Learning a new language may seem daunting and tiresome, but what if a favorite TV show or video game could do the teaching? It turns out that binge-watching a show or beating a new level in a video game in another language can be just as effective as other methods of learning a language.
Senior Phillippe Cristobal decided to play Spanish video games and watch Spanish movies to learn the different aspects of the language. He did this in addition to taking the language class for multiple years. His biggest takeaway has been the verbal skills he’s developed. “Whenever I play those video games or watch movies with Spanish, I adopt their accents…it’s more so the accent I’m getting from the movie or video game rather than the actual words,” he said.
Cristobal plays a video game called “Far Cry 6” which contains characters that speak Spanish regularly. He is also watching a movie called “Radical” with his Spanish class. He developed different Spanish accents when listening to the characters in the movie and video games and it has greatly helped in his speaking. Learning an accent helps language learners connect with the native language speakers and their cultural ideals when it comes to interacting with them. Senior Phillippe Cristobal is watching “Radical” with his Spanish class to improve their listening skills.
Cristobal first got the idea to watch TV shows and movies in Spanish from his dad, who immigrated from the Philippines and needed to learn English once he was in the United States. “[My father] didn’t speak as much English as everybody else and he did tell me that he learned a lot of English mainly from TV shows when he came here,” Cristobal said.
Sophomore De-An Chen has also watched a variety of TV shows and movies to help him learn Chinese. “I watched a lot of Chinese historical dramas and watching those dramas has helped me learn a lot about the language that was used in ancient China. For example, I learned how to address different people from watching,” he said.
Sophomore De-An Chen watched the Chinese drama “Nirvana in Fire” to help him learn more about basic Chinese diction. The film has helped him tremendously with his Chinese listening and speaking skills.
Sophomore De-An Chen watched this action-packed Chinese Drama with his family. The film taught him about ancient Chinese and how the language has evolved.
Chen has watched dramas like “Nirvana in Fire” and “Three Kingdoms”. Both films have helped him learn about the languages spoken in different eras of Chinese history. Listening to ancient Chinese in these movies also helped him think about how Chinese has changed. After watching these two dramas, he has significantly improved his speaking and listening to standard Chinese diction.
Like Chen, sophomore Jianli Windorski has also watched films to help him learn Chinese. He watched shows like “Doraemon” and “Where are we going, dad?” with his grandma when he was younger. “I watched these [shows] with my grandma when I was eight. It helped me speak with my grandparents better. It basically just let me communicate better,” he said.
Watching films or playing video games in different languages is a great way to learn the language because hearing words or phrases repeated over and over helps learners’ brains lock in speaking tones and different pronunciation patterns. When students are motivated to learn and are having fun, they tend to learn better which is why TV and video games in another language serve as great tools to learn that language.
Language learning doesn’t have to be limited to textbooks and vocabulary drills. For students like Cristobal, Chen and Windorski, films and video games turned out to be great teachers as they enjoyed the process of learning a new language. Watching movies helps learners pick up accents, tones, or cultural speaking values that prove to be invaluable when in conversations. Entertainment media is a great tool to help with language learning as students encounter real-world language patterns that support comprehension and communication.
