History Main / FunWithSubtitles

** Audiolog Four is full of weird subtitles, including [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin [child drinking booze noises]]] and [[spoiler:Marckus' pained grunts being subtitled with things like [remembers gun wounds]]].

* ''Series/TopGear'' had this when the presenters made their electric car a hybrid by bolting in an extremely noisy diesel generator.

* Nearly everything Pikachu says in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4lKBJbkDi4&feature=related this]] specific ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' AbridgedSeries is given a meaning it could ''not'' have had in the original anime. Metapod evolving into Butterfree elicits a subtitle of "Yay the drugs are gonna come out".

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Wackiki Wabbit", Bugs Bunny greets two castaways with a long line of faux-Polynesian gibberish, which the subtitles translate as [[CatchPhrase "What's up, Doc?"]] He follows that with a short phrase, with the subtitles reading "Now is the time for every good man to come to the aid of his party." When one of the castaways says, "Gee, thanks", faux-Polynesian subtitles appear beneath, causing his friend to comment, "Did you say that?"

* In ''Film/{{Transformers}}'', Cybertronian speech is first subtitled in Cybertronian script before being overlaid with English. This was previously done in ''Film/WingCommander''.

* Used in a ''Series/MadTV1995'' sketch parodying K-Dramas (Korean soap opera); at one point, Cathy Shim simply says "Sarang" (Love) [[TranslationYes and the subtitles fill the screen entirely]].

** [[https://i.imgur.com/aUYMiZd.jpg This]] screenshot depicts a short subtitle which just says "Checkmate"... And a WallOfText above it consisting of translation notes, possibly from four different people, which fill the screen with details about the characterization implied by an illegal move. This got enough MemeticMutation that a fansub of a ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'' episode in which the line "Checkmate" is used in a different context ''almost'' uses the same wall of text, only to interrupt themselves upon realizing that it doesn't apply to the anime shown.

* In the second episode of ''Anime/HumanityHasDeclined'', the protagonist uses subtitle glasses to understand a villain. However, the quality is poor, and she spends several minutes adjusting the focus. This causes the subtitles to change, becoming blurry, then sharper, then blurry again, and so on. Once she has achieved her desired level of quality, she then asked the villain to repeat the world domination speech she missed.

[[caption-width-right:350:Fansubbers [[MaleGaze have their priorities straight]]]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Fansubbers [[MaleGaze have their priorities straight.]]]]

* In the second episode of ''LightNovel/HumanityHasDeclined'', the protagonist uses subtitle glasses to understand a villain. However, the quality is poor, and she spends several minutes adjusting the focus. This causes the subtitles to change, becoming blurry, then sharper, then blurry again, and so on. Once she has achieved her desired level of quality, she then asked the villain to repeat the world domination speech she missed.

* WebAnimation/YouTubePoop artist [=Numberer1=] uses this a lot.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBMNgCSsQdg This]] WebAnimation/YouTubePoop, titled "[=SpingeBill=] and Skodwarde get Robophobia", plays with subtitles at around the 4:33 mark. [[labelnote:WARNING! Clicking this explains the joke!]]"SpingeBill" speaks in Japanese, subtitled as "This is one stubborn robot." Mr. Krabs shouts "WHAT?!", subtitled in what appears to be Japanese, then it switches back to Japanese, subbed as "YOU THINK I'M A ROBOT?!?!?!"[[/labelnote]]

* In the Anime/{{Pokemon}} anime's ''XY'' season, one character was such a MotorMouth that the subtitles had to shrink down to minuscule writing to translate everything that he said in a single frame.

* Used in a ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' sketch parodying K-Dramas (Korean soap opera); at one point, Cathy Shim simply says "Sarang" (Love) [[TranslationYes and the subtitles fill the screen entirely]].

-> '''Vase shop owner:''' My fly shop has been infested with vases! ...I mean, opposite of that.
-> '''Caption:''' MY VASE SHOP HAS BEEN INFESTED WITH FLIES

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* The entire joke of [[WebVideo/HitlerRants Downfall parodies]] is doing this to [[AdolfHitlarious Hitler and others in the bunker.]]
* There's this video of Dschinghis Khan singing "Moskau" in German at the 1979 Eurovision contest. [[https://youtu.be/mAz50pZn6Ys This video]] gives obviously nonsensical subtitles... But thanks to cognitive dissonance, and the similarity to the ''sounds'' of what they're saying, it's all too easy to believe that's what they really are singing!
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} from the ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'' videos uses yellow subtitles in lieu of his yellow yellow caption boxes from the comics. He then uses the subtitles to mock the video's primitive animation and tries to use them as a weapon against the Franchise/GreenLantern.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7UmUX68KtE The Swedish Chef makes popcorn shrimp.]] (Click the CC button if you don't see subtitles.)
* During the joint [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] / [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] reviews of the ''Comicbook/{{Warrior}}'' comics, the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior's semi-unintelligible rantings are "subtitled" with much more lucid sayings.
* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick'' as [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Arwen]] in ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights''. She first shows up spouting Elvish words, which no one else could understand, and she had to angrily tell them to read the subtitles.
* The Subtitles are their own ([[DeadpanSnarker very, very snarky]]) character in the toy reviews of WebVideo/InternetPersonalityVangelus. At one point, they even jumped to another reviewer's videos (and nearly caused him to take his own life).
* ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' contains an optional "Wiccan" subtitling. [[spoiler: It's not really a Wiccan track, but a clue for one of the Easter eggs, and it stops a minute in. It's also in a different typeface from the rest (Helvetica, not Arial).]]

* ''WebVideo/JonTron'' adds subtitles with similar sounding words when spoken dialog appears slurred or not enunciated.

* ''WebVideo/TheMysteriousMrEnter'''s review of ''WesternAnimation/MarsNeedsMoms'' adds subtitles for the alien StarfishLanguage.
* [[WebVideo/{{Retsupurae}} LesBeardly]] utilizes this in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysl_v1OJTOA "Translations for PewDiePie fans"]], where he calmly plays ''VideoGame/{{Mass Effect 3}}'' with subtitles that mock LetsPlay/PewDiePie's style of videos.
* WebAnimation/{{Smashtasm}} has two characters, 1337Fox and [[AerithAndBob Greg]], who speak in 1337. One episode has them confront each other and go into a hardcore dialect of 1337 that uses absolutely no actual letters. This is voice acted, so it has them say each individual text character that make up the letters, and the sentences are pretty long. Thankfully, there are subtitles that tell us what they're saying as they say it, so we don't have to write down the characters to see what letters they look like. After the conversation, [=Super64=] (who speaks normally) butts in, and gets subtitles rendered in 1337.
* ''WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob'' employs this whenever he gets a foreign movie undubbed and without subtitles.
* Website/SFDebris:
** The [[http://sfdebris.com/videos/startrek/film4.php review]] of ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' subtitles the humpback whales Will and Gracie communicating with the whale probe with them telling it to, quote, "fuck off".
** The video series ''[[http://sfdebris.com/videos/special/astromechspy.php Astromech Spy]]'' adds subtitles to most of R2-D2's lines in the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' film trilogy, turning TheUnintelligible into a DeadpanSnarker.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBMNgCSsQdg This]] WebAnimation/YouTubePoop, titled "[=SpingeBill=] and Skodwarde get Robophobia", plays with subtitles at around the 4:33 mark. [[labelnote:WARNING! Clicking this explains the joke!]]"SpingeBill" speaks in Japanese, subtitled as "This is one stubborn robot." Mr. Krabs shouts "WHAT?!", subtitled in what appears to be Japanese, then it switches back to Japanese, subbed as "YOU THINK I'M A ROBOT?!?!?!"[[/labelnote]]
* WebAnimation/YouTubePoop artist [=Numberer1=] uses this a lot.
--> [[https://youtu.be/qAtCp5SNz-4?t=1m18s *beautiful singing chicken noises*]]
* ''WebVideo/StarWarsUncut'': A FanFilm recreation of ''Star Wars: A New Hope''. In the original when Greedo talks to Han Greedo speaks in Rodian and it is subtitled in English. In the recreation, the person playing Greedo speaks English, but it is subtitled in Rodian.
* This seems to be the style of Bruva Alphabusa, of ''WebAnimation/AlfaLegion'' and ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' fame. Any sort of non-verbal noise including laughter tends to get its own hilarious subtitles, from simple memetic references to insulting descriptions to the subtitler being terrified by the noise in question.
* The Creator/{{Fictosophy}} sketch, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eid8o7ukzMc "Translating Minnesota Nice"]] puts the subtitles anywhere ''but'' the "sub" area. It also plays around with the characters' meaning.

* In reference to a Blizzard-made ''{{VideoGame/Overwatch}}'' lore video in which the character Winston (an uplifted gorilla) says "I'm not a monkey. I'm a scientist!", some ''Overwatch'' streamers (such as [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwyqAtZfXgsdMDnatgCTHrQ BazzaGazza]]) will replace 'monkey' with 'scientist' in subtitles.
* Used extensively in WebVideo/SovietWomble videos, as [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] by Project Kino [[https://youtu.be/0ZjEYTBJO7g here.]] Common gags include [[EveryBulletIsATracer having subtitles follow bullet tracers]], EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped, [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] BlatantLies, and [[InterfaceScrew filling the screen]] when someone (or everyone) has NoIndoorVoice.

* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' has subtitles in various different languages, however, if the "English: Canadian" subtitles are selected, the subtitles will often comment on the episode.

* In the last scene of [[WebVideo/ShipwreckedComedy ''The Case of the Gilded Lily,'']], the subtitles took a moment to compliment the score:

* The English subtitles for [=GameGamer=]'s longplay of ''VideoGame/JonssonliganJaktenPaMjolner'' usually stick to translating the game's audio and text, but occasionally poke fun at certain issues with the game that become apparent in the video. For example, subtitles appear saying things like "You're supposed to get the window sill above him to break before getting the item, the heck happened here??" and claiming the snippets of GratuitousGerman in the game are "[[BlindIdiotTranslation god-awful [and] probably machine-translated]]", then translating some of ''that'' into "A road, bus[sic] which speaks bongo".

* ''WebVideo/YidLifeCrisis'': In the third episode, when Chaimie and Leizer imitate yeshiva bochurs, their subtitles are laid out on the screen like a page of Literature/TheTalmud (and then the center part, usually a passage from Literature/TheTorah, is given as "[[EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped Passover-influenced gibberish]]"). It happens again soon after, with their conversation on bagels turning into the same thing.
* WebVideo/BrandonFarris has an editor that will occasionally snark at Brandon with the subtitles. One instance has him making fun of Brandon and Cameron when they assume that one or the other is ahead in their "Don't scream" video when they are tied. Another has the subtitles laugh at Brandon for not using the save stations in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach'', forcing Brandon to start the game over after the first jump scare.

* Emilio Estevez trips over them in the spoof film ''Film/LoadedWeapon1'', first damaging them as he cracks his shin, then obliterating them (and his toe) as he kicks the remnants in frustration.

* One of the ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' ASOS Brigade promos for the season 1 DVD release messed with the subtitles to turn them into LeetSpeak.

* Played with, like everything else, in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'':
** In Episode 9, we're hearing the Latin American version of the episode, only to read "All of your Puzzle are belong to me!"
** Episode 10 uses [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion part of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis"]] instead of the normal opening, subtitling the lyrics by taking the original lyrics and making them more about card games. For example, the final line, "Young boy, become a legend", is replaced with "Young boy, play some card games".
** The abridged [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDqhUlDIxQI 2nd movie]] had this for the TitleSequence, giving the mondegreen treatment to the opening and ending.

-->'''Kirito''': I mean, aside from the fact that our daughter died in front of us thinking she was alone and unloved.
-->'''Subtitles''': #parentsoftheyear
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' does this occasionally, most prominently in the abridging of ''Anime/DragonBallZBrolyTheLegendarySuperSaiyan''. For example, Paragus mistakenly calls Trunks a princess due to his long hair and Vegeta runs with it because he's a JerkAss; after this scene the subtitles refer to him as "Princess Trunks" several times. In addition, when Piccolo lets out a SkywardScream BigNO upon learning Gohan didn't get into the school he wanted, the subtitles read "[[ParentalSubstitute Gohan's Dad]]." Nowadays it's even standarized: In Youtube captioning, the serious captions go under "English", while "English (Canada)" is the one packed full of subtitle gags.

* The subtitles of ''WebVideo/TheBuggerAnthology'' are fairly accurate but frequently add additional humor, most often in the form of giving the Daleks goofy names. Other jokes conveyed via subtitles include most of the series' {{Shout Out}}s, revealing the thoughts of characters who lack dialogue, implying the TARDIS' mind is contained in the lamp on top of the police box, referring to the sounds StompyMooks make as being "stompy clompy", and [[EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped transcribing the choir in the background music as gibberish]].

-->'''Bart:''' Boy, you survived! How?
-->'''Santa's Little Helper:''' ''(subtitled)'' I did things no dog should do. They will haunt me forever.
-->'''Bart:''' I love you, too.

-->'''Grug:''' ''(punching Phil in the face)'' Rock rock rock rock rock...

* Mostly-silent movie ''Film/TheArtist'' begins with a man being tortured with noise from headphones. The intertile card reads "I won't talk! You can't get me to say a single word!", which is the first of several "silent" jokes in the movie.

-->'''Tom''': ''(gradually appearing over the course of the vocalization)'' [=aaoOOOWww!=]\\
'''Tom''': ''(gluck)''\\
'''Tom''': ''(loud gulp into retching moan)''