From a theoretical perspective, the practice of viewing target language subtitles on authentic videos, or videos that have been produced specifically for native speaker audiences, has been shown to improve numerous aspects of language learning from vocabulary retention to oral proficiency, listening skills, cultural understanding, and student motivation. Further, with advances in technology as well as growing commitments from schools to equip their classrooms with audio-visual equipment, language teachers now have the ability and incentive to experiment with authentic videos in their classrooms. From a practical perspective, however, educators must consider not only how accessible and theoretically viable authentic videos subtitled in the target language are as a pedagogical resource but also answer questions about how they can be meaningfully implemented into the language classroom. Among other things, consideration must be given to technological limitations, video selection, classroom time constraints, and the types of activities and course content that a given group of language learners will benefit from most. With these facts and concerns this insights from research into the nature of using authentic videos subtitled in the target language in the language classroom and also provided examples from my own personal experience of a teaching a full-semester course on the American sitcom Friends to third year English Department students at Korea Aerospace University. It is hoped that administrators responsible for investing in educational resources, language teachers contemplating classroom use of audio-visual materials, and learners seeking to improve their foreign language proficiency will embrace the pedagogical value of authentic videos subtitled in the target language and do their respective parts to ensure that they become an integral part of the language learning process.
I. Introduction
II. Why Authentic Videos?
III. Aren’t authentic videos too difficult?
IV. Conclusion
Works Cited