My Adaptable Career

Dubai - UAE

The aid of foreign language subtitles

2 min read

While learning a new language it is rather vital to have a lot of exposure to that specific language. Reading through a text book hasn’t helped anyone in learning a practical skill like this. The best way to be a pro any language is actually visual aid, watching TV shows or movies in the target language. It is better to watch a movie or a show which has subtitles rather than without them. The main question that arises here what type of subtitles are the most effective. For better help it is better to use subtitling services.

Native language verses foreign language subtitles

Many studies have presented that fact that it is better to make use of foreign language subtitles whilst you are watching a foreign film or show but there has been some evidence that contradicts this statement. For example

  • The native English speakers that were learning the Spanish language showed a more improved ability in learning when they were shown a Spanish movie with subtitles in the Spanish language as compared to the ones showed a movie with English subtitles. They also had a better time watching the movie as they felt like they could connect to the material more.
  • Some Turkish students who were shown an English movie said that watching a movie with English subtitles or ones in their native language had to effect on their learning capabilities.
  • Dutch students who saw an English film with English subtitles were able to understand the sentences than they were without the subtitles being in English.

So it can be clearly seen that watching movies with the same language subtitles in more beneficial for learning that language. It does depend on the translators too, the quality of the subtitles differ as a certain word can have many synonyms. It is then important to use the best translation services like Dubai legal translation. Although foreign language subtitles is a good idea but beginners might have some problems in getting the hang of them at first. So it is recommended to use native language subtitles until you get more comfortable with having both the subtitles and the audio in the language you want to learn.  This might not even be the best option or you as different people learn by different ways and have personal preferences. Do some experiments to see what works best for you.