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Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:37 pm
by badger
elsmandino wrote:2. What is the best way to watch a piece of video that you are struggling with? If, for instance, I hear a word that I am unfamiliar with, should I write it down and review at the end of the video or pause the video and immediately look it up?


if you're a beginner, I think you'd be doing really well if you 1) aren't having to look up (literally) half or more of the words. 2) can pick individual words that you don't know out of full-speed French. 3) can spell those words you've picked out well enough to look them up!

I've just started doing some of the exercises on TV5Monde & am finding them very useful. each one has a few minutes of video suitable for a particular CEFR level, then some questions so you can't kid yourself that you've understood it. ;) there are no subs, but there is a transcript (in French) that you can look at if you want. here's the link:

https://langue-francaise.tv5monde.com/?utm_source=tv5monde&utm_medium=metanav&utm_campaign=langue-francaise

I've also just watched "Un Village Français" (all ~70 hours of it) with English subs & now I'm starting over with French subs - I have managed, rather unusually, to find really accurate French subs for it.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:20 pm
by elsmandino
Bit of an update on this - I struggled on with watching that 70s show, in French, with a copy of the hypnoweb transcript to hand.

To be honest, I found it a bit hard going.

Even with the transcript, I was constantly looking things up in a dictionary - there were loads of slang words and lots of references that I probably would not have understood, even if I spoke fluently.

For example, it took me ages to work out that "Roberts" was a slang word for breasts, but as this did not immediately pop up on an internet search, I assumed that there were referring to another person.

I am wondering whether a sitcom is a particularly bad choice for learning as a beginner - there are lots of examples of US and UK remakes of the same show (The Inbetweeners, Men Behaving Badly, The Office etc) and that is with the same language.

I can sort of see, now, why something like Buffy might be a better choice.

I do think I am trying to run before I can walk.

I think I shall perhaps stick with documentaries and news shows or at least find something that is perhaps more serious.

Badger - I might check out Un Village Francais. Has the potential to be a bit more comprehensible.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 12:47 pm
by Cavesa
Or you could try to get out of the beginner phase first. Really, the coursebooks are not evil, they can help you get through this fast and you'll find a much wider range of tv series more accessible. I am all for using tons of tv series, but I think forcing oneself too early is not that efficient.

Sitcoms are particularly difficult, I'd say. They are based on playing with the language in various situations. I'd say Friends is the only exception that people tend to find not too hard.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:43 am
by elsmandino
Thanks Cavesa.

I think you are right - I am getting impatient with my progress and, as you say, am still in the beginner phase.

Perhaps I should stick with my learning materials for some more time before trying to watch full-blown TV shows.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 10:36 am
by Adrianslont
elsmandino wrote:Thanks Cavesa.

I think you are right - I am getting impatient with my progress and, as you say, am still in the beginner phase.

Perhaps I should stick with my learning materials for some more time before trying to watch full-blown TV shows.

I think it’s a good idea to do basic groundwork with a coursebook too.

However, you could always supplement your learning materials with the sitcom @Extra French, made especially for learners of French. It’s corny but I found it to be fun. There are twelve episodes floating around various YouTube channels. Here’s a link to episode 1, complete with accurate French subtitles.
https://youtu.be/EaNqp4FXh-s

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:14 pm
by DollyG
I've found this thread really useful, as I'm currently also trying to watch more TV in Spanish, and figuring out the best way to do it.

Is there something similar to Hypnoweb for Spanish that you know about?

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:14 pm
by Cavesa
elsmandino wrote:Thanks Cavesa.

I think you are right - I am getting impatient with my progress and, as you say, am still in the beginner phase.

Perhaps I should stick with my learning materials for some more time before trying to watch full-blown TV shows.


You're welcome. I'm glad to help, even though not sure whether my advice this time wasn't a bit too unpleasant.

If you look around the forum, you can find a lot of people, who have managed to get through the beginner phase of a language rather fast. Not "crazy unrealistic youtube video" kind of fast, but still much faster than people expect. The key is investing your time and efforts, and also investing a bit in getting high quality resources. Not looking for shortcuts is sometimes the shortest path possible.

Let's assume B1 could already be a nice enough level to start with easier shows (I was barely B2, when I started). In a classical language school, getting to B1 would take three or four years, at the pace of four hours per week with very little self-study in between (yes, people are lazy, but they can still get dragged all the way to B1 by the teacher. After that, it gets more tricky). The same pace as in a good highschool. Of course this looks scary, nobody wants to wait several years!

But if you put in more time and more efficiently, there is no reason to not get to that point in something between let's say 6 and 18 months. It all depends on you. That sounds more palatable, doesn't it?

You don't need to be bored during that time. And if you make progress, the process of learning itself will be more rewarding. And some resources for beginners will partially do the job of a tv series, as far as enjoyment goes, Adrianslont's tip is a good example.

DollyG wrote:I've found this thread really useful, as I'm currently also trying to watch more TV in Spanish, and figuring out the best way to do it.

Is there something similar to Hypnoweb for Spanish that you know about?


I haven't found anything. Trust me, I've tried.

There are good subtitles to some rtve.es shows. I even got them written out in my browser, due to a bug I was unfortunately unable to replicate :-D And pdf transcripts of Ministerio del tiempo are available on the site.

Other than that, I haven't had much luck.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:21 pm
by Kraut
Lingo Player might be the answer:
it gives you all the functions that you need if you have the video and separated subs

http://oaprograms.github.io/lingo-player/

But!! it needs to be updated: the translation function (Google) and the text-to-speech function don't work.

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:51 pm
by JimmyJ
Hello there,
I am a language learning newbie and have chosen Korean as my first new language to learn.
I do like websites such as Korean101 and Talk To Me In Korean, but i've found a fantastic you tube channel that anyone in my position may like to have a look at? The guy is called Professor Yoon and he teaches in such a relaxed and engaging manner that I've managed to learn Hangul (reading and writing) in less than a week.
His Hangul videos begin here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnXu1PSeI_c&list=PL6D-YTosvGYoi-eplvljZksq2I2PAKdiC
(Hope its ok to post a youtube link)

Thanks
Jimmy

Re: How to learn from watching videos in target language

Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:51 pm
by golyplot
Cavesa wrote:But if you put in more time and more efficiently, there is no reason to not get to that point in something between let's say 6 and 18 months. It all depends on you. That sounds more palatable, doesn't it?


I think that waiting 6 months before you start watching TV is pretty crazy. For transparent European languages, I think one month is more realistic. But you also have to be comfortable with watching TV when you don't understand much about what is going on. I suppose it's just a matter of taste. If you can't stand missing anything, then it might take a lifetime before you are comfortable watching TV.