To be honest this is far better than the original version ;D

I don't know about other countries, but the problem in Spain is our utterly atrocious educatiion system. Most people here can't write or understand written english properly (let alone speak it), and I don't mean just average people, but even college students. Yes we have english lessons at school since age 6 or so, but I guess the learning method is not appoppriate, or maybe there is no immersion, I don't know.
By the way I prefer the original english versions, most translations are not that good.

Nearly none of games translates to Turkish. You have to know English well to play PC games.

I'd welcome Jagged Alliance 2 level of localizations. Not Deux Ex HR which starts with creepy guy talking to people with modulated voices, and in dub it sounds like the publisher told every actor in the scene to deliver the most stereotypically gay voice they could muster.

Well, in my experience, both English and German translations of Russian games have always been very stilted, although as my Russian is fairly broken (I could just about get by), I couldn't tell you if it's just a crap translator or if the original Russian text was that bad. I would suggest the former as there are enough grammar errors in the English and German that should have been avoidable anyway, but there's no excluding the possibility of the second.

I have the 1C Collection on my Steam account, may give some of them a crack in Russian at some point.

Because it's like that and that's the way it is. ;)

The Dutch grow up with subtitles, the Germans, Italians, French etc. grow up with dubbed versions. That's why the Dutch are accustomed to enjoying the originals (and are probably a lot better at understanding foreign languages in general), while the others are accustomed to translations (and especially those who are not good at languages find it more convenient that way).

I guess it's mostly a matter of habituation. Just like it's tough to start reading books in a foreign language until you've actually read through a few of them and it gets easier and easier. Most people are not interested enough in experiencing the original version if that means they won't enjoy it as much at first, because it's no fun to start, there's an initial barrier you have to overcome before you can enjoy it. A lot of people I know find it exhausting and distracting to read subtitles, they just want to be entertained and not "study" a work of art.

Personally I'm enough of a language geek that I don't mind watching movies in their original version with subtitles, even English subtitles. When I watch DVDs my favorite option is original voices with subtitles in original language, provided I know it enough to understand most of it. Despite that, I'm still aware that dubbed versions also have their advantages apart from being easier to consume for the average watcher:

One argument against dubbed versions might be that you don't experience the movie quite as it was intended to be experienced. But isn't that partly true for subtitles, too? Subtitles allow you to read ahead of the spoken word or maybe even read slower than what is said, so chances are you'll miss the right moment to laugh, be surprised etc. And it might be less funny if you read it. And subtitles are kind of distracting. You were originally meant to closely observe the pictures on the screen, not the small print below it. So you could argue what is more important and more "original" - to hear the original voices or to get as involved into the story as a native speaker would, without any distraction, without any breaking of the fourth wall and without any spoilers?

And if in the Netherlands most movies are subtitled and dubbing is frowned upon, it stands to reason that the dubbing is probably less professional than in the countries that specialise in it, and therefore it's to be expected that people will react negatively to the few and unusual examples of Dutch dubbing. I admit that in Germany and other countries dubbing in games is often abysmal, too, but there are also very professional and popular voice actors, whose performance and voices are just as well known and well liked as the original actors. Plus, voice-acting and translations can sometimes be ingenious, hilarious and produce their own "works of art". I think I would have missed out on something if I had never got the chance to play "ein herrliches Bratz-das-Vieh-Spiel" in Sam & Max Hit the Road. :D Anyway, since dubbing has already evolved into a (cult) industry in some countries, it will probably stay that way over there.

Last but not least, I occasionally appreciate dubbed movies for their clarity. Sometimes I don't have so much trouble with understanding what an actor says but with actually hearing it, because the original actors sometimes don't speak very distinctly or the sound is rather bad. Funnily enough, I probably have this issue more often with German movies than Hollywood movies. In those cases I feel compelled to toggle on subtitles on a German movie just so I can understand what they're saying ... :D With dubbing I don't have that problem, which is also the reason why foreign-language animation films are easier to understand than those featuring real actors.

TL:DR
I think there is no right or wrong here, it's just the way it is, a matter of accustoming and preferences, and there are equally valid arguments for both ways of dealing with foreign-language media (one probably a bit more educative, the other more entertaining).


EDIT: Btw, I loved the Dutch dubbing on the first Harry Potter DVD, that was pretty funny (at least for a non-native Dutch speaker who was already familiar with the book and the original English version of the movie). :D

I cannot possibly overstate how much do I agree with this.

It's same in Serbia as in Netherlands, butt it's changing lately from what I've seen. Still dubbed anime sounds seriously wrong.

When a game I'm looking for has Polish subtitles, that's a plus for me, but Polish dub? Hells naw...

Apart from Scandinavia (and possibly the Benelux countries), most countries in Europe (and presumably elsewhere in the world) tend to dub everything into their own language. I'm not sure why (low literacy levels perhaps), but it does mean that they tend to be not nearly as good at English as the countries that don't dub.

Being beaten by the British at various points in history might also be a factor :)

Hmmm.. From my observations, all countries except Poland tend to dub everything, even adult movies.

It's freaking horrible. I was watching The Dark Knight once in Hamburg and it was all in fucking GERMAN. it was HORRIBLE.

You can't ruin a move more than by dubbing it. I can't believe the fact people in Germany enjoy dubbed movies...

And when asked "what's your favourite actor?" what they say? The dude who makes dub for Robert DeNiro?

Subtitles are the only thing I accept.

btw. in Polish television it's common to use a voiceover (single dude is reading the translated script)

I always prefer to play games, watch movies and read books in their original language. Mostly because I'm afraid that something might be lost or changed during the translation process, but also because often the translations to finnish just don't sound right. Although the dubbing is not that bad in mainstream movies, it somehow doesn't sound natural. Translated books are not so bad either, but I still prefer the original, if I understand the language.

A while ago a TV channel here decided to show the Russian movie Day Watch. For some weird reason they showed a version that was dubbed in english and had finnish subtitles (having just subtitles is the standard procedure). The dubbing sounded so cheesy I couldn't finish watching the movie. What's even more weird is the Polish way of having a single reader speaking everyones lines on top of the original audio. I guess it's a matter of getting used to it :)

For the OP, why not learn the language, if it's a constant issue. I remember finishing games like Zelda: A Link to the Past and Breath of Fire II without understanding most of the dialogue. But slowly my vocabulary grew and at some point which I don't even remember, I managed to understand everything (well almost everything). Having to read english in games certainly helps learning it and wanting to understand them is great motivation.

Naah... It fucking sucks.

Thankfully, they use it only in TV, not cinemas. And on satellite tv you usually can choose if you want "old dude reading lines for you" or subtitles.

Btw here's an interesting thing for you:

STALKER game using voiceover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLMu4UmiAD0&hd=1

it was deliberate move by Polish distributor, and well... For this one example, it was pretty climatic.

But I know why people seem to prefer dub and even the horrible voiceover in movies. Because they're too lazy to read.

Due to how much that don't get translated (and much worse translated things tends to be), would it not be a good idea to get more comfortable with speaking & reading English? Video games & movies are an excellent way of doing this, as the language is generally speaking relatively simple.
I suspect that the lack of dubbed movies & games is part of the reason why Scandinavians in general are so good at English, compared to most people who don't speak English as their mother language. Träsktroll har kännslor!

Yea, the Swedish Shrek dub was horrendous as well. And to quite a friend who has studied English at a University level, and who did some work on translations through this "Most Swedish voice actors just sound like they are taking a dump when they try to sound dramatic". Which sadly enough is true.

I can understand the OPs' point. Games have become much more global and I would be disappointed if a lot of good games were inaccessible due to a language barrier. I certainly wouldn't be able to play a game in any other language.

However, I don't think it's realistic that every game that's been published, especially older games, should get the subtitle or language overhaul treatment. I would imagine it's just not practical. Or if it's done, as many have pointed out, it just ends up not good at all.