Subtitles are essential when you want to watch a movie that has been released in a language that you do not speak well / at all. They are also great if you want to learn a language because you get to hear the original voices of the actors and can still glimpse at the translation [...]
Biggest multi-language subtitle database
I prefer watching a foreign movie with subtitles over watching it synchronized. This has mainly two reasons. The first is that I feel that a lot of atmosphere is lost when you hear Bruce Willis or Brad Pitt speaking in a foreign language. The second reason is that I can use subtitles to view movies that are not officially available in my country.
I’am not speaking about movie downloads here – although that would be a possible application as well – but about legal purchases of movies that have been created in Asia and Scandinavia. Many of those movies have no synchronization and English subtitles which would mean that I would not be able to enjoy the movie.

