Remember the time when cinema was silent and there used to be few subtitles in it. Now the cinema talks and therefore subtitles have evolved remarkably. Now they serve to maximize the approach of cinema to a global audience. They are not only meant for the people who do not understand a particular language but also for those who cannot hear. While the hearing impaired folks are a minority audience, they equally deserve to be entertained. Subtitles at their best make them realize “reading is listening.”
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Mostly it is the dialogues of a movie that are subtitled. What if a movie does not have dialogues? Does it still need subtitles? I would have answered “no” had I not come across this movie called “Yes People.” It is an Oscar nominated animated short-film that ideally serves subtitles to its audience. It articulates through a whole gamut of sounds throughout the movie. The only word spoken by the characters is “yes.” Utterance of “yes” in different situations along with other environmental sounds depicts the routine life of people who inhabit the same building.
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Let us hear these sounds
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[logo chimes]
00:12
[birds chirping]
00:33
[man sighs] [speaking foreign language]
00:37
[lady sighs]
00:39
[lady slurps]
00:41
[lady speaks foreign language]
00:44
[spoon clinks]
00:49
[lady slurps]
00:51
[spoon clinks]
00:52
[lady slurps]
00:54
[radio music]
00:58
[woman knocks]
01:00
[teenager speaking foreign language]
01:01
[woman singing]
01:08
[woman knocks] [woman singing]
01:10
[teenager speaking foreign language]
01:13
[door rattles]
01:14
[woman singing]
01:17
[woman laughing]
01:19
[woman singing]
01:22
[man munching] [footsteps tapping]
01:29
[man speaking foreign language]
01:32
[man smooches]
01:35
[shovel scraping] [door rattles]
01:41
[footsteps scuffing]
01:47
– Huh.
01:48
[hands patting]
01:51
[man speaking foreign language]
01:55
[lady chuckles] [door clatters]
01:58
[man mutters] [man sighs]
02:02
[matches rattle]
02:09
[man farts] [woman gasps]
02:11
[woman speaking foreign language]
02:12
[telephone ringing]
02:16
[telephone ringing] [footsteps padding]
02:19
[woman speaking foreign language]
02:24
[woman chuckles]
02:26
[teenager snoring]
02:27
– [Teacher] A-hem. [teenager snoring]
02:30
[stick tapping]
02:30
[teenager speaks foreign language]
02:37
[recorder toots]
03:11
[child sniffs]
03:14
[woman inhales]
03:15
[woman speaks foreign language]
03:18
[keyboard tapping]
03:21
[printer buzzing]
03:22
[stomach growls]
03:29
[drawer clunks]
03:32
[man speaks foreign language]
03:33
[man chuckles]
03:33
[man munches]
03:37
[plates clatter]
03:41
[woman sighs]
03:47
[garbage rustles] [door creaks]
03:53
[liquid sloshes] [woman gulps]
03:56
[woman inhales]
03:57
[woman speaks foreign language]
04:01
[pencil taps]
04:03
[child inhales]
04:04
[pencil tapping] [recorder tooting]
04:09
[shovel scratching] [recorder tooting]
04:10
[pages rustling] [recorder tooting]
04:11
[man munching] [recorder tooting]
04:12
[liquid sloshes] [recorder tooting]
04:13
[pencil tapping] [recorder tooting]
04:14
[shovel scratches] [recorder tooting]
04:14
[pages rustle] [recorder tooting]
04:15
[man munching] [recorder tooting]
04:16
[liquid sloshes] [recorder tooting]
04:17
[pencil taps] [recorder tooting]
04:18
[shovel scratches] [recorder tooting]
04:19
[pages rustle] [recorder tooting]
04:20
[man munching] [recorder tooting]
04:21
[liquid sloshes] [recorder tooting]
04:21
[pencil taps] [recorder tooting]
04:22
[shovel scratches] [recorder tooting]
04:23
[pages rustle] [recorder tooting]
04:24
[man munches] [recorder tooting]
04:25
[liquid sloshes] [recorder tooting]
04:26
[pencil taps] [recorder tooting]
04:26
[shovel scratches] [snow splatters]
04:31
[footsteps scuffing]
04:51
[woman speaks foreign language]
04:52
[door rattles] [bottle sloshes]
04:58
– Mm-hmm. [caller murmuring]
04:59
[appliance whooshes] [footsteps pattering]
05:06
– A-hem.
05:07
[man speaks foreign language]
05:09
[foot rubbing]
05:12
[man speaks foreign language]
05:13
[teacup clunks] [footsteps pattering]
05:17
[man munching] [neighbors grunting]
05:23
[neighbors speaking foreign language]
05:27
[remote control clicking] [television murmuring]
05:31
[woman munching]
05:33
[neighbors speaking foreign language]
05:43
[neighbors groaning]
05:54
[woman speaks foreign language]
05:57
[woman sighs]
06:00
[lady singing]
06:11
[woman snoring]
06:13
[man humming]
06:17
[cigarette sizzles] [man humming]
06:22
[woman snoring] [woman thuds]
06:25
– Oh!
06:33
[bottle clanks] [garbage rustles]
06:34
[door creaks]
06:38

06:42
[woman knocking]

06:45
[teenager speaks foreign language]
06:47
[woman speaks foreign language]
06:48

06:51
[door thuds]
06:52

06:55
[lady singing] [switch clicks]
06:57
[speaking foreign language]
07:01
[footsteps padding] [lady singing]
07:07
[man sighs] [lady singing]
07:22
[man speaks foreign language]
07:25
[pensive mood music]

We are familiar with the sounds in this movie but how much we bother to describe them in particular. Take for example the sound of footsteps. They are subtitled as scuffing, pattering, padding, and tapping. Silence is uniform but sound has a variety. For those who cannot hear, it really matters to understand how one sound differs from another and therefore a good subtitler should differentiate them.