Sometimes as college students, we need those days where we sit in bed and watch Netflix. At one point or another, we’ve all decided to get comfortable, fill up on snacks and spend the day viewing episode after episode of the latest addictive show. But imagine the newest craze wasn’t shown in your language. Imagine having to watch practically every movie with subtitles to understand. Thankfully, Netflix is making strides to ensure this doesn’t happen.
The digital streaming service announced that eventually, the primary viewing language of their content won’t be English. Though Netflix began in California, the website has spread all over the world. In fact, almost half of their current demographic lives outside of the United States, and the company is adapting to their customers’ cultures and languages. According to an article from the Boston Globe, Netflix is currently hiring translators to produce movies and TV shows in other languages and create subtitles for American content.
It’s a great initiative by Netflix to appeal to their international market. Since the streaming platform launched, they now have added translations in more than 20 languages. They’ve expanded and are clearly dedicated to producing more content that all of their users will appreciate and understand. The only concern, however, is that Netflix won’t do this correctly. The platform has been under scrutiny recently for shows that, though based off of minority characters, are played by famous white actors. The most discussed case is Marvel’s “Iron Fist,” where Finn Jones plays an Asian-American superhero and combines several forms of martial arts incorrectly. The show has wrongly misrepresented Asian culture and angered many viewers, even those who are not of Asian descent. The backlash would be huge if these producers didn’t truly know the culture of the content they were creating. A direct source, such as film director or producer with an international background, would ensure the most culturally accurate and truthful content. The initiative to hire translators shows promise that Netflix will attempt to add shows that truly embody the culture and language of the country of origin.
International viewers will be much more likely to join Netflix now that they’re featuring content in their respective languages. It must be very tedious and not enjoyable to watch movies and TV shows in a language you can’t understand, relying entirely on subtitles to get the gist of a plot. This will make life easier for international viewers who don’t speak English and give them more relatable content. There’s no reason why Netflix shouldn’t try to engage with their non-English speaking audiences.
On that note, incorporating more programs in other languages could also be beneficial for Netflix users in the United States. These shows could be a great educational tool for students who are studying abroad, or the general public interested in learning about cultures and languages. Movies and TV have always been a huge indicator of culture, they start conversation and they connect those who live such different lives. Hopefully, these programs featuring other countries in their proper language will spark interest in English-speaking audiences to move outside of their comfort zone.
Netflix is the No. 1 video streaming service in the United States. It’s a pretty important media platform for binge-watching, the occasional movie or catching up on a show. Netflix can take advantage of their social platform by encouraging learning other languages and becoming familiar with other cultures. In a way, it’s a very pure form of diversity. By creating a global communication, the streaming service is making contact through a unique lens to facilitate deeper understandings of other countries. If anything, Netflix’s announcement means that the internet is continuing to create bonds between very different people.
