Popular Post mlescano Posted March 23, 2017 at 01:16 AM Popular Post Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 at 01:16 AM There are a few shows online with good quality text-based subtitles, a.k.a. closed captions. You can download both video and SRT subtitles from YouTube for listening/transcribing practice with LAMP player, VLC or even straight on YouTube. Shows with well-synced SRT subtitles allow you to do all sorts of tricks: Toggle subtitles on/off, automatic pause/replay, popup translation, etc. Here's what I've found so far. Please share more! On YouTube: Dramas: (ordered by views of first episode) 新兵日記 (Rookies' Diary): Military drama. Traditional hard and soft subs: 4M views: https://youtu.be/RyX0ZfPiMss 我的老師叫小賀 (My teacher is called Xiaohe): A high school drama with a pretty teacher. Traditional hard and soft subs. 2.3M views: https://youtu.be/d2m7StPgmeU 冰与火的青春 (Ice and Fire of Youth): Soft simplified + English subtitles. 138K views: https://youtu.be/LSl4hPhGH3c 警界線 (The Borderline): Only soft traditional subtitles. 49K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LW_qvaViE 美好年代 (A Good Day): Hardcoded traditional subs and soft traditional subs. 43K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVJAbYXCRk&index=38&list=PLeuPaltH7SfES1rS8gpRYg4961NP94sC- 讓愛飛揚: (Let It Fly): Also hard traditional and soft traditional subs. 40K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSVIDLPDc2w&index=40&list=PLeuPaltH7SfFcH2521UHvZezz9ezUFis5 開腦儆探 (Second Life): Only soft traditional subtitles. 27K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qssbp6Yx0SA 大嫁風尚 (Great Marriage): Only soft simplified subtitles 17K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWDMjhNysno 解密 (Decoded): Both simplified Chinese and English subtitles available 12K views: https://youtu.be/Oqt_J1yUnQU?list=PL-qn-eiR753coJhhOZRU8n3dMfZvddIuX 三面形醫 (Hidden faces): Only soft traditional subtitles 12K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntoMnLZyFHA Talk Shows: 麻辣天后傳, The Queen's Legendary Show: (thanks to Bad Cao Cao) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-z9BI8hMHNPrvnccyWgjyg If You Are The One (thanks to Bad Cao Cao) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=江苏卫视官方频道&lclk=cc&filters=cc Language Learning: 快乐汉语 (Happy Chinese with Susan, hybrid drama/language learning, work in progress): Simplified soft subtitles https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUopoMgYFRYnhkzcTxA7_wHqYb55BVRI4 Or here for the full series (with less than perfect synchonization): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiNe_bumx_AX4RA-Wa-rRZo082f4mdzu6 Channels FTV Drama, a treasure trove of Taiwanese dramas: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMiEL1XRXANaypB2wEdr5w HKTV Network: https://www.youtube.com/user/HKTVNetwork/playlists?shelf_id=0&view=1&sort=dd Huace Global Fun channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9M9sV3sGmutY26H4LNBTww/playlists DaAiDrama (this one has some stuff in Mandarin and other in a language I don't recognize): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWiS6QxFGFK-LKwwHzSsmHQ/playlists Please comment if you find any of the shows actually interesting, or if you know of another show on YouTube with soft subtitles. How to find content Search YouTube for: 第一集. In filters, choose "CC" and >20 min. Try different "sort by" methods. Most results will be for shows with soft English subtitles. Some might even be Korean dramas with Chinese subtitles. Keep exploring the results and you might find something actually in Chinese and soft-subtitled in Chinese. If you find a show, check the channel, too. It might have more. Follow related videos down the rabbit hole. Another possible search is: 完整版 (full version), using the same filters mentioned above. Watching directly on YouTube If YouTube subs are traditional and you prefer Simplified Chinese: You can watch it right in YouTube with Simplified Chinese subtitles. Go to subtitle selection > Auto translate > Simplified Chinese. Adjusting soft subtitles to cover the hardcoded ones: Useful if you want to watch a Taiwanese show with Simplified Chinese subtitles. Click on the gear icon in YouTube > Subtitles > Options. Font size 300%, background color black at 100% opacity and same settings for window color and opacity should do the trick. If you feel like it, you can watch with Kaiti-style subtitles by selecting "cursive" from the font family. Use YouTube's keyboard shortcuts for easy playback control: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility/google-keyboard-shortcuts---youtube Watching offline How to download the videos: If you use Chrome or Firefox, go to the Chrome extension store or Firefox add-ons store, and search for a Youtube downloader. This should add a download button below the video. Or use this: http://www.clipconverter.cc/. The're also another Chrome extension to download the subtitles as .srt. How to play with VLC If VLC is only displaying squares, go to Tools > Preferences > subtitles and select Microsoft YaHei as the font. If your SRT file is in traditional and you prefer simplified Right click > Open with Notepad. Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+C to copy, paste the text here: http://www.khngai.com/chinese/tools/convert.php Copy the result into a new Notepad file and save with UTF-8 encoding. Change the filename to be the same as the video, with "SCH" or something added at the end so you won't confuse it with the original SRT. Change the extension to SRT. I would not try this from Simplified to Traditional because it's more error-prone. If Notepad opens messy subtitles, it's better to open with Notepad++. How to get rid of the hard coded subtitles with Handbrake This is necessary if you're going to be doing some ear training. In Handbrake, the first open tab is "picture". Here, in "Cropping", select "custom" and input the value you found with VLC. Name the destination file and hit Start. On other sites: Netflix: So far the only Netflix show I've found with Chinese audio and almost 100% matching Chinese subtitles is Fuller House. To acces this, go to your Netflix account settings and change the language to 中文 to be able to access both Chinese audio and subtitles. There are other shows, but the Chinese subtitles and audio don't match. There are Chrome extensions that allow you to pause and do pop-up translation for English with Netflix, but none for Chinese so far. Developers, please help! There are also Chrome extensions that allow you to load your own subtitles while watching Netflix. This might be useful for watching Chinese movies and dramas, but I find it to be too much work. Viki: Viki has many Chinese and Taiwanese shows (thanks BadCaoCao), but very few of these have complete Chinese subs for all episodes. On the plus side, Viki is implementing a "learning mode" with pop-up translations for language learners, but it still lacks functionality, like a shortcut to toggle subtitles on/off. The only Viki shows I've found with 99-100% complete Chinese subs for all episodes are: 最佳前男友 (My best ex boyfriend): https://www.viki.com/tv/28818c-my-best-ex-boyfriend#modal-episode 何以笙箫默 (My sunshine): https://www.viki.com/tv/29015c-my-sunshine-directors-cut Yup. That's it. Only two. And the second one is only 4 episodes long. Ironic, I know, but remember that Viki is fan-subbed, and fans are more concerned about making shows available to the greater public with English subs, than about helping language learners with Chinese subs. You can download both video and subs from Viki if you find the right sites. Please share any other shows with soft subtitles or tips you might find, or at least try watching the above-mentioned shows. Thanks! 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Cao Cao Posted March 23, 2017 at 10:56 AM Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 at 10:56 AM Nice post op. Also try Kangxi, and, queen's legendary show (and anything with CC on the link etc). https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-z9BI8hMHNPrvnccyWgjyg Also, If you are the one. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=江苏卫视官方频道&lclk=cc&filters=cc Good comment on the filters - note also the channel search on the one above. Also viki is an underrated tool, with already inbuilt functionality similar to what you are trying to do. https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/231829048-How-to-use-Learn-Mode- 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlescano Posted March 23, 2017 at 12:15 PM Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 at 12:15 PM Thanks! I did try Viki, but also found it hard to find shows in Chinese subtitled in Chinese, as the focus is on English subs. Do you have links to shows 100% subtitled in Chinese? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realmayo Posted March 24, 2017 at 07:13 AM Report Share Posted March 24, 2017 at 07:13 AM A great post, I hadn't realised there were so many youtube videos with soft subs. I was also very excited to see from your link there's a TV version of the book 解密, however I watched the first episode and it looks like they've dumbed down the book, turned the TV series into just another spy/action show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Cao Cao Posted March 24, 2017 at 07:22 AM Report Share Posted March 24, 2017 at 07:22 AM "Do you have links to shows 100% subtitled in Chinese?" Click on the link and go to the shows listed at the bottom. Also, can sign up for translating projects and join a group to get the original subs, for most other Chinese shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyu Posted March 24, 2017 at 09:13 AM Report Share Posted March 24, 2017 at 09:13 AM I recommend Three Kingdoms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNHnX4xsplo&list=PL33A390995E9A7F00 based on the best Chinese classic novel in my opinion, and according to the English comments below, the quality of the translation or subtitle is quite good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlescano Posted April 11, 2017 at 02:25 AM Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2017 at 02:25 AM I've added a bit more info since the original post: Added a few dramas, ordered them by # of first episode views, etc. Please share any other dramas you might find that have soft Chinese subtitles. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wibr Posted April 11, 2017 at 05:59 AM Report Share Posted April 11, 2017 at 05:59 AM Very nice list, thanks! For downloading I recommend youtube-dl (with the --all-subs option). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlescano Posted August 6, 2017 at 11:00 PM Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 at 11:00 PM Updated list with three shows found on Netflix and Viki. After spending an inordinate amount of time searching for shows, I've now settled with "Great Marriage" for intensive listening practice. It does not seem overly cheesy. And after spending an equally stupid amount of time searching for software, I've settled with LaMP player to play the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yadang Posted August 7, 2017 at 06:53 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 at 06:53 AM On 3/22/2017 at 7:16 PM, mlescano said: You can download both video and subs from Viki if you find the right sites. For subtitles on Viki, downsub.com works well - lets you pick which language to download. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.