A Listening issue

[TcBurak]

Hey there, I've just finished to watch LOST again. First time I watched like 5 years ago I was using Turkish(my native) subtitles. This time I didn't use any subtitles because I've done lots of practice since then. The issue is that even though  I can cope with the main idea. Sometimes I miss a whole dialogue or a couple of sentences in a row. Especially when the accent changes suddenly (like a scene with desmond and his scottish accent) I suppose I can understand %70 of the speech in an episode after all those factors added but I want more

Do you have any specific suggestion to accomplish this?

 

[emsr2d2]

Hey there, I've just finished [STRIKE]to watch[/STRIKE] watching [STRIKE]LOST[/STRIKE] Lost again. The first time I watched it, [STRIKE]like[/STRIKE] about 5 years ago, I [STRIKE]was using[/STRIKE] used the Turkish (space required here) (my native language) subtitles. This time, I didn't use any subtitles because I've done lots of practice since then. The issue is that even though [STRIKE] [/STRIKE] I can cope with the main idea, sometimes I miss a whole dialogue or a couple of sentences in a row, especially when the accent changes suddenly (like a scene with Desmond and his Scottish accent). I suppose I can understand [STRIKE]%70[/STRIKE] 70% of the speech in an episode after all those factors [STRIKE]added[/STRIKE] are taken into account but I want to understand more.

Do you have any specific suggestion to accomplish this?

Please note my corrections above, marked in red.

There is a very simple answer to your question - practise! Many people, even with a high level of a foreign language, have trouble understanding all the dialogue in TV shows and films. This is usually due to the fact that the actors speak quickly and colloquially, they might use slang terms.

My parents both speak fluent French. Recently, they both watched a French series and decided not to read the subtitles. My father understood, he says, 99% of it (partly because the series is set in the region of France where he learnt French from the locals). My mother found herself reading the subtitles quite frequently. She said that was due to the speed of the speech, the use of colloquialisms and the mild regional accent.

You need to listen to and watch as much English as you can. Find an English-speaking radio station and have it on all the time, even if it's just in the background. A station with mostly talking and not much music is best. You don't need to sit and concentrate on it. Just be aware of the rhythm and cadence of the language. Try watching a TV show or film with the subtitles on and then a few days later, watch it again with no subtitles. Of course, you'll be able to remember some of the dialogue from the subtitles but you will probably find that you hear/understand more of it.

There is no quick fix to this, though.

Good luck.

 

[TcBurak]

Please note my corrections above, marked in red.

There is a very simple answer to your question - practise! Many people, even with a high level of a foreign language, have trouble understanding all the dialogue in TV shows and films. This is usually due to the fact that the actors speak quickly and colloquially, they might use slang terms.

My parents both speak fluent French. Recently, they both watched a French series and decided not to read the subtitles. My father understood, he says, 99% of it (partly because the series is set in the region of France where he learnt French from the locals). My mother found herself reading the subtitles quite frequently. She said that was due to the speed of the speech, the use of colloquialisms and the mild regional accent.

You need to listen to and watch as much English as you can. Find an English-speaking radio station and have it on all the time, even if it's just in the background. A station with mostly talking and not much music is best. You don't need to sit and concentrate on it. Just be aware of the rhythm and cadence of the language. Try watching a TV show or film with the subtitles on and then a few days later, watch it again with no subtitles. Of course, you'll be able to remember some of the dialogue from the subtitles but you will probably find that you hear/understand more of it.

There is no quick fix to this, though.

Good luck.

I listen to the bbc news channel (radio) at any time I'm available. Do you think I should change the channel's genre, from news to another.
Thanks for corrections and suggestions, by the way.

 

[emsr2d2]

I listen to the [STRIKE]bbc[/STRIKE] BBC news channel (radio) at any time I'm available. Do you think I should change the channel's genre, from news to another?
Thanks for the/your corrections and suggestions, by the way.

I would mix it up a bit with your radio listening. The BBC news channels tend to be relatively easy to understand because the presenters usually enunciate quite well and there's not much conversation involving more than one person at a time, unless it's a formal interview. Maybe you should try some music stations as well because the presenters on more "youthful" stations tend to chat in a more colloquial way.

I don't know if you'll be able to access this but, if you can, you'll hear Chris Evans, the breakfast show presenter on BBC Radio 2. The station plays music but he talks - a lot! He also has guests on the show so there is a lot of general chat and sometimes they all talk at the same time. Let me know if you can listen to it.

 

[TcBurak]

I would mix it up a bit with your radio listening. The BBC news channels tend to be relatively easy to understand because the presenters usually enunciate quite well and there's not much conversation involving more than one person at a time, unless it's a formal interview. Maybe you should try some music stations as well because the presenters on more "youthful" stations tend to chat in a more colloquial way.

I don't know if you'll be able to access this but, if you can, you'll hear Chris Evans, the breakfast show presenter on BBC Radio 2. The station plays music but he talks - a lot! He also has guests on the show so there is a lot of general chat and sometimes they all talk at the same time. Let me know if you can listen to it.

I would love to listen to the show but only if the hours are appropriate for me. I'll try anyway and I'll let you know.
Maybe I can find recorded shows of him. Thanks for the suggestion and sorry for my mistakes.

 

[emsr2d2]

I posted a link to a podcast (a recording). You can listen to podcasts any time you like. I wasn't sure if you would be able to listen to it because sometimes BBC content isn't available to users outside the UK.

 

[TcBurak]

I posted a link to a podcast (a recording). You can listen to podcasts any time you like. I wasn't sure if you would be able to listen to it because sometimes BBC content isn't available to users outside the UK.

I've downloaded it. A 36 mins mp3. I'm going to start the listening right away. Thanks a lot.