Should I watch Captions to learn English? - How do I use Subtitles for learning English? - Lesson 13

There are many ways of improving your English, especially nowadays.

With the help of modern technology,

It has become much easier in recent times to learn a new language.

However, it is worth remembering

that some of the tools used nowadays have been around for a very long time.

A good example being captions or as we like to say here in England... ‘subtitles’.

You might be surprised to know that the practice of displaying subtitles

has been around for over a hundred years.

During the days of silent movies,

captions were used to show what the actors on screen were actually saying.

Later on, after the arrival of sound,

many movies were given subtitles

as a way of widening the market for the movie industry.

This allowed people all over the world to enjoy the experience of watching a film.

Transcribing the words into text as the actors spoke

allowed different languages to be shown on screen

wherever in the world they were being viewed.

Of course, subtitles are commonly used to allow those

with hearing impairments to follow the dialogue in their own language.

You might say that subtitles have many uses,

from translating what is said

right through to helping those with hearing difficulties.

Subtitles are also great for learning a new language.

You can watch something, like a movie or even a YouTube video

whilst following the speech using subtitles.

Here on YouTube, there have been many advances made in how subtitles can be used.

These improvements have made learning a new language so much easier,

as there are now many more options available,

as to how the subtitles can be viewed.

You can watch a video on YouTube in English

whilst displaying your own language at the bottom of the screen.

There are many translations available from the list of languages.

These languages include...

Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Dutch, French, German,

Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Urdu,

Vietnamese and many others as well.

I cannot express how important this feature is.

Right now you might be watching this lesson with subtitles.

Every word I say is there in front of you on the screen.

It really is an incredible way to learn any language, including English.

I am often asked if it is a good idea to use subtitles whilst learning English.

My answer to that is ‘yes’.

Use them if they help.

Don't worry about having the subtitles on screen.

There are many choices of language to choose from,

and of course you can simply follow along with the English subtitles

if you want.

Whether you refer to them as ‘subtitles’ or ‘captions’,

they are the same thing.

They are also the best tool available for improving your reading skills,

whilst at the same time boosting your ability to understand English.

So never be afraid or worried about using subtitles,

whether it is whilst watching your favourite Hollywood movie

or one of Mr Duncan's English lessons on YouTube,

those subtitles will be available to help you, to follow...

Enjoy... and learn.