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Learn English with this subtitles English lesson

Date: Aug 14 2013

Grammar: Past Progressive Tense

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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With affordable cameras to make movies and the internet to share them, the movie business has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. If there’s any barrier, it’s language. When we speak different languages, we have a hard time truly sharing our stories.

Subtitles give us a better chance at understanding a movie. Or do they? Some foreign film fans like subtitles so they can follow the script. But others don’t enjoy reading words and would prefer that a movie is dubbed. They both have their pros and cons. One makes you work harder, but the other sometimes looks and sounds funny.

Which would you rather see, a movie with subtitles or a movie that is dubbed? Find out what Marni and Devan think in this lesson about subtitles.

最近几年,由于人们使用价格实惠的相机拍摄影片并通过互联网共享,电影行业实现了突飞猛进的发展。如果说还有任何障碍,那就非语言莫属了。如果语言不同,我们就很难真正分享我们的故事。

字幕给了我们一个更好地了解电影的机会。难道不是?一些外国影迷喜欢借助字幕来跟上情节发展; 但有些人不喜欢阅读字幕,而是更乐意观看译制好的电影。这两种方式都有其优点和缺点。一种会让你看得有点辛苦,而另一种有时看上去或听起来会有些滑稽。

带有字幕的电影或者译制好的电影,你更喜欢看哪种?在本节以字幕为话题的英语课上,看看玛尼和德凡有何看法。

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Devan

Devan

Marni:  Devan, I was recently watching a film. And it was a foreign film and they had dubbed it. And I was looking all over for an option to have the subtitles on, and I couldn’t find it.

Devan:  Why would you want to watch it with subtitles? Who wants to read their movie? I like to watch my movies.

Marni:  Oh, I just think it’s sacrilege! I think a film should always be viewed in its original language as it was intended. And if you’re too lazy to read subtitles, then you’ve got a problem.

Devan:  I don’t see any problem with dubbing movies. They basically paraphrase what they were saying in the original, so you get the whole idea of what the film’s about. I’m fine with it.

Marni:  Really? To me, it’s all about the beauty of the language and hearing the language. And just being able to read it, I think, you get just as good of a sense of the film if not better, because you’re actually really intently engaging in it.

Devan:  But what about when you watch a movie on your laptop or on a really small screen? Is it hard for you to read the subtitles?

Marni:  Not usually, but I guess I have good eyesight. I guess I always make an effort to read the subtitles. I think it’s important.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Both Marni and Devan have strong opinions about subtitles vs. dubbed movies. Marni thinks that dubbing films is just plain wrong. When you dub a movie, you don’t get to listen to its original language, which is how the writers want you to hear it. Marni feels that people who dislike subtitles are lazy and she doesn’t have a lot of patience for them.

Devan has the opposite opinion from Marni and takes it very seriously. To Devan, watching a movie with subtitles is hard work and it’s just not worth it. She thinks that you can get the same meaning from a dubbed film that you can from one with subtitles, and she prefers to watch and not read during movies. Basically, Devan has an argument for each of Marni’s reasons to hate dubbing!

What would you rather see, a movie with subtitles or a movie that is dubbed? What are the pros and cons of each type of movie?

 

Comments

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zvan

zvan

Russian Federation

English movies with english subtitles www.filmsubs.blogspot.com

11:41 AM Feb 11 2014 |

rogeriomanao

Brazil

I like to watch movies with subtitles because I can hear the original speech and improve my listenings skills.

01:51 PM Aug 23 2013 |

MAHSA1995

MAHSA1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I used to watch movies with Persian subtitle…cause if I didnt I would understand nothing about the movie….after awhile I could understand sths …it has been 2 years that I have stoped watching movies with suntitles…and it has been a year and half that I translate  for ppl who I watch movies with them…so I would suggest you not to get used to subtitles…they help at first but if u continue that will make you lazy…you wont try to find unfamiliar words anymore…


So if you r an entermadiate english learner try to watch movies without subtitles and write any unfimilar word you find…then check them with a dictionary and clear that word with a marker if they are useful


Next time when you open your dictionary read that ….do it over and over…it will make it stick to your mind..


For me movies were the best teachers ever…do it…it is my experience…you r gonna get what you want…and also dont be shy…use any chance to talk as much as you can


If there is no one availible stand in front of a mirror and speak with yourself… it must be loudly


Othetwise it is not gonna be that effective…considet as if you are talking to a native speaker


It is so helpfull

01:28 PM Aug 22 2013 |

1 person likes this

Romio79

Romio79

Russian Federation

In general I prefer dubbed movies because it’s more convinient to see dubbed than to read subtitles. But in order to learn foreign language sometimes I look for a flick with subtitles.

03:55 PM Aug 19 2013 |

majiaoqin

majiaoqin

China

  In my opinion, the subtitles movies is better than dubbed movies. Fristly I can learn another language more carefully and writer down the dialog or phrase which i like. Secondly, I think the subtitles movies is more lively and truely.

11:30 PM Aug 17 2013 |

Mari-yam

Mari-yam

Mali

i don’t really mind the movies to be dubbed or with subtitles. I often like it better with subtitles because the original voices of actors are ways better than when it’s dubbed!

09:43 PM Aug 14 2013 |

Jasonlongo

Jasonlongo

Congo, Democratic Republic Of The

I don’t like movies made in another language than English

07:01 PM Aug 14 2013 |

1 person likes this

jef_maiko

jef_maiko

Brazil

Nowadays I do prefrer watching movies without subtitles, of course movies that use English language. But in the past I used to watch movies with subtitles, because this way, it was easier to pick up the idea.

04:14 PM Aug 14 2013 |

2 people like this

aspire1

Germany

I´d rather watch a dubbed movie. Pro is that you don´t need to take any effort reading. I just think that when they do the voiceover for an Asian film, they could let Asian people do the voiceover, so that at least the voice and accent match the actors. Because they don´t do it that way, many movie´s don´t seem genuine to me, especially if the original language is an exotic one, but a german guy or girl is talking in the movie. However, I´m not that high maintenance and a paraphrase of a film works fine.

04:12 PM Aug 14 2013 |

Fernandinha

Brazil

Movies with subtitles are my prefered! For me, the dubbed movies sounds a little awkward, specially in scenes where the actor/actress sings or makes some sound that is particular in his/her language.

04:08 PM Aug 14 2013 |

s11211s

s11211s

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Actually I prefer to watch forign dubbed  movies,    
however always I see English series and moves with English subtitle becouse I want to leran some english with watching move, reading subtitle usually is so horrible to me, specialy when I watch action move I realy want to watch fast and know story without gap.

03:11 PM Aug 14 2013 |

Drmahsa1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

actually those kinds of film with subtitles are better if ur going to practice english .cuz when ever u want u can stop and and search for the meaning of the words that u dont know .and also  it will help u to know how  native speakers pronounce  the words in their way .that will have an effective sign in ur accent

02:44 PM Aug 14 2013 |

1 person likes this

Jobee

Jobee

China

I’d like the original movies with subtitles.however I donot reject the dubbed movies,especiall the translations and voices paraphrase the original emotions.


I think we pefer subtitles because we could watch movies on ineternet.Movies on the internet are mostlt subtitles.we are used to reading sustitles and seeing the films.


but good dubbed movies provide you another viewpoint of feeling.you could see how excellent the voices are the dubing are in the point of art.

02:19 PM Aug 14 2013 |

mtgk70

mtgk70

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I prefer to watch a movie with subtitles because it help me to improve my language skills.but I can’t loss joy of movie that is dubbed by iranian .

02:07 PM Aug 14 2013 |

DarknessLight

Germany

I actually prefer watching a movie with subtitles.


Well, in my case, I watch movies that are originally in English with Arabic subtitles, and that’s absolutely an effective method to improve your English in general, from pronunication to vocabulary and listening. And that’s actually one of the main reasons I watch movies. However, you can sometimes get distracted while watching and then you’d miss the subtitles of a particular scene and then you might not be able to understand what will come later.


About dubbed movies, they’re better in case you don’t like subtitles and prefer it the eaiser way, because everything is just in your language and you think it’s more convenient. You won’t get the advantages of watching a movie in English though that way.

12:53 PM Aug 14 2013 |

korhansaresimge

Turkey

there are advantages and disadvanteges both of them


subtitle afford me an opportunity to improve my pronunciation skill.on the other hand keep up with watching and reading at the same time not that easy.you can miss something each of them(if you have chameleon eyes..doesn’t matter lol).in that case dubbing is a good solution for me :)

12:29 PM Aug 14 2013 |

1 person likes this

Soul_Mate

Soul_Mate

Canada

honestly ,I dont like subtitled flims..and ı wont ..too,I prefer dubbed flims in my language


it can be useful for people whos learning foreign language or improve listening and understanding in a language ..thats all.


ı watch a fim for getting a pleasure ..for this ı have to understand completely what talkings in flim among heroes..other unpleasant thing about subtitle flim, they translate  talkings very less ,a few words ..


09:32 AM Aug 14 2013 |

mehdimansiz

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I prefer to watch a movie with subtitles because it help me to improve my language skills

07:54 AM Aug 14 2013 |

aminj

aminj

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

 I used to watch dubbed movies but thesdays i watch movies with orginal subtitle i mean i watch movies two times ! at first time i just watch movies without any subtitle and at secend time i watch it with it. i know it takes a lot of time but if we want to improve our english we have to try hard !!


06:39 AM Aug 14 2013 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

I prefer to watch a movie with subtitles, let’s suppose that the movie has been dubbed in Spain,although Spanish is our language, in my country we speak slightly different, for instance, we don’t pronounce the z and also it might be that some words has a different meaning. Our Government are passing a law that foreign movies has to be dubbed in our country.

04:32 AM Aug 14 2013 |

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