Why you should watch films and TV shows with subtitles on

Netflix

• I’ve been watching more films and TV shows with the
  subtitles on, even when I don’t necessarily need them.
• You should try it, too, as there are several benefits
  to subtitles.

Lately I’ve been watching more films and TV shows with subtitles
on. And I’m really into it.

It started out of necessity. Too often I’d find myself missing
what somebody was saying on the screen, especially during those
quiet-but-crucial moments in films and shows. Adding subtitles
negated the need for rewinding over and over again.

But when I kept the subtitles on, even when I didn’t need to
rewind for that moment I missed, I found myself catching more
details than ever before.

I was learning character names, and their proper spellings. I was
catching important lines said off-screen. I was catching song
lyrics.

Reading the words on screen gave me a new level of comprehension,
even for shows or films I’ve seen more than once. I could
actually see the names of diseases, and medicines, and procedures
while watching medical dramas. Plots became generally easier to
follow. And I grew an appreciation for shows that were
well-written — seeing the script for “The Haunting of Hill House”
gave me a deeper level of appreciation for the wordsmiths behind
the show.

Read more: Netflix’s
‘The Haunting of Hill House’ cast couldn’t sleep and felt
‘crazed’ during filming

Subtitles aren’t always ideal — they do kind of ruin some
stand-up comedy sets, for example — but give them a try sometime.
At the very least, we could all do with reading more often.