Netflix’s New Subtitle Feature Leaves Out the Noises – And It’s All Thanks to Stranger Things

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In the eerie atmosphere, a haunting synthesizer tune plays as slimy tentacles slither and wriggle. The fissure also wriggles wetly with an unsettling trill sound echoing nearby. A wet, squelching noise can be heard as well, painting a vivid picture of the scene. This style of detailed captioning became popular during the fourth season of Stranger Things in 2022, but viewers will now have the option to turn off these audio cues for the upcoming fifth and final season of the series.

From April 24, Netflix introduced a fresh feature for season 5 of “YOU” – original language subtitles that exclusively display dialogue without the additional audio cues like ringing phones, dramatic music, or in the case of “Stranger Things”, descriptive sounds such as [food plops wetly], [gate pulsates wetly], [unearthly rustling] and [tense music intensifies]. This means viewers will only see what the characters are saying without extra sound effects.

Netflix users now have the freedom to choose their preferred language, with two options: “Language” for instance, displays only spoken dialogue, while “Language (CC)” includes both dialogue and additional audio cues such as [door slams]. As per Netflix, these subtitle choices will be provided in all new original productions across every language option, along with SDH/CC (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Closed Captions) from now on. (Take a look at the image below.)

Initially, the latest subtitle feature will be accessible on fresh Netflix releases, such as “You” (Season 5), “A Dog’s Way Home”, “Jewel Thief – the Heist Begins”, “Chef’s Table: Legends”, “Exterritorial”, and Tom Hardy’s film “Havoc”.

This year will see the release of several new titles that will come equipped with an innovative feature. These include the second season of “Wednesday”, the fifth season of “Stranger Things”, the third season of “Ginny & Georgia”, speculated third season of “Squid Game”, and original movies such as “Troll 2”, “Fear Street: Prom Queen”, “Happy Gilmore 2”, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery”, and many more.

1. “After long wait, a user on social media praised Netflix for their subtitles that only include dialogue, free of extra sound effects and music.”

2. “Another Netflix subscriber expressed gratitude for the new dialogue-only subtitle feature, saying it’s beneficial because their children prefer watching TV with subtitles but are often distracted by additional elements like background music.”

In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum in 2022, English SDH subtitler Jeff T. stated that “the audio aspect plays a vital role in the impact of [Stranger Things 4], as the show’s co-creators, the Duffers, are well aware of their materials.” He further explained that they understand the genre they’re working with, the historical influences behind it, and the significance of sound design in horror movies and creature features. In these types of films, sound design is key.

He clarified that they aimed to accurately represent this aspect in their subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing, as it serves as their main means of sensory access. He further added that there’s an eerie ‘classic monster movie horror’ quality to something slimy and wet, providing them with numerous exciting elements to work with in this project.

Karli Webster explained about the process behind selecting English SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing) descriptors, saying, “We aim to capture both the genre and the overall mood of the scene. However, when we provide descriptions that are specific to our deaf and hard-of-hearing audience, it’s always with consideration for everyone, not just those who have been deaf since birth, as subtitles aren’t segmented only for this group.

Webster noted that some individuals may have experienced total or partial hearing loss throughout their lives. To cater to these varying degrees of hearing impairment, captions are essential. In creating the captions, we aimed to find a balance between clear descriptions for those who’ve never heard and evocative language that might resonate with people who used to enjoy music and other sounds.

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2025-04-28 05:41