The Deaf community wants all New Zealand DVDs to have subtitles for deaf people to read. The MP, Mojo Mathers, who is deaf, asked why New Zealand DVDs which are made with public money do not have subtitles. TV programmes which are funded by NZ on Air often do have sub-titles, available through Teletext page 801, but when these programmes are made into DVDs there are no sub-titles.
Popular New Zealand movies which received NZ Film Commission money often do not have sub-titles. The movie ‘Home by Christmas’ is one example of no subtitles. It is set on the West Coast and is about a woman and her young son during World War II. The husband joins the army thinking the war will be over in a few months. He says “I’ll be home by Christmas”. Six years later he returns. Deaf people say they feel excluded because they can’t understand a movie without sub-titles.
One DVD company said it would cost about $2,000 to add sub-titles to a 90 minute DVD.
It is not just deaf people who want sub-titles. Some elderly people have problems hearing. Many learners of English language find sub-titles help them to understand fast speech.
Listen to February 14th 2012 to hear more about Mojo Mathers.
Vocabulary
sub-titles – text written on the screen; another word used instead of sub-titles is ‘captions’.
excluded – not included; they don’t feel part of society
Grammar
A 90-minute DVD but the DVD is 90 minutes long. Note there is no ‘s’ on the end of ‘minute’ when it is used as an adjective before a noun. This is the same rule as ‘a six-year old child’ (but the same child is six years old).
Questions
1. Public money means money from taxpayers. Deaf people are taxpayers too. Do you think all TV programmes and DVDs made with public money should have sub-titles?
2. If you are an ESL learner, do you find sub-titles useful?
I came from China and have been in New Zealand for two years.
I think DVD with English subtitles is very helpful.
I am still a english learner, so I can understand if the film does not have subtitles that is quite diffcult to watch it. not only deaf people need it. many settlers are coming to nz ,they also are taxpayers. so i think all nz movies must have subtitles.