Subbing or Dubbing? (Anime Related)

[Robert Ewing]

I much prefer subbing. It gives me a chance to brush up on my Japanese.

And because most Dub voices are waaaaaaay bad. The only, and I mean ONLY anime in which I actually found the dubbing bearable was Midori No Hibi. I found Seiji's voice to be very good, but Midori's... urgh. Dubbing just seems so half assed, and it's often mistranslated as well.

Generally, with subbing, sometimes the female character voices get on my nerves, that high pitch token Japanese shriek seems popular... But otherwise, subbing all the way.

 

[Blobpie]

If the dub is good, then i'll watch that over the sub. If it's lacking then i'll watch the sub.

 

[zombiesinc]

I'll happily watch anime dubbed so long as it's done well. If it's done poorly I'll obviously stick with the subbed version. I generally prefer dubbed, so I spend less time reading the subtitles [small](yeah, I'm a slow reader)[/small], and more time focusing on what's happening on screen. Even though, there are times where I'm introduced to the series with the subs, and I'll decide to stick with it because I love listening to Japanese aything.

 

[Jonluw]

Subs also have the benefit of being a medium in which the translators can explain otherwise untranslatable jokes, and write lines that don't have to fit the character animations, which in dubs renders the dialogue forced and uncanny.

"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
- E. B. White

Luckily, by killing that one frog, you now have a better understanding of frogs in general, and the next time one comes around you might not have to dissect it.

That said: the possibility for explaining jokes is just a very small pro in favour of subs.
Additionally, subbers may replace the untranslatable joke with a similar English joke and make a footnote regarding the nature of the original joke. Thus not losing much humour-value and still being as true to the original as you can be.

And to quote the article you linked:
"Do not confuse [explaining the joke] for giving the context. This is actually explaining the punchline, not the setup. That also means don't pothole this for the necessary information."

Well I disagree with the article, every element of a joke is crucial from the punchline right down to the timing and explaining any element ruins it. Yes you're right about generally learning stuff from explaining the joke, hence the "pure scientific mind" aspect of the quote, the point is that any entertainment value is completely lost. If a comedian explained a joke onstage I may very well understand another joke later but the joke itself still wouldn't be funny. Besides, you can't force yourself to have a particular sense of humour. If I hear a similar joke I probably still wont find it funny despite understanding the meaning, i.e. I'll see another frog and just remember the dissection (why it's supposed to be funny).

The main point being I don't watch anime for a lesson on Japanese culture, I just watch it to be entertained. If I learn something too then that's cool but it is by no means a priority. That's why I prefer dubbed as it does the work for me.

Also the frog metaphor is getting less and less useful, my last reference was pretty tenuous.

Well, I'm more of a purist.
If I have the option to, I'll always read a book in the language it was written. I have a priciple to experience any piece as close as possible to the way the creator intended it.

Anime is made in Japan for Japanese audiences. Therefore it is only reasonable that the viewer should assemble some basic knowledge of Japanese culture before watching the work. It shows respect for the creator's work, and it delivers a superior experience. The inability to use honorifics and words like 'sempai' - which carry cultural implications that you can't get across without a very basic understanding of the culture -, strangles the subtleties of the work.
One of my greater problems with dubs is that many dubs are so called localizations.
Take Azumanga daioh for example. In the dub, they have apparently changed the setting to the United States. Osaka (a character from said area) is now from the southern states (because apparently the only significant aspect of her character is that she has an accent), and the dub does what it can to replace the jokes in the original work with jokes that would work in an American setting.
It's just sad to watch. If they're going to butcher the original work so, why not just make your own series? Because it's cheaper to put some crappy dubs on something someone has already animated for you.

Oh, and every dub sounds like a children's show from 4kids or something.