Are Spanish people just lazy about English?

It is so embarrassing. Many of Erasmus students that visit every year our university speak better English than Valencian ones but why? Well in my opinion is just because we are lazy (An Erasmus friend of mine told me the first word she learnt when she arrived to Valencia was ‘’siesta’’).

But in this ‘’colloquial essay’’ I am not going to talk about how lazy Spanish people are (We all know that). I am going to explain how watching films in original version has changed my life.

Yes, you have read it well. Watching films in original version has given me the chance to improve my English skills in a number of different ways: You get used to the pronunciation of American and English accents, you learn how words are written thanks to the English subtitles, you also learn colloquial expressions you cannot find in text books and your listening skills in general will improve a lot. But the first reaction to this is always: Oh my god! When I am watching films I only want to relax and have fun! I don’t want to learn English while I am sitting on my sofa, etc. (There is a long list of these comments, believe me).

Once you get over this stage, you will realize how fool you have been for not starting to watch films in original version before. Your English will improve instantly and the more films you watch the more you will understand. It is like a drug, in the end, you get addicted to it.

In many countries such as Norway, films are not dubbed and this has made a big impact on society because children start to get used to English since they are very little so their level of English at the age of twelve is very high. But that’s not all; many people believe a dubbed film is disrespectful for the director of it because the message can vary depending on if it is well dubbed or not. From my point of view, I share this opinion because an original version film is completely different from the one which is dubbed: You can appreciate more the real voice and performance of the actors and you can also get more involved into the film.

But wait a second! Maybe it is not only our fault! I am sure we also need political consensus in order to optimize the access of original version films in Spain. It is a fact that we can find only three or four original version films cinemas in Valencia and for the most part of the society it is easier to watch films online rather than going to this limited cinemas which are usually a little bit hidden.

In conclusion, we as teachers can foster children to watch films in original version and to step out of their comfort zone in order to improve their English skills like in other countries but there is still a long way to go for this to happen if this culture of dubbing everything remains the same.