subject: Preparing To Learn Spanish Abroad: Movies & Radio [print this page] If you are planning to attend a Spanish immersion school in South America, it is a good idea to do some advance preparation before your trip. After all, you want to get as much out of the experience as possible. One great way to get ready to study Spanish abroad is to get your ear attuned to the Spanish language well in advance.
One innovative idea that you may not have thought of is to listen to Spanish talk radio. Believe it or not, it actually doesn't matter so much whether or not you comprehend what you are hearing. You will improve your ear from just listening to the conversations.
The good news is that if you can't understand Spanish, it won't be distracting. Therefore, it will be easy to have the radio on in the background as you do other things. You can listen while you clean the house, pay bills, do homework and drive to work. This process will help you get used to hearing different accents and dialects.
Watching movies can also prep you to learn Spanish abroad. Why not take advantage of the multi-language feature offered on DVDs? First, watch the film in English (or your native language) so that you can understand the plot and story. Once you have completed watching the film for the first time around, watch the movie in English with Spanish subtitles.
Try to acquaint yourself with the text at the bottom of the screen. Lastly, watch the film in Spanish. You can complete this final step with or without the Spanish subtitles. By this last stage of the process, you will undoubtedly realize that you understand bits and pieces of what people are saying.
Also why not rent some movies from South America and watch them with the Spanish subtitles turned on? These subtitles are typically more concise than the dubbing. In fact, many people don't realize that the audio track and the subtitles aren't usually the same.
Here are a few excellent movies that you can view while preparing for your trip:
Machuca
Machuca is a film that was made in 2004 in Chile. The film, directed by Andre Wood, is set in 1973 and revolves around two boys whose friendship is interrupted when Pinochet comes to power.
Cama Adentro
Another great film is Cama Adentro, directed by Jorge Gaggero. This movie, whose title is translated as "Live in Maid" was made in Argentina in 2005.This film tells that story of a middle-aged socialite who suffers after the financial crisis that took place the first few years of the 21st century.
Much of the story is based on the relationship between this socialite and her maid. This film had an excellent reception at a variety of film festivals including Sundance, where it won a Grand Jury Prize.
While you may not have heard of either of these two films they are great movies that will not only entertain you, but will also fill you in on a bit of South American history.
Watching foreign movies and listening to the radio will not just get you in the mood to attend Spanish school in Argentina, Chile or Peru, it will also assist you to better understand the tone and flow of the language. You will find that the more familiarity you have with the language in advance, the easier you will be able to pick up Spanish in your classes.
