Learn English By watching TV
or Improve your Fluency in any language
Do You
→ Watch other language shows?
→ Consider yourself a fandom Nerd?
→ Have a thing for the blue-eyed Vampire on Netflix?
Okay Okay, I’ll stop my ranting.
During the lockdown, the fanbase for international shows ramped up in India (Perhaps all over the world). English, Japanese, Korean -you name it.
Sitcoms, TV shows, prequels, sequels, Old is Gold classics like Back to the Future — People let their selves submerge into another world when this one stayed still. And binge-watched 19 seasons of Medical Drama.
“𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲 s𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 (Indian Soap opera’s) ? “ My Mum once asked, more like scoffed at me.
What are the benefits of watching such foreign language shows?
Well for starters, they don’t test your patience or intelligence. (Come on for how long the heroine is gonna stand still and look pretty while the hero beats up the bad guys?)
Listen, there is no good or bad side to this. The world is not all black and white. Everyone has their preferences.
However, when it comes down to learning a new language, these TV or OTT shows come in handy.
How so?
I thought you’d never ask, so here we go.
📺 Vocabulary
You’ll learn new words more than you ever did in your academics.
For example, I’m recently binging the Netflix Original “Emily in Paris”. Not gonna lie I caught some French phrases along the way.
Like >> Exatament, une ringarde, Sante, Merde, and Wingradium LeviOsa — OOps sorry wrong fandom.
📺 Fluency
An important factor to improve your fluency in any language is to start thinking in the same.
It’ll eliminate the encoding and decoding process of the phrases in your mother tongue that happens in the backend of your mind.
When you get invested in a scene or a show, you’ll hold the conversation between two characters in your head.
Eventually, It’ll become a muscle memory and you’ll be able to think, pray, and talk to yourself in that same language.
📺 Culture
Emily in Paris is rich in French culture.
As a fan of the show, I’ve picked up some French customs along with American ones like,
✔ In France, the floor naming starts and goes on as the ground floor, 1st floor, and 2nd floor) whereas in America there is no such thing as the ground floor. They label their floors straight up from number 1.
✔ I’ll do you one better, In France, It’s illegal to work on weekends. The French don’t even discuss work at parties. They know their work-life balance don’t you think?!
✔ You can treat your eyes to the mesmerizing landscapes of the city of Love. You get to experience the Street Cafes, The street performers, and the people dancing to them.
✔ And If you are like me, you’ll pick up a liking for the food (Trust me oh, the food) and the sweet pastries such as Croissants.
This helps me to experience the sweet aroma of Paris and study the French heritage from the comfort of my couch,(Not that I would complain if I could actually go there)
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In Conclusion,
There are a few perks as well as downsides. Excess of dopamine is injurious to health too.
Take it in microdoses (one episode a day, maybe) and make learning fun. again. If you are ears for suggestions, here are some interesting shows and movies you can binge-watch.
As to answer my mum’s question at the top — Instead of living in a bubble, these well-scripted shows open up a door for me to explore a lot about the world.
And yeah, I only watch the show for the mere purpose of learning.
The Show:-
This Post is Originally Published on my LinkedIn account.
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