This isn’t me asking for advice, but I’d love to know what’s worked for everyone else!
I’m just curious to see the overall prefered method!
I know there’s a bit of debate, as watching with English subtitles makes you focus on the English, rather than the Japanese, but allows you to put two and two together and learn things,
Japanese subtitles is difficult if you don’t know the kanji or vocabulary, but gives you a more immersive experience,
And no subtitles is a complete immersive experience in nightmare mode
At least, that’s what I’ve heard,
In any case, I wanna hear everyone else’s opinion! Especially considering the difference in writing systems applied in subtitles
6 comments
**Never use English subtitles!!**
You watch either raw or with Japanese subtitles. There are a lot of tools to help you learn from/with Japanese subtitles (subadub, asbplayer, yomichan, kitsunekko)
Depends entirely on what your goal is.
If you are doing dedicated listening study, then find something short and within your level range and avoid subtitles. Go back and turn on the Japanese subs for anything you can’t quite make out. Prioritize utility over enjoyment.
If you’re trying to combine fun and study and you are good at listening, find something easy-ish and leave the subs off. If you have processing difficulties and use subs in your native language, turn on Japanese subtitles. Go back or pause as necessary to get sufficient understanding.
If you’re just watching something for fun but want to pick up a bit of Japanese here and there, then use dual subs. Pay the most attention to the English for efficient consumption, but try to listen and catch some of the Japanese subs as you can.
Nothing says you can’t combine all these methods depending on your mood and specific goals. Sticking to a singular method, especially the more strict ones, is a good recipe for stress and burnout.
I don’t know, i watch with English subtitles and i don’t feel like it has done nothing for my comprehension.
I’ve just finished Genki I and my reading speed and knowledge of kanji is really limited, so reading Japanese subtitles is kind of useless. If anything it adds more brain load and i don’t know what to concentrate on, listening, or reading.
All of the methods mentioned require sitting in front of the computer and stopping and rewinding, which is fine, but it’s a totally different exercise than simply immersing.
I do mine anime after I’ve watched it. Another thing i do, which really helps, is watch everything twice. The second time without subtitles. That way, it’s easier because I already know more or less what’s being said and i can focus more intently on discerning words and phrases.
I don’t watch with subs when I’m not studying but if I am I use Japanese subs to sentence mine
As you mentioned, eng subs is good for getting down the fundamentals of vocab and english equivalents of formulaic expression and nuance.
So you learn to recognise when someone is talking like a gangster from the word endings, or become able to complete the meaning of sentences that are left suspended as its typical of Japanese.
For many years I’ve watched with eng subs bc I couldn’t find unsubbed anime but I always made the effort to hide the sub or not look at it unless I was really lost. First I would try to guess the meaning in my head and then I could look at subs to confirm or correct my understanding.
Just some months ago I got Netflix Japan with jap subtitles and I felt it was a great help especially with scifi anime that had lots of scientific vocab bc although many bysillabic words all sounded the same to me, when I glanced at the kanji I could understand a lot more.
Because Netflix doesn’t have a lot of anime I like, I’m now watching unsubbed anime streams and it feels much more natural. I’m amazed at how many things I can grasp, although I still get lost when people talk fast or with weird intonation/screaming lol.
I think going unsubbed as an absolute beginner is pretty brutal unless you watch pre-k shows, but I guess it could train your ear faster.
I think watching with English subs is minimally helpful. You’ll learn a couple words, but you need thousands of hours of listening practice to be able to understand anyway, why not do it in a controlled environment with anime? I think for serious studying subs off (will help listening a ton since no subs irl unfortunately) or if you want reading improvement, subs on (will help in solidifying your kanji and comprehension)