Learning English Using Hulu (and other online TV sites)
Posted by John Fotheringham on May 6, 2010 in Featured Articles, Language Specific Tips, Product Reviews, Technology & Gadgets | 9 comments
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In addition to endless English listening input, Hulu.com is now a source of reading input, too. How could a TV site be used for reading input? The answer is closed captioning. Though intended for the hearing impaired, English captions are a wonderful tool for non-native speakers of English.
Thanks to Hulu’s new caption search feature, it is easier than ever to use closed captioning for language learning. Here’s how:
- If your reading skills are stronger than your listening abilities, try reading through the closed captions before you watch an episode.
- If you are watching a video and unsure of what was said, you can repeat a given section again and again until it is clear.
- If you want to go back and review the vocabulary from a particular episode again later, you can simply search for terms used during the show, and then automatically jump to the clip using that language.
The only downside is that Hulu is not available outside of the United States, so English learners living in other countries won’t be able to use this amazing tool.
Maybe TV isn’t so bad after all?…
To learn more, check out the following video and visit Hulu’s Caption Search page.
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Is there a list somewhere of Hulu-like sites for other languages? Alternatively, do you have recommendations specifically for German, Spanish, or Mandarin?
I don't know of any foreign-language sites on par with Hulu in terms of features and content, but here are a few sites that stream foreign TV online.
TV FROM MOST COUNTRIES:
http://www.tvchannelsfree.com
GERMAN:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/tv/onlinepr...
SPANISH:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/tv/onlinep...
CHINESE:
http://www.tudou.com http://www.youku.com http://www.657.com
JAPANESE:
http://www.v2p.jp/video
Hi
I've only watched the one video but this website seems useful for learning Dutch. They have both English (and I believe French, German and other European lg) and Dutch subtitles on selected programmes.
I've only watched it a couple of times and I can now reckonise the word for towel in Dutch.
Here's the site
http://www.2bdutch.nl/component/option,com_seyret...
Thanks for the link, Chris. Burt & Ernie in Dutch! How cool.
I've never studied any dutch before, but like you, I can also remember the word for "beach towel" even after watching only a few times. Ahh, the power of repetition, context, and fun!
More Dutch online TV can be found at: http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/
http://ETV.nl also has a number of educational video series.
Neither have subtitles, unfortunately.
Thanks, Damian. Even without subtitles, I think learners can make great use of TV shows as a language tool. I think sitcoms and dramas are especially powerful since they tend to center around daily life.
I'm glad you enjoyed Dutch Burt & Ernie – they're pretty funny.
In additional to Sitcoms and Dramas, I think many children's programmes are useful simply because they're easy to follow and also they tend to have very strict formats.
Damian, I'll have a quick look at your link and probably favorite it – it might be useful for me in the near future.
I live in France and can use Hulu thanks to HotSpot Shield.
Thank you for sharing the tip, Jennifer! I wish I would have known that when I was still living abroad last year…