京都で英会話を習うなら!四条烏丸より徒歩5分 イングリッシュバフェ

2022-11-23 Studying with English movies and shows

Hi, this is my first blog post ever!

We often talk about using movies and other English media as studying material, but what would that look like?

Today, I'll be introducing you to a method I used for a while to practice my Japanese listening skills. All you need is a Netflix account and a computer with Google Chrome installed.

(image found in theofficial Language Reactor extension page: https ://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/language-reactor/hoombieeljmmljlkjmnheibnpciblicm)

First, install the extension "Language Reactor". You can find it here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/language -reactor/hoombieeljmmljlkjmnheibnpciblicm

* Make sure it's on in your Chrome extensions!

Here's what Language Reactor does: it allows you to display two different languages' subtitles. So you can display both the English subtitles and the Japanese subtitles at the same time!

Try it out if you have some time!

1. Choose a movie/show that you like that has both Japanese and English subtitle options.
2. Choose one scene where people are talking. It's important to start with only one scene and slowly expand, otherwise it will get too overwhelming and you might end up not studying and just enjoying the film.
3. Watch that scene at least once with no subtitles. Try to catch as much as you can. Ask yourself: What are they talking about?
4. Watch the scene again with only English subtitles. Pay attention to how the words get pronounced and with what flow. Pick up words you don't understand and try to guess through context what they might mean. Then, you can hover your mouse over that word and Language Reactor will give you its definition
(Be careful, sometimes the translation is not the most appropriate!)
5. Watch it again using Language Reactor to display both English and Japanese subtitles. Analyze how the translator interpreted the English lines and how they used Japanese to convey a similar meaning/feeling.
(B e careful, translations aren't always literal and a lot of information might be left out.)

After that, you may write down the sentences you thought were the most interesting or useful. You can write them down in a notebook if you want, but I recommend using  flashcards. There are tons of free flashcard apps, such as Anki.

 

I hope this tip has been useful! 

See you in class!
Mazu