Reviews for the Blu-ray and 4K releases confirm that the film uses player-generated (forced) subtitles to translate non-English dialogue, rather than having them "burnt-in" to the video stream . Critical Subtitle Features
In the case of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, the forced subtitles were particularly noticeable, with some viewers taking to social media and online forums to express their frustration with the practice. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Forced Subtitles
Forced subtitles (often flagged as "Forced" in MKV or subtitle files) are a subset of a full subtitle track. They are not intended for the deaf or hard of hearing (SDH). Instead, they are designed to appear only when a character speaks a foreign language that the audience is not supposed to inherently understand. Reviews for the Blu-ray and 4K releases confirm
If you simply popped the disc in and hit play with your player’s default “Subtitles: Off” setting, the movie would play perfectly in English during the action scenes, but go completely silent (visually) during the Russian prison scene. You would watch Jeremy Renner’s character, Brandt, converse with a guard, nod, and move on—with absolutely zero translation on screen. They are not intended for the deaf or hard of hearing (SDH)
*) rather than the literal translation, maintaining the film’s PG-13 tone while conveying the character's intent. Technical Quality and Formats Subtitles vs. Burned-In Text