How to Watch TV Shows and Movies to Learn New Languages
Everybody learns grammar when studying a foreign language in school. However, is this really the best way to become bilingual? As a French-speaking person, I learned English grammar, but I can only write and speak with ease because I try a original solution to learn new languages with a few fun tricks.
Why learn English?
I began to learn English in elementary school at the age of 10 and continued on to my high school graduation. However, I always learned the same thing every year. At first, I found learning English pretty boring and difficult, but my growing love for music and especially for English-speaking artists led me to try to understand what was said in the songs I was enjoying. This was how my crusade for a better understanding of English began.
The Attempts
My first attempt was to read books in English. But when you do not have a high level of English, a foreign sci-fi book must come with at least one dictionary to understand every hard word you come across. You need to take breaks in your reading to search for the right meaning of these words. There is no doubt that this can kill the momentum and with it, your interest in the story you are reading.
My second attempt was to change the language of my devices. I decided to change the language of my phone and my game station but the result wasn’t great, since I wasn’t really reading anything new. Since I had been using these devices all the time before changing the language, using them was pretty intuitive and I was able to click through every menu without really reading the text.
The Solution
My third attempt came as a surprise because I had not thought about it before. I was watching a movie with a friend and we started arguing about watching it in English or in French. Of course, I wanted to watch it in French. He argued that the bad translation of some of the words can change the meaning of an entire expression. Then he convinced me to watch the movie in English with subtitles and that it will improve my English comprehension.
I will not deny, I was skeptical about this solution but I decided to try it. I continued watching my movies and TV series in French but I added English subtitles. It was hard at first to concentrate on both but you get used to it. This first step helped me with reading of the subtitles. The second step was to watch in English with French subtitles, and I managed to get a better understanding of some words/expressions and how to use them. The third step was to watch in English with English subtitles to get a better knowledge of the written English.
English Language Skills
Without even noticing, my English skills improved and I was learning while doing something I like: watching TV shows and movies. One day I watched an episode of one of my favorite shows without even noticing there weren’t any subtitles and I could understand it from the beginning to the end.
Don’t get me wrong, the best way to learn new languages is to immerse yourself in a country where it is spoken every moment and try to meet native speakers. But for those who are not able to travel, try this trick! It has worked for me and for many people I know. And if you need professional translations, don’t forget that LingoStar is the perfect choice for your needs. Make sure you get your free quote here.
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