Spanish government sets out to promote original-language versions
The debate about subtitled films in their original language loomed large last week in the film sector in Spain, where most foreign films are distributed in their Spanish dubbed version. Last Wednesday, the Senate passed a motion urging the government to adopt specific measures to guarantee the right to access content in its original language both in cinema and television. One of the requests is for the default version of television broadcasts to be in the original language.
This motion, put forward by the Socialist party, was welcomed enthusiastically by the Culture Ministry, which, in agreement with the Education Ministry and the autonomous regions, plans to promote the use of original-language versions in an educational setting as a way to improve language learning.
For his part, ICAA director general Carlos Cuadros said in an interview with news agency Europa Press that he is “actively working on measures” which could take shape this autumn. However, one of the biggest obstacles is the importance of the dubbing industry in the Spanish film sector, to which Cuadros made a reference in insisting that “not one single job will need to be cut in the dubbing industry”.
Cuadros continued: “Just as we no longer smoke near children, we have a responsibility to make a bit of an effort to watch cartoons in their original language, so that they learn languages from a young age". He added that “there are only advantages to this, the whole of the country would speak better English and French, giving us a competitive edge internationally in a globalised world”.
(Translated from Spanish)
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