How Subtitled Films Can Help Learning Foreign Languages
We all know and love dubbed movies where we often recognize famous actors or celebrities who turn up as fairytale characters or world-famous individuals like Steve Jobs or Captain America. While it is only natural for countries like Germany or Russia where dubbing is an art of its own, many European countries tend to use subtitles instead as a way to help people hear the original language and enjoy the movie in a deeper way as one also learns a foreign language. While both solutions are good for personal enjoyment, subtitles clearly win in terms of foreign language learning.
How Subtitled Movies Help When Learning a Foreign Language
- Creation of Bonds Between Reading & Listening.
One of the most important facts about learning a foreign language with subtitles is that a learner reads text and connects it with what is being heard. It represents a perfect kind of dictionary that you brainstorm in a relatively stressful situation as things become connected. It is just like a lesson that feels more inspiring and interesting as the events in front of you reveal themselves. Just make sure that you have professional-grade subtitles for the movie you are planning to watch. If they are unavailable for some reason, consider reliable content translation services and explain your situation. It is best to approach the human translation method to achieve the best results with all the cultural aspects included.
- Coordination of Original Foreign Language Speed.
If you have ever tried watching a Spanish language movie or listened to one of the Sevilla FC or Barcelona’s games with the Spanish commenters, you might have thought that you are in the middle of rap battles, which is not really so! It is the speed of Spanish that will often surprise foreigners. It is one of the reasons why watching foreign movies with subtitles will help you to adjust to the language speed and learn how to recognize certain expressions. It may take time, yet it will always pay off as you get used to it and learn to talk like a pro!
- Pronunciation Aspect.
The primary reason why subtitles exist is not that they are easier to make and are more cost-efficient than professional dubbing. They are meant to help people hear the original and enjoy the movie exactly the way it has been created. Of course, subtitles are not always good, which is why you should ask professional linguists to check things for you in terms of grammar and typing mistakes, which are often encountered in subtitles found online. You can check TheWordPoint for this purpose and also request custom subtitles even for those movies that have no subtitles yet or where they do not match the movie speed for some reason.
- A Much Better Visual Connection.
It is a known fact that most people learn only when they can fully connect with what they encounter. It is a reason why some textbooks that have no pictures, graphs, tables, or any other visual elements are often unsuccessful. Learning a language with the help of a movie is always much better since it is a cultural journey that has emotions and inspires the audience to think and feel empathy, happiness, sorrow, anger, and joy among other things. As the movie creates a visual connection, it helps to build mental associations that greatly improve the learning process.
- Learning More About Slang Expressions.
Regardless if you learn these in subtitles or by listening, you will often encounter unique slang expressions that might not make sense to you at first. Some people behind subtitles creation will replace them with more familiar expressions, which may seem challenging for novice learners. Still, you will also hear the original version and learn to compare things. It is truly one of the most rewarding experiences that will help you to talk to foreigners!
The Aspect of Cultural Education
When you are watching a foreign movie with subtitles, you also hear raw emotions as they are expressed in a totally different way than what you may be used to when you hear them in your native language. It’s especially important for those cases when it is a tonal language since you also learn to hear and identify tones. It opens up a totally new world as you combine listening and reading along with what you see. It will also help you to adjust to the speed of the foreign language by getting totally immersed in the new culture.
