Englihs films in the ESL classroom

[MariGeorgi]

We're Spanish students and we have to answer a question through using internet, forums, chats and so on...

This is our question:

Should pre-intermediate learners be shown original English films with Catalan/Spanish subtitles or English subtitles? Why?

Thanks a lot!

[jasminade]

Generally, in Ireland and Britain we use subtitles. It is very rare for foreign films to be dubbed for the audiences here.

I love foreign films, and dislike any dubbing at all. Why?

1. Language is not only about words. Meanings are also conveyed through accents and tone. By listening to the actual language, you are helped one to learn other aspects: the feel and the emotion of a language.

2. What is wrong about listening to other languages? It is a little difficult to spend much of the film reading and then watching the action, but you get used to it.

3. Lastly, if you do use foreign films set questions beforehand and maybe give a prize or something to the best answers. This way the Ss will concentrate much more.

[Niall]

As a learner of languages and a native speaker of English, I've always preferred to have the subtitles in English until I'm at a fairly advanced level.

There's no point watching a film if you're not going to enjoy it, and if you're not going to understand it, you're not going to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, you do miss a lot of the spoken language from concentrating on the subtitles, but I did learn the Hindi for "I see" and "I understand" while watching with subtitles.

The problem with films and subtitles is that the subtitles never match the spoken dialogue, even when the two are in the same language.

What I really get from films is a feel for the rhythm of a language and how emotion changes that, not a great vocabulary.

[Peter Easton]

The trick is for learners to watch the movie 3 times:

1st with subtitles in your mother tongue
2nd with subtitles in English
3rd with no subtitles.

That's the best way to learn.