an urban legend. When I was younger I found that the most effective way of duping someone with a wind up was to tell them something that they either really wanted to believe or dreaded, that way they were so delighted or angry that they did not rationalise in ther normal way.Tell very French person that asks if you watch French TV "yes but with the english sub-titrage" - after all if they cannot be convinced that the Brits are not buying up every house here then they will surely believe that their relevance audiovisuelle goes towards paying someone to translate and provide sub-titrage for etrangers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Maybe we tell them that they need a British TV in order to get this special service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Or a special pair of glasses only available at Marks and Spencer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan le Fey Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I have an ariel problem with receiving French television in our new (rented) house however, I do seem to remember that if you go to page 888 on french teletext, you can sort of 'log on' and get french subtitles on those programmes where it is available. Anne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 That's correct, Cassie. If your signal is rubbish you can get the subtitles in what looks like Polish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Ah, that's what it is - I had always assumed it was a sort of Polish translation service.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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