Television can indeed be educational in many ways, especially if you are trying to learn a foreign language, whether you are a beginner or seeking to supplement your learning aids with more advanced challenges. How often do you encounter a native speaker of the language you are trying to learn, only to find they are speaking at a ridiculously fast speed and you can only just barely pick up some of their words, let alone understand their fully-strung sentences? We’ve all been there! However, watch native speakers on the screen and you can easily have access to the subtitles, helping your ears focus on the sound and tones, as you will already know what they are saying. In fact, there are many studies that prove that the use of captions helps to connect the learner’s competence between listening and speaking.
On the other hand, some find it simpler to turn off the captions and simply listen to the characters, as it removes the association between the viewer’s first language and the language they are attempting to learn. Subtitles can often distract learners from understanding something in their own language, rather than trying to contextualize the situation in the foreign language.
The ability to pause and rewind these shows is an additional bonus; you can learn entirely at your own speed. Hit the rewind button to practice speaking sentences yourself until you achieve the correct pace and sounds.
TV and films also help you to understand a language in a more natural context, as opposed to textbooks which often isolate sentences and words, lacking the opportunity to apply it in a real situation.
The benefits extend even further. By watching a narrative in a foreign language, viewers begin to get a better comprehension of the cultural traits that come along with it, which helps to broaden our understanding of cross-cultural differences – an understanding that can be applied to many aspects of our day-to-day lives!
Foreign language shows are easily accessible over the internet, giving you the potential to pick up and learn from a whole range of languages. Even if certain countries or broadcasters have location limitations, they can still be accessed using a VPN. For example, schweizerfernsehen live can help you access content that usually cannot be accessed out of Switzerland. To watch your favorite schweizerfernsehenprogramm, these suggested VPNs can bypass geographical blocks by assigning you with a new IP address located in another country. You can also use free online sources such as Youtube, which has a good choice of foreign language shows, many of which were actually created to be learning aids.
Don’t forget that watching foreign films and television is just one step in the new-language experience. It aids your learning, but in order to truly master a language, you should facilitate this learning with plenty of practice, so get out there and find others you can practice speaking with, whether they are native speakers in the language or learning it at a similar difficulty level to you.
