opensubtitles.org
Subtitles are essential for the deaf and hearing impaired. If it weren't for excellent subtitles, those who are hard of hearing would not be able to enjoy movies and TV shows to the fullest extent. Fortunately, though, there has never been a time in the history of film or TV that subtitles were more widely accessible. Be it through easily available closed captions on live TV, prewritten subtitles in several languages on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, etc., decent subtitles are usually not too hard to find.
Many of you already know that subtitles can be inaccurate, and this is especially true in movies and shows. I have seen too many instances where the subtitle text is wrong, and the actor says one thing, but the subtitle says another.
It is unacceptable for the deaf and hearing-impaired community to be expected to watch what is essentially a different movie or show from the rest of us in 2020. This is due to the fact that there are tons of little things that subtitles and closed captions can get wrong - spelling, using the wrong homonym, little grammatical errors here and there - as well as incorrect information. This makes it difficult for those who are reliant on them to follow the content. It is important for providers of subtitle and closed captioning services to make sure their content is accurate so that everyone can enjoy it.
Therefore, it is important to find the best subtitle downloading site. Some, naturally, offer more subtitles than others. Some cater to a wider range of languages. Others have higher quality subs and more accurate translations. How can you be sure you are finding the best site? Well, you have come to the right place!
The subtitle sites that I review are held to the highest possible standard of quality.
Even if you are not hearing impaired, subtitles can make a huge difference when it comes to movie and television viewing. There are, no doubt, moments when you don't quite catch what was said?subtitles let you read along, so you don't need to rewind to hear it again. Maybe an actor has a particularly thick accent that you are struggling to understand. Voila, a subtitle makes it crystal clear what is being said when you aren't sure.
Subtitle websites are a great way for hearing-disabled people to enjoy foreign films. These websites often have subtitled versions of the films in different languages, so everyone can enjoy them. However, because these websites only subtitilize films that have audio available in the same language, they leave out a lot of people who don't know English or whose English is not good enough to follow the movie with subtitles. Fortunately, there are also good subtitle websites which include volunteers who translate the subtitles into other languages. These websites make foreign films more accessible to a wider audience by providing subtitles in different languages.
If you primarily watch movies and TV shows streamed from Netflix using their built-in subtitles, then downloading subs files may be helpful to you. Additionally, if you have a movie or show that has the wrong subtitle track, subs files may be necessary in order to view the content.
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But, unfortunately, too often when people download movies from the internet, there is no subtitle file included at all. However, by using one of the best subtitle websites, you can quickly and easily get a high-quality subtitle for your favorite movies. After which it couldnât be simpler - simply upload your subtitle file to your media player of choice - VLC is a free one that supports all codecs, file types, and subtitles with no problems; I highly recommend it? but there are others.
Now that you have learned more about subtitles and where to find them, it is time to take a look at one of the internet's largest communities of subtitle lovers, translators, and promoters. The site we will be looking at today is Open Subtitles, and it has much to offer. There are many things to love about Open Subtitles and a lot of discussion to be had, so let's get right into it shall we?
Design
Unfortunately, we have to start this review on a relatively negative note due to the fact that design is not the strongest aspect of Open Subtitles. In fact, it might be this site's Achilles' heel. I don't want to discourage you, though, from this site so early on - I truly do think that design flaws aside, it might be one of the most effective and useful subtitle sites on the web. So, let's just get the biggest complaints out of the way first, I suppose.
The website Open Subtitles is very small in comparison to the text it contains. It is somewhat hard to read, and the website's overall orientation makes it appear as if your browser has zoomed out. This is not the case. The website has just been designed that way. When you visit Open Subtitles, you will be greeted by a white and green theme, peppered with blue hyperlinks.
There are some links at the top of the page to associated sites, such as Classic Movies, BRAVE, English Subtitles, and Release Log. Below that, you will find a site menu bar. Here, browse by clicking on either Search, Upload, Request, Forum, Blog, or Player (more on these features in a moment).
The search bar is simple but effective. Type in the movie or show that you are looking for, select your language from a dropdown menu to the right, and you are in business. You will have to look very closely for it, but there are also options for an advanced search and an Applet search as well. Keep scrolling down and you will find a few boxes with subtitles featured in them, offering Featured, New, Monthly Top uploaders, Weekly Most Downloaded, Latest Forum Topics, Latest Blog Articles, Requested, and Latest Comments.
Content and Features
Secondly, the subtitles are organized into categories, making it easy to find what you're looking for. Thirdly, Open Subtitles has a search feature that makes it easy to find subtitles by title, actor, or director. Finally, the site offers a lot of useful tools like the ability to share subtitles and compare them with other users. Overall, Open Subtitles is an excellent website for finding and using subtitles.
Open Subtitles is working on a new, sleeker website that is still in development, Opensubtitles.com. You can add their Chrome and Firefox extensions to make for more intuitive and streamlined subtitle searching and downloading.
The site has a forum, which adds to the community aspect of this site in a great way. Here, users can discuss movies, translations, requests, the best subtitles, and more. Get to know likeminded people who are also passionate about translation and subtitling.
There is also a blog. It occasionally updates, but the articles are interesting and relevant, discussing topics such as AI in subtitling, the Oscars, why subtitlers have one of the most difficult jobs in TV, etc. Some good reads in here.
Each subtitle comes with its own comments section, which is a great way for users to self-police the quality of content. If a subtitle is particularly bad, it can be easily commented on by others!
Many interesting and informative subtitle sites exist on the web. This is one of the few that I actually want to spend extended periods of time on!
Mobile and Desktop Experience
The mobile website, though improved, could still be much better. There are many advertisements. It is not fully optimized for phones and tablets. Text is tiny. However, it can be used on a phone in a pinch.
Pricing and Plans
The VIP membership allows users to avoid ads. By donating $15, users are granted lifetime access to this special membership.
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