Although learning a new language can be intimidating, there are endless benefits that make the challenge worth it! Being multilingual not only helps you to connect with others, both personally and professionally, but also opens up your world to new experiences and a deeper understanding of other cultures. It can also boost your cognitive abilities and creativity and even help you better understand your native language.
Since television and movies are entertaining, using them to learn a new language can make the experience more enjoyable and, therefore, more effective. If textbook learning sounds a bit too dull, check out our guide below for tips on how else you can learn a new language!
Benefits of Television & Movies
If binge watching television and movies is one of your favorite pastimes, incorporating it into language learning is a great way to feel guilt-free and discover endless new options to add to your watchlist. With so many genres available, from romance and comedy to drama and documentaries, you can learn the language from several different perspectives and hear how it’s used in the real world. This will be particularly useful once you’re ready to start speaking your new language with others.
It’s important to have a basic understanding of the language before you dive into some shows or films; this will help you pick up the language more quickly and prevent you from getting too discouraged at the start. There are many language learning programs you can use to help get you started.
Start Off Simple
Starting with programs that are simple will be most useful because your mind will stay engaged without getting too overwhelmed with complex language and plot lines.
Since children’s programs are often educational in nature and contain themes and messages that are universal across ages, they can still be entertaining even if they’re below your age level. And many comedies contain intelligible humor accompanied by physical gestures, so you’ll be able to understand the context even before you have a complete understanding of the language.
As you start off with these kinds of programs, it’s particularly helpful to keep the subtitles on in your native language while simply trying to absorb the words and phrases that you do understand as well as the way the language sounds.
Add More Complexity
Once you’re ready, transition to using subtitles in the new language. Seeing and hearing the language at the same time can help you develop a deeper understanding of it. You can then also steadily raise the level of content you’re watching, such as with complex drama or action films.
Action films are very visual and plot-driven, so they’re easy to follow even before you understand all of the language, while drama films are often culturally specific and include slang that you won’t find in textbooks.
It’s okay to pause often so that you can process difficult sections of dialogue or to use the playback function to rewatch them, as repetition is key after all!
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Other Tips & Tricks
● Rewatching sections can also be beneficial for identifying words and phrases for further practice, and then using some vocabulary-learning tips to commit them to memory.
● Once you’re comfortable, try turning off the subtitles to get a greater awareness of how much of the language you’ve learned and what you still need to work on.
● When you’re ready to take your language-learning journey beyond the screen, try listening to the audio of your favorite shows or films on the go and practice your pronunciation as you listen.
If you’re inspired to try TV to learn a new language, here are some great recommendations to help you get started:
● English – The Office
● Spanish – La Casa de Las Flores
● French – Call My Agent!
Proofreading & Editing Services
If the foreign language you’re trying to master is English, we have expert editors who can help you. Although it’s a complicated language – and even native speakers will admit there’s always something new to learn – proofreading and editing services are a great opportunity to get feedback on the parts that you find especially tricky! Upload a free trial document today to learn more.