A screenshot image from the drama “Black Knight,” which shows a scene with the subtitle “speaking in a foreign language” during a two-minute-long Spanish conversation, providing no actual translation. (Image from an online community)
SEOUL, Mar. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Netflix, the leading global online streaming service, is under scrutiny for its subpar foreign language subtitle service for hearing-impaired viewers in South Korea.
A recent post on an online community titled “Don’t Hearing-Impaired People Deserve to Watch Netflix?” has sparked a conversation about the platform’s accessibility.
The post included a screenshot from the drama “Black Knight,” which aired on KBS2 from 2017-2018, showing a scene with the subtitle “speaking in a foreign language” during a two-minute-long Spanish conversation, providing no actual translation.
This issue highlights a significant gap in Netflix’s service, as hearing-impaired viewers rely on subtitles for dialogue, character names, and atmospheric details to fully understand the content.
Critics argue that the current state of subtitles for the hearing-impaired on Netflix is insufficient for comprehensive comprehension, with many foreign language dialogues untranslated and background music described only in simple terms like “lively music,” without lyrics.
Users have expressed their dissatisfaction online, comparing the quality of Netflix’s subtitles to those found on websites a decade ago.
One Netflix user, Lee Hyun-ah, mentioned the inconvenience of missing lyrics during drama theme songs, emphasizing the need for enhanced subtitles to ensure content is easily understandable in all situations.
The issue extends beyond Netflix, highlighting a broader challenge within the OTT industry to provide barrier-free versions of content, particularly for less popular titles.
This has led to calls for continuous expansion and improvement of subtitle services across OTT platforms to safeguard the viewing rights of hearing-impaired individuals.
Netflix’s PR team responded to the criticisms by asserting their commitment to barrier-free content, noting that the company is recognized as one of the most proactive in the field by the National Assembly Research Service.
They stated that Netflix is progressively introducing barrier-free subtitles and is committed to further improvements where necessary, indicating an ongoing effort to improve accessibility for all viewers.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
