The Television Trick to Learning a New Language
Every day for about five years, Israeli sisters Reut and Shoham Nistel ran home from school and plopped down on the couch to watch an Argentine telenovela with Hebrew subtitles.
五年来，以色列姐妹罗伊特和肖汉姆·尼斯特，每天放学回家都会坐在沙发上看一部配有希伯来语字幕的阿根廷电视连续剧。
The girls became so proficient in Spanish that they started speaking it at home to keep secrets from their parents.
女孩们的西班牙语变得非常熟练，为了向父母保守她们的秘密，她们开始在家里说西班牙语。
Although excessive screen time is often frowned upon, language experts say that watching shows in a foreign language --if done with near obsession --can help someone learn that language.
虽然看太久电视通常不是件好事，但语言专家说，如果以近乎痴迷的方式观看外语节目，可以帮助人们学习这种语言。
Melissa Baese-Berk, associate professor of linguistics at the University of Oregon points to a story about professional baseball players from Latin America who learned English by watching "Friends" with Spanish subtitles.
俄勒冈大学语言学副教授梅丽莎·贝斯伯克指出，有一个来自拉丁美洲的职业棒球运动员的故事，他们通过观看带有西班牙语字幕的《老友记》来学习英语。
But they didn't just watch "Friends"; they watched it over and over again.
但他们并不只是单纯看《老友记》，而是一遍又一遍翻来覆去地看。
Baese-Berk said there are three tricks to learning a foreign language through a show.
贝斯伯克说，通过看节目学习外语有三个诀窍。
First, it has to be highly engaging. The Israeli sisters, for example, never missed an episode of "Chiquititas," the Argentine musical telenovela.
第一，节目要有高度的吸引力。例如，以色列姐妹从未错过一集 《女孩们》，这部阿根廷音乐电视连续剧。
And Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis have watched every episode of the 10-season "Friends" at least five times.
而费城费城人队的游击手弗雷迪·加尔维斯把10季《老友记》的每一集都至少看了5遍。
Second, it's best if the show has subtitles, so when viewers hear a new word, they can look down and find it in written form in their own language.
第二，节目最好有字幕，当观众听到一个生词时，可以低头看一看字幕，用自己的母语找到生词的书面形式。
Third, the storyline should be repetitive. For example, "Friends" has similar storylines about 20-somethings in New York City.
第三，故事情节要有重复性。例如，《老友记》每一集有着类似的故事情节，讲述了纽约市20多岁年轻人的故事。
Baese-Berk and other experts add that although watching shows goes a long way, it's best to pair it with formal language training to learn grammar and structure.
贝斯伯克和其他专家补充说，虽然看电视节目对于语言学习很有帮助，但最好配合正规的语言培训课程来学习语法和结构。
2026年1月5日于昆明医科大学基础医学院
