For films in English where only a portion of (non-English) dialogue is subtitled, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other.
To the larger question of subtitling 'foreign' films: Nearly half of my 800+ films on DVD are non-English language. I will also turn on the English subs occasionally in films from the UK (e.g. Trainspotting, Sweet Sixteen) when the dialect can be difficult to understand.
That said, I HATE burned-in subtitles (as do most 'foreign' film fans I'm aquainted with). They are a distraction to those viewers who can understand the language of the film (it also works in the reverse: there are some English-language films that are only available in other regions---it's maddening when they have burnt-in subs in, say, French or Spanish).
For films I've seen often, but in languages I'm not fluent in, I often prefer to turn the subs off so I can enjoy the film as the director intended.
Finally, the English subtitling for the theatrical prints of some older films leaves much to be desired, so I appreciate it when new subs are commissioned for the DVD release. Criterion has even released one DVD (Kurosawa's Throne of Blood) with a choice of subtitles by two different translators.
With respect to player-generated subs, I've yet to watch a DVD where they were illegible, too large, etc. I, too, prefer white subs with black borders, but removable yellow subs aren't that big a deal to me. Even poor subtitles are preferable to lame English-langauge dubbed tracks (don't even get me started on that one).
To the larger question of subtitling 'foreign' films: Nearly half of my 800+ films on DVD are non-English language. I will also turn on the English subs occasionally in films from the UK (e.g. Trainspotting, Sweet Sixteen) when the dialect can be difficult to understand.
That said, I HATE burned-in subtitles (as do most 'foreign' film fans I'm aquainted with). They are a distraction to those viewers who can understand the language of the film (it also works in the reverse: there are some English-language films that are only available in other regions---it's maddening when they have burnt-in subs in, say, French or Spanish).
For films I've seen often, but in languages I'm not fluent in, I often prefer to turn the subs off so I can enjoy the film as the director intended.
Finally, the English subtitling for the theatrical prints of some older films leaves much to be desired, so I appreciate it when new subs are commissioned for the DVD release. Criterion has even released one DVD (Kurosawa's Throne of Blood) with a choice of subtitles by two different translators.
With respect to player-generated subs, I've yet to watch a DVD where they were illegible, too large, etc. I, too, prefer white subs with black borders, but removable yellow subs aren't that big a deal to me. Even poor subtitles are preferable to lame English-langauge dubbed tracks (don't even get me started on that one).