----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Here in the Netherlands, almost everything is subtitled, unless it is for children under about 12 old or is a Dutch language film. Even Disney films are shown in two versions, dubbed and subtitles, so we can choose. As an Englishman who still finds reading Dutch at speed hard work, I am able to go to English language films and relax, without the distraction of having to read a foreign language. As my Dutch gets better I find that I notice mistranslations, or ommitted exchanges, so that too can be a distraction. I recently went to a screening of "The Bandit Queen" which was in Hindi, which I don't speak and subtitled into Dutch. There was also a simultaneous translation facility available, which I tried, but found very irritating. Luckily the dialog was simple enough that I could follow the subtitles. We also get German television on our cable here, so we sometimes have fun watching Bond movies. Hearing/seeing Sean Connery dubbed in German always raises a smile. The only exception to the universal dubbing of programs in Germany seems to be Monty Python, where they haven't attempted the impossible. Tim.