Stream Away! How to Navigate Netflix for Learning Languages

Stream Away! How to Navigate Netflix for Learning Languages Stream Away! How to Navigate Netflix for Learning Languages Grab the popcorn! Turn out the lights! Its movie time!Except were not at the movie theaterâ€"were snuggled under a blanket at home.Its quite likely that you, along with more than 100 million other people in the world, subscribe to Netflix. Its an increasingly popular way to watch your favorite movies and TV shows at a time that suits you.And whats more, its  a great resource to supplement your language learning. Yes, really!With the site being available in most countries, Netflix has been widening its material in languages other than English for years, and no doubt it will continue to do so. So whether youre binge-watching in Belgium, being a couch potato in Colombia or chilling in China, you can find something for you.Yes, Netflix is great for entertainment around the globe. But as a language learner, how can you use this to your advantage?Well, were about to cover some tips for making the most of all this material, but lets start at the beginning.Heres how to get everything set up right on your Netflix account and get yourself ready for success. Stream Away! How to Navigate Netflix for Learning LanguagesHow to Use Netflix for Viewing in Your Target LanguageChange the language on your profile.Doing this will ensure you have access to as much material as possible in your target language. If you go to change the audio or subtitles on a movie, youll only see five or so optionsâ€"but that doesnt mean it doesnt have more! You can only be sure of seeing whether a piece of content is available in your language by having the correct language on your profile.Changing your language on your profile also has the extra advantage of training you in the vocabulary on the interface!You can only do this on your computer. Log in on the desktop version of Netflix, go to Account, scroll down to My Profile and change the language to your whichever one you want.Tip: If you dont want to have Netflix in your target language at all times, you can create an extra profileâ€"e.g., Jame s (German)â€"to use when you want to practice. You can even have multiple profiles in different languages if youre learning more than one.Now choose something to watch.Even after youve changed the language, Netflix still has different shows and movies available depending on what territory youre watching from. If you want to find out whats available in your country and in what languages, check out unogs.com. This makes it easier to see at a glance what might be helpful for you.Depending on your target language(s), you may also find one or more of these lists helpful:11 Fabulous German Movies on Netflix to Improve Your Deutsch8 Awesome Movies for Russian Learners on Netflix7 Movies on Netflix That Are a Godsend for Korean Learners9 Portuguese and Brazilian Movies You Need to Watch on Netflix5 Chinese Movies and Dramas on Netflix Based on Popular Novels6 Binge-worthy Netflix Series from Across the Spanish-speaking WorldNetflix and Skill: 12 Movies and Shows with French Subtitles for Le arnersStart playing.The audio and/or subtitles might not be quite right yetâ€"dont worry! All you have to do is…Choose audio and subtitle settings.Under the progress bar, you can click on the languages buttonâ€"a little speech bubbleâ€"and choose the audio and subtitle languages you desire.Watch away!Youre ready to go! But hold your horses. How do you really get the most out of it?4 Smart Ways to Learn Languages Using NetflixSomething to remember is that, although you can choose from 22 languages, Netflix is still very English-focused. Not every film or TV show is available in the language youre trying to learn.The key, then, is to find shows and movies that have audio or subtitles in your target language. Even then, simply watching a movie isnt likely to make all the language sink in, so youll need to get a bit more focused. Theres some great advice here about really studying a movie and making it valuable.You can also benefit greatly from using FluentU in addition to Netflix, be cause it gives you a concrete way of learning from shorter videos. FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons. Both intensive and extensive listening (and reading) practice are important in language learning, and between FluentU and Netflix, you can easily cover both.For Netflix specifically, follow the advice below to get the most out of your watching experience.Watch movies or shows made in your target language.This is the ideal situationâ€"you get the full cultural and language experience with no terrible dubbing or awkward subtitles.Try searching for content in your target languageâ€"for example, Korean language moviesâ€"and seeing what comes up. It probably goes without saying that the languages youll be able to find the most content for will be those from countries with large and developed film industries. Youll have more luck with Spanish and French than Xhosa or Quechua!Als o keep in mind that there may be unfamiliar dialects from film to film. If youve been learning mainly Mexican Spanish and then you watch a European Spanish film, expect that some of the dialect and accents will be different from what youre used to.You can add the subtitles in your target language if this will help you follow. Theres also the option for subtitles in English or another language you already know. However, while this will help you get used to the sound of the language if youre only beginning to learn it,  beware: This can make it very difficult to focus on the target language, and you can complacently read your own language instead.Tip:  Treat this like a class exercise. At the end of a scene, challenge yourself to summarize the events of what youve just watched. Then go and watch it again to see if you still think the same.Watch movies or shows with target language audio only.You can switch the audio on shows made in English or other languages to that of your target la nguage. This is great if youre already pretty confident listening in this language. Unfortunately,  most Netflix shows have a limited number of audio options, and be aware that options usually means dubbing. Some of the dubbing is pretty good, whereas someâ€"particularly Polish for some reasonâ€"is terrible!The good thing about the dubbing is that its likely to be in a standard dialect of the language, so its good for learning if youre not confident with different accents or slang. Youll also be likely to get the same cultural experience as many others will have hadâ€"lots of European countries, for example, show all their US TV shows dubbed.Tip: Rewatch shows and movies youve already seen in your mother tongue with the audio of your target language(s). This way, youll be able to follow the plot without needing to put subtitles on, and you can focus on the language as its being spoken!Watch movies or shows with target language subtitles only.You have the option to keep watching Netf lix content in a language you already know but with the subtitles of your target. The most useful thing about this, for me, is that you can put it on all your favorite shows. At the moment Im learning Italian, which means Im watching things like Ozark and Breaking Bad with Italian subtitles.I would say this is less effective as a pure language-learning exercise, but it means you get to pick up interesting words and expressions while enjoying your shows as usual. Its the film equivalent of putting up little vocab posters on your fridge or wardrobeâ€"it fits into your day-to-day life.Just watch and keep half an eye on the bottom of the screen. Remember to pause and focus for a while if theres something you want to make sure you remember.Tip: Keep a notepad on your coffee table or bedside table. When you come to new words and phrases, you can note them down and review them later. The advantage of subtitles is that you know the spelling right away. As always, when working with authentic material in your target language, you may encounter a lot of language that youre not familiar with; you dont need to write it all down!Focus on words that either appear commonly or that are crucial to understanding the events of what youre watching.  Try to guess the meaning from context first, and then look them up in a dictionary. Write them down with either a definition in your target language or a translation into your own language.Watch movies or shows with target language audio and subtitles.Putting both audio and subtitles of a movie or show into your target language can be very useful if youre still getting used to the rhythm of the language and how the pronunciation and orthography connect.For example, if youre learning French, you can start to hear those similar-sounding vowel sounds as they relate to written words. You can also start to draw associations between written words and sounds in languages with an unfamiliar alphabet, such as Japanese or Arabic if youre a nativ e English speaker.Another thing to  beware of, though: If the original movie is in a different language, often the dubbed audio and the subtitles are not connectedâ€"the person on screen might say one thing while the subtitles say another. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they will have been translated separately, and an idiomatic expression or ambiguous word may have been translated in two different ways. Secondly, both subtitles and dubbing have to make their own compromises: Subtitlers often have to shorten sentences  so you can read them on the screen, while dubbers sometimes change the speech so it fits more neatly with the movements of the mouth on screen.Tip: Make this a richer experience by finding reviews of the movie or show in your target language. You can also search on YouTube to find vloggers sharing their analysis and opinions. This will give you additional reading and listening practice (and writing if you care to leave comments).So there you have it.Use it r ight and that Netflix subscription can really be worth the money!