Carol O'Sullivan
@carolosullivan.bsky.social
Academic, translation researcher, film nerd, zero waste obsessive. Opinions expressed in a personal capacity. #filmtranslationhistory
These are some of the exact questions we've been trying to ask about via the UK Subtitling Audiences Network, only more pithily phrased :)
Yeah, and it's like, I get it, the numbers tell the bean counters that good enough keeps the lights on just fine. But is it because people are genuinely satisfied or because they're a captive audience with insufficient alternatives for their needs? And I reckon the status quo is largely that.
November 7, 2025 at 12:40 AM
These are some of the exact questions we've been trying to ask about via the UK Subtitling Audiences Network, only more pithily phrased :)
Glad to see I am not the only subtitle-watcher who really cares about typefaces...
So while we have seen some shows on Crunchyroll get updated with better subtitles, I would like to remind everyone that many shows haven't. I also reached out to some insiders, and so far there has been no clear internal communication about changing course back to comprehensive typesetting either.
November 7, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Glad to see I am not the only subtitle-watcher who really cares about typefaces...
What. The. Hell.
If you're wondering how this will go Square Enix handed off their mobile Octopath game to NetEase who immediately started using ChatGPT to translate everything resulting in text like this. When players complained they started asking fans to fix their translations in exchange for in-game currency
November 7, 2025 at 12:30 AM
What. The. Hell.
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
Uggg... I started watching that new film Weapons today and I HAD to have subtitles on because the damn ambient sound and music was like five times louder than the dialogue. I hate that so fecking much. I usually have subtitles on anyway but FECK it would still be nice to hear WTF people are saying!
October 26, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Uggg... I started watching that new film Weapons today and I HAD to have subtitles on because the damn ambient sound and music was like five times louder than the dialogue. I hate that so fecking much. I usually have subtitles on anyway but FECK it would still be nice to hear WTF people are saying!
Oh yes!!
"am i supposed to have subtitles in this foreign language scene or is it intentionally this way for suspense or artful reasons," the pirated media experience
November 2, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Oh yes!!
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
Right? It's so upsetting
It would be annoying anyways, but the fact they actually have "English (CC)" and "English (Subtitles)" as separate options to choose, and then IT'S JUST THE SAME FILE is so enraging
It would be annoying anyways, but the fact they actually have "English (CC)" and "English (Subtitles)" as separate options to choose, and then IT'S JUST THE SAME FILE is so enraging
October 30, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Right? It's so upsetting
It would be annoying anyways, but the fact they actually have "English (CC)" and "English (Subtitles)" as separate options to choose, and then IT'S JUST THE SAME FILE is so enraging
It would be annoying anyways, but the fact they actually have "English (CC)" and "English (Subtitles)" as separate options to choose, and then IT'S JUST THE SAME FILE is so enraging
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
This is particularly baffling because one of the primary reasons to be using Sony's Crunchyroll instead of "general" video streaming sites is that Crunchyroll *does* have the better, properly typeset subtitles. If Crunchyroll stops providing those, what is the point of using Crunchyroll at all?
New article on ★ daiz.moe ★
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason | Daiz.moe
With the Fall 2025 anime season, Crunchyroll demonstrates zero respect for anime as a medium as the presentation quality of its subtitles reach an all-time low.
daiz.moe
October 29, 2025 at 11:08 PM
This is particularly baffling because one of the primary reasons to be using Sony's Crunchyroll instead of "general" video streaming sites is that Crunchyroll *does* have the better, properly typeset subtitles. If Crunchyroll stops providing those, what is the point of using Crunchyroll at all?
Definitely chimes with me. Accessibility is vital, but how then to make room for experimentation (and, crucially, engagement by creators of original content) with subtitles...? (thinking, for instance, of the subtitles for the Irish dialogue in Lance Daly's Black '47)
#subtitles
#subtitles
I think the normalization of tvs and streaming services providing our subtitles instead of the filmmakers, while on a whole a net positive for accessibility, has robbed us of the aesthetic typography of purposefully designed subtitles
November 2, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Definitely chimes with me. Accessibility is vital, but how then to make room for experimentation (and, crucially, engagement by creators of original content) with subtitles...? (thinking, for instance, of the subtitles for the Irish dialogue in Lance Daly's Black '47)
#subtitles
#subtitles
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
New article on ★ daiz.moe ★
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason | Daiz.moe
With the Fall 2025 anime season, Crunchyroll demonstrates zero respect for anime as a medium as the presentation quality of its subtitles reach an all-time low.
daiz.moe
October 29, 2025 at 10:44 PM
New article on ★ daiz.moe ★
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
Crunchyroll is destroying its subtitles for no good reason
daiz.moe/crunchyroll-...
A ton of research and effort went into this one. This is the article to read to get to the bottom of Crunchyroll's subtitle changes!
Replies here will show up as comments (eventually)
I've noticed this too - very annoying!
A lot of shows don't separate speech between multiple characters, e.g. "Hi. Hello. Where are you going? The store. Have you seen David?"
WHO is saying WHAT?
WHO is saying WHAT?
November 2, 2025 at 12:25 AM
I've noticed this too - very annoying!
Glad to hear I'm not the only one!
i need more places to take subtitles seriously, i don't even need them as much as others do and the current state of them pisses me off royally
November 2, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Glad to hear I'm not the only one!
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
As part of @filmnoiruk.bsky.social’s #FilmNoirFest this Sunday, in Weston-super-Mare. The #FilmNoir festival will be screening #SilentFilm Forgotten Faces (1928) + The Great Train Robbery (1903) both with live music by @neilkbrand.bsky.social
Tickets: rhyl.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/102458-...
Tickets: rhyl.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/102458-...
October 31, 2025 at 8:27 AM
As part of @filmnoiruk.bsky.social’s #FilmNoirFest this Sunday, in Weston-super-Mare. The #FilmNoir festival will be screening #SilentFilm Forgotten Faces (1928) + The Great Train Robbery (1903) both with live music by @neilkbrand.bsky.social
Tickets: rhyl.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/102458-...
Tickets: rhyl.merlincinemas.co.uk/film/102458-...
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
A weekend of danger, desire, and despair starts today in the shape of @filmnoiruk.bsky.social’s 2nd #FilmNoirFest at the Plaza Cinema, Weston-super-Mare. Expect plenty of #FilmNoir and crime action.
Singular tickets (nearly all £5 each) are still available: wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk?forcechoice=...
Singular tickets (nearly all £5 each) are still available: wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk?forcechoice=...
October 31, 2025 at 7:48 AM
A weekend of danger, desire, and despair starts today in the shape of @filmnoiruk.bsky.social’s 2nd #FilmNoirFest at the Plaza Cinema, Weston-super-Mare. Expect plenty of #FilmNoir and crime action.
Singular tickets (nearly all £5 each) are still available: wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk?forcechoice=...
Singular tickets (nearly all £5 each) are still available: wsm.merlincinemas.co.uk?forcechoice=...
This is the second year the festival has run, and I hope it becomes a fixture - the lineup is awesome! If you're near Weston-super-Mare, catch the last day: www.southwestsilents.com/film-noir-fe...
November 2, 2025 at 12:17 AM
This is the second year the festival has run, and I hope it becomes a fixture - the lineup is awesome! If you're near Weston-super-Mare, catch the last day: www.southwestsilents.com/film-noir-fe...
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Rififi again - subtitled by Mai Harris, back in the day, though her version of French argot was not well received by critics... #filmtranslationhistory.
(I wasn't super-impressed with the subtitles on today's version, though the film itself looked great...) #subtitles
(I wasn't super-impressed with the subtitles on today's version, though the film itself looked great...) #subtitles
We start the second day of #FilmNoirFest 2025 with a classic of French cinema!
See what other #FilmNoir classics are coming up this weekend here: www.southwestsilents.com/film-noir-fe...
See what other #FilmNoir classics are coming up this weekend here: www.southwestsilents.com/film-noir-fe...
November 2, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Rififi again - subtitled by Mai Harris, back in the day, though her version of French argot was not well received by critics... #filmtranslationhistory.
(I wasn't super-impressed with the subtitles on today's version, though the film itself looked great...) #subtitles
(I wasn't super-impressed with the subtitles on today's version, though the film itself looked great...) #subtitles
Subtitling as procedural poetry...
The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.
October 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Subtitling as procedural poetry...
For International Day for Audiovisual Heritage (yay!📽️), I am honoring some distinguished subtitlers through their on-screen credits. Without which, etc....
Mai Harris gets two credits because she is awesome & subtitled most foreign films that screened in UK 1934-1960s... #filmtranslationhistory
Mai Harris gets two credits because she is awesome & subtitled most foreign films that screened in UK 1934-1960s... #filmtranslationhistory
October 27, 2025 at 10:28 PM
For International Day for Audiovisual Heritage (yay!📽️), I am honoring some distinguished subtitlers through their on-screen credits. Without which, etc....
Mai Harris gets two credits because she is awesome & subtitled most foreign films that screened in UK 1934-1960s... #filmtranslationhistory
Mai Harris gets two credits because she is awesome & subtitled most foreign films that screened in UK 1934-1960s... #filmtranslationhistory
Delighted to announce 20 scholarships for our new programmes in Translation & Intercultural Studies and Interpreting at @bristoluni.bsky.social!
More info available via the QR code or feel free to ping me a DM
#scholarships #translation #translationstudies #interpreting
More info available via the QR code or feel free to ping me a DM
#scholarships #translation #translationstudies #interpreting
October 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Delighted to announce 20 scholarships for our new programmes in Translation & Intercultural Studies and Interpreting at @bristoluni.bsky.social!
More info available via the QR code or feel free to ping me a DM
#scholarships #translation #translationstudies #interpreting
More info available via the QR code or feel free to ping me a DM
#scholarships #translation #translationstudies #interpreting
Very excited about this event and the post-screening discussion with Dr Zoe Moores, subtitler and accessibility expert, and Kieran Curtis, PhD student at the University of Bristol.
The UK Subtitling Audiences Network is excited to be re-screening The Reason I Jump, based, at Watershed cinema @wshed.bsky.social in Bristol, on 30 Sep 2025!
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
The Reason I Jump
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores neurodiversity through the experiences of non-verbal autistic people from around the world.
www.watershed.co.uk
September 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Very excited about this event and the post-screening discussion with Dr Zoe Moores, subtitler and accessibility expert, and Kieran Curtis, PhD student at the University of Bristol.
The UK Subtitling Audiences Network is excited to be re-screening The Reason I Jump, based, at Watershed cinema @wshed.bsky.social in Bristol, on 30 Sep 2025!
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
The Reason I Jump
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, this immersive film explores neurodiversity through the experiences of non-verbal autistic people from around the world.
www.watershed.co.uk
September 19, 2025 at 9:18 PM
The UK Subtitling Audiences Network is excited to be re-screening The Reason I Jump, based, at Watershed cinema @wshed.bsky.social in Bristol, on 30 Sep 2025!
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
The film has innovative captions designed for neurodivergent viewers.
www.watershed.co.uk/whatson/1357...
#accessibility #autism
Had the pleasure of seeing it at Cinema Massimo in Turin the other day, though my faith in the subtitles was dented by the fact that the title card read 'Velutto blu' rather than 'Velluto blu'... #italian #translationfail #proofreadingfail
A case of skimping on the budget for subtitling/QCing?
A case of skimping on the budget for subtitling/QCing?
David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET was released in the US on this day in 1986 #filmsky
September 19, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Had the pleasure of seeing it at Cinema Massimo in Turin the other day, though my faith in the subtitles was dented by the fact that the title card read 'Velutto blu' rather than 'Velluto blu'... #italian #translationfail #proofreadingfail
A case of skimping on the budget for subtitling/QCing?
A case of skimping on the budget for subtitling/QCing?
I'm definitely saving this one for discussions with my students this term about the quality of translations produced by generative AI!
Interesting regarding AI and Kpop Demon Hunters 1/2
September 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I'm definitely saving this one for discussions with my students this term about the quality of translations produced by generative AI!
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
Translation isn't expensive. In fact, it's frequently the biggest return on investment:
For the top 100 grossing movies of all time, 50% of their profits were made outside of English, and they spent less than 1% of their budget on localization.
For the top 100 grossing movies of all time, 50% of their profits were made outside of English, and they spent less than 1% of their budget on localization.
July 1, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Translation isn't expensive. In fact, it's frequently the biggest return on investment:
For the top 100 grossing movies of all time, 50% of their profits were made outside of English, and they spent less than 1% of their budget on localization.
For the top 100 grossing movies of all time, 50% of their profits were made outside of English, and they spent less than 1% of their budget on localization.
Reposted by Carol O'Sullivan
Daniel Hahn: "what AI can do is not yet a threat to human translators and human readers of sophisticated, textured human writing. The threat is what some people think it can do."
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
AI won’t replace us human literary translators just yet
Yes, it can turn French words into English ones, but true translation is so much more than that
observer.co.uk
July 15, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Daniel Hahn: "what AI can do is not yet a threat to human translators and human readers of sophisticated, textured human writing. The threat is what some people think it can do."
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
Have festival pass in my back pocket, and very very looking forward to this!
Film Noir Fest 2025 will feature silent films with music played by Neil Brand (@neilkbrand.bsky.social). James Harrison (@jamesmjharrison.bsky.social) opens up at Fedora.
Apple buff.ly/wDl4xnB
Spotify buff.ly/34bRrLu
YouTube buff.ly/QyLHaCo
Podbean buff.ly/wk2LnPK
For tickets: shorturl.at/q2jYN
Apple buff.ly/wDl4xnB
Spotify buff.ly/34bRrLu
YouTube buff.ly/QyLHaCo
Podbean buff.ly/wk2LnPK
For tickets: shorturl.at/q2jYN
September 11, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Have festival pass in my back pocket, and very very looking forward to this!