Subtitles, on Indian Television-survey

[Mickey]

Hi Blogaloreans!

Im doing some research for a paper and I am using the survey below to collect data for it. Can you please fill it up and forward it on to as many people as you can?

Im looking to get a large and balanced result, so please forward to as many 'types' of people as you can, especially a wide age group.

Also, to the moderators, please dont  mark this message as spam- mailing lists are invaluable resources and this is educational!

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If you have trouble viewing or submitting this form, you can fill it out online:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDdoWEctQmI0SUZWWDRzLU96VHhBU2c6MQ

Subtitles, on Indian Television

This research paper aims to explore the area of subtitles on Indian cable and satellite TV. Please note: 1) Respondents need to essentially watch cable or satellite TV in India. If you don't, then you are not required to take this survey. 2) For practical purposes, every time the word 'television' is used, it means cable/satellite television. Please fill in all details, as accurately as you can. Your anonymity will be maintained and the findings from this qualitative research will not be used for any other purpose than for further research. Your answers will also not be given to any third party. You need not mention your name, but please do mention your age and leave your email ID for any further communication (If you do not wish to receive further communication, do let me know).

General details

Name

Age *

Sex *

• Male
• Female
• Other

Email ID *

How often do you watch TV in India? * (Discount the time you may spend watching DVD's, online videos, etc)

• Everyday
• Whenever I'm free
• Weekends

How many hours of TV do you watch in a day? * (Discount the time you may spend watching DVD's, online videos, etc)

• Less than 1 hour
• 1-2 hours
• 2-3 hours
• 3-4 hours
• 4-5 hours
• More than 5 hours
• I dont watch TV everyday

What language do you mainly watch TV in? *

• English
• Hindi
• Other:

What kind of content do you mainly watch? *

• News
• Movies
• Serials/ Sitcoms
• Sports
• Music
• Reality shows
• Cartoons
• Information channels (Eg: Discovery, Animal Planet)
• Spiritual
• Lifestyle (Eg: TLC, NDTV Good Times)
• Other:

On Subtitles

Are subtitles necessary for Indian audiences? *

• Yes
• No

Please further explain your previous answer. ie: why do you think subtitles are necessary or not necessary for Indian audiences?

When you watch English content on TV, do you require subtitles? * ie: do subtitles help you understand what you watch, or are you able to follow the programme by just listening to the dialogues, etc?

• Yes
• No

Do you have difficulty understanding various accents on TV, in which case subtitles are useful to you? *

• Yes
• No

Do you read and mentally register the sub-titles that appear on screen? * ie: do you find yourself reading the subtitles as well, consciously or otherwise, even if you don't need the subtitles?

• Yes
• No

On censorship

Have you noticed 'censorship' occurring in subtitles? * Example: If the speaker on screen uses a swear word, it is often beeped out or substituted in the subtitle. The dialogue "He is such an asshole." sometimes becomes "He is such an *******." or "He is such a jerk." in the subtitle.

• Yes
• No

Is this kind of censorship in subtitles neccessary for you personally? *

• Yes
• No

Please further explain your previous answer. ie: why do you think censorship in subtitles is necessary or not necessary for you personally?

Is this kind of censorship in subtitles neccessary for Indian audiences? *

• Yes
• No

If you think censorship in subtitles is necessary for Indian audiences, why? *

• Because a word like "asshole" is insulting/ rude/ unecesssary
• Because children may learn such words or ideas, which could be harmful to them
• Because it is against Indian culture to talk so openly about potentially insulting things
• I don't think this kind of censorship is necessary, as indicated previously
• Other:

If you think censorship in subtitles is necessary for Indian audiences, in which form do you think it should be done? *

• By using asterisks. Eg: "asshole" becomes "*******" or "a******"
• By using a substitute. Eg: "asshole" becomes "jerk" or "fool" etc
• I don't think this kind of censorship is necessary, as indicated previously
• Other:

Is this kind of censorship in subtitles effective? * ie: does this kind of censorship really conceal the original word, or are you able to figure out what the speaker on screen was trying to say?

• Yes
• No

Should this censoring in the subtitle text also be accompanied by blurring of lip movments in the visual on screen? *

• Yes
• No

According to you- *

• There should be legal regulations to censor subtitles on TV
• Indian service providers of cable and satellite TV should censor before broadcast
• Respective channels should themselves censor before broadcast, and ensure that subtitles have been made sensitive to Indian audiences
• People should decide on their own, what kind of content they want to watch and should be responsible for others who may be watching (Eg: children)
• Other:

Does this censorship change the meaning and feeling of the original dialogue? * Example (but not limited to these examples): "You look like shit!" is changed to "You look bad!" , "Get your fuckin ass here!" is changed to "Get your bloody rear here!"

• Yes
• No
• Other:

Should explicit language be beeped out of Hindi and other regional languages as well, in the dialogues, on television? *

• Yes
• No

Please further explain your previous answer. ie: why do you think television in regional languages should/ should not be censored?

Do you swear or use explicit language? *

• When I'm angry, I swear often
• When I'm angry, I sometimes swear
• With friends but in a friendly way and not to insult
• When I'm excited and to show enthusiasm
• I try not to swear as far as possible
• Other:

Are you personally offended or feel uncomfortable about hearing explicit language? *

• Yes
• No

Possible solutions

Which of these methods below are effective to tackle this issue, such that subtitles will no more have to be censored? Rate them from 1 to 5, with 1 being least effective.

All TV programmes should come with ratings, like U (Universal), A (Adult), etc. The rating should remain as a symbol on the screen throughout transmission of the programme with explicit content *

	1	2	3	4	5

Programmes with explicit content should be broadcast after a certain time in the night, when children should ideally be asleep *

	1	2	3	4	5

Channels that show explicit content should be put under parental lock by the parents or by the cable/satellite TV service provider *

	1	2	3	4	5

Is there any solution you would like to suggest?

Miscellaneous

Where did you complete your schooling, uptil class 10? * Only the location is required, and not the name of the instituition.

What was the medium of instruction of your schooling? *

Where did you complete your higher education (Bachelors/ Masters/ MPhil/ PhD)? * Only the location is required, and not the name of the instituition.

What was the medium of instruction of your higher education? *

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