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DELIA CHIAROestablished length/timing conventions. Yet different languages use varyingamounts of verbal content to express the same meaning. For example, theaverage German word is longer than the average English word and the syntaxof Italian is notoriously complex and hypotactic compared to English, butsubtitling conventions are the same for all.As indicated above, subtitles can also be either open, meaning that theycannot be turned off and controlled by the viewer (i.e. at cinemas), or closed,which means that they are optional and accessed by the user (i.e. subtitles forhard of hearing, subtitles on pay TV channels and DVDs).9.2.2 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SUBTITLINGGenerally speaking, subtitling seems to enjoy a more positive reputation thandubbing (see section 9.1.2.). In fact, the type of film that is subtitled in bothEnglish-speaking countries and within the dubbing block will tend to be associatedwith a more élite and possibly highbrow audience. In addition, the factthat dubbing in countries such as Italy was originally introduced, amongstother things, to meet the needs of the high incidence of illiteracy within thepopulation, associates the mode even further with less intellectual audiences.Moreover, it is not only scholars from subtitling countries who have supportedthis modality. An abundance of case studies comparing source andtarget versions of SP have been produced by scholars working within FIGScountries; underscore the weakness of the dubs. In contrast, it would appearthat research on subtitling has focused on wider issues such as source languageinterference in naturally occurring language (Gottlieb 1999, 2001a) and readingspeeds (Linde and Kay 1999) as well as more general theoretical aspects(Titford 1982; Delabastita 1989).The fact that the source language is not distorted in any way is surely themost significant benefit of subtitles. Furthermore, an important advantage isthat the original dialogue is always present and potentially accessible. Thus,audiences who are familiar with the original language of the film can alsofollow the acoustics. A popular argument in favour of subtitling is that it promotesthe learning of foreign languages, but whether this is really true hasnever been established empirically. Certainly, a significant advantage is theprospect of its use as a language-teaching tool in the classroom. However,the fact that the original dialogues can be heard is double-edged as thisseverely limits translators’ choices, especially when translating from English.Censorship is a clear example of this and is exemplified in the manipulationof films in Francoist Spain (Vandaele 2002: 267) and of series such asThe Simpsons and South Park produced for the Arab world (see ‘Taboo’ insection 9.4.2.2). Yet, as Weissbrod highlights, on Israeli TV the subs in bothHebrew and Arabic retain references to sex and the sacrilegious expressionsof the original (2007: 30). Internationally well-known taboo swear words inEnglish films may be reduced in foreign subtitles but they will still be clearly150