Recently, I have decided that I need to improve my English. At first, I watched one of my favourite comedies "Bridget Jones” with original version and Polish subtitles. I noticed that I hadn't learnt anything new. Why? Because I was concentrated on subtitles and caught nothing from audio. So, I tried to watch another part of „ Bridget Jones” but now with English subtitles. And guess what? I learnt many new things and a lot of new useful expressions in English.
I think it works because we use our sight and hearing. Then we connect two types of communication. I also think that when the plot of the film is interesting, we get involved into the action and we don`t even realize that it is in another language. For example, last week I was watching very interesting series, and I really wanted to know what would happen next and I didn’t notice that the subtitles had changed in one of the episodes. I was too interested to realize that I was watching it in another language.
Of course, there are some disadvantages of learning with films in original language. For example, when you watch a film in original language and subtitles, it can happen that the text and audio is different. The meaning is the same, but audience have to concentrate on one side of communication. The next problem is that you only learn writing and listening skills but what about speaking? It is good to understand the question, but it is better if we also can answer it.
All in all, I think if you want to learn a foreign language it is a good method but remember that you won’t learn speaking, which is also very important. In my opinion if you watch a lot of films and your language is quite advanced, you can definitely try learning with films.
photo by Taylor B at Flickr
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