Foreign language dubs should match the subtitles exactly, there's no reason why they can't both be the same translation

I like to rewatch movies I've already seen, but dubbed in my target language. I also use that language's subtitles in case I don't catch something or mishear a word. However most of the time foreign dubs don't exactly match foreign subtitles, which makes language learning in this way confusing.

I understand that the reason for this is because the subtitles and dubs are produced separately. The subtitles are meant to be a translation of what's being said. While the dubs not only need to sound natural when spoken aloud by the dubbing actors, but also need to match the duration of the original actors' speech.

But the mismatch defeats the purpose of subtitles to begin with. Subtitles should reflect what is being said onscreen. If someone is watching a film dubbed to their native language, and they want to watch with their language's subtitles, then the subtitles aren't helpful if they don't match what's being said. "Oh but then the foreign subtitles won't match the exact meaning of the original dub" - who cares, it's not a direct translation to begin with, and why is it ok for the foreign dub to differ from the original dub, but the foreign subtitles have to match the foreign dub?

The most egregious example of this is a video game called Final Fantasy XV, it's a Japanese game with both Japanese and English audio and lip syncing. The Japanese subtitles don't match the Japanese audio. So a Japanese person playing a game developed in their country can't depend on the Japanese subtitles, because they don't match the audio.

submitted by /u/OkIdeal9852
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