{"id":14551,"date":"2016-11-15T17:58:21","date_gmt":"2016-11-15T17:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voxymarketing.ablru2ma-liquidwebsites.com\/?p=14551"},"modified":"2021-05-27T14:29:11","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T18:29:11","slug":"rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

The most common question I\u2019m asked by ESL learners when we first meet is, \u201cHow can I become fluent in English?\u201d The answer to this is tricky, because it truly depends on the individual and a number of factors, such as agreeing on what fluency even means. It\u2019s my job to help people become fluent, so I like to give them some real advice that I\u2019ve learned from observing people who speak English as a second language. The learners I\u2019ve met who emit the most confidence with their abilities in English are those who also happen to be well-versed in pop culture.<\/p>\n

A learner\u2019s ultimate goal in achieving fluency should be to feel comfortable speaking and writing in a foreign language. Part of that fluency means easily understanding other people, and eventually laughing at jokes and understanding sarcasm. The challenge in achieving this is that the material available in a typical foreign language class tends to cover more formal language skills and grammar, which might fall short when it comes to making friends or developing an identity within a second language. Spoken language is much more nuanced than a textbook can explain.<\/p>\n

So how can students learn the depths of real, \u201cnatural\u201d English without being fully immersed in it? In short, by watching TV series, movies and online videos. It seems that the next best thing to living abroad is watching people abroad. The type of language in pop culture has a raw edge that is chock-full of different accents, dialects, slang and even mistakes or deliberately incorrect words like \u201cain\u2019t.\u201d The students I meet who talk with me about the latest episodes of \u201cHouse of Cards\u201d<\/a> and \u201cStranger Things,\u201d<\/a> for example, are the students who are speaking much more naturally and comfortably about their daily lives.<\/p>\n

It has been my experience that being able to grasp the idiosyncrasies in conversations on the big screen translates to a better understanding of the dialogues and quirks of real life. When people watch movies in another language, they absorb phrases they\u2019re more likely to use themselves and they learn a certain level of social expectations within that culture. This familiarity and repetition pulled from pop-culture references helps establish an internal system of acquired language that is especially helpful when it comes to speaking fluently.<\/p>\n

So all those reruns of \u201cFriends\u201d might not actually be a waste of time after all. The movies and shows you watch could be helping you form the very language you use to speak.<\/p>\n

I suggest finding a show that resonates with your interests and watching it with English subtitles. Choose a show that\u2019s well-paced for your level of understanding\u2014you should be able to tell if it\u2019s a good fit within the first episode. As a basic rule of thumb, if you\u2019re able to follow the storyline of the first episode and you enjoy it, then it\u2019s a good fit. If watching the show frustrates you and you miss half of the dialogue, try watching something with simpler subject material that you can understand with less effort.<\/p>\n

For those who don\u2019t have enough free time to start a new series or watch an entire movie, YouTube<\/a> and Vimeo<\/a> have a lot of short films that may work better for you. Simply type in \u201cshort films\u201d<\/a> in the search box of the site you prefer, and you\u2019ll find a long list of shorts that range from one to 45 minutes long. I recommend these for someone who\u2019s looking for entertainment without committing to a schedule. Remember to choose a category you\u2019re interested in, whether it\u2019s comedy, horror, drama, animation, or whatever you\u2019re in the mood for.<\/p>\n

If you prefer to watch more practical content, I recommend checking out TED.com<\/a>. TED talks are relatively short speeches designed to share an idea, and the topics cover a wide range: science, education, technology, health, diversity, art, music, humor, business\u2014and the list goes on. These are great for a quick, informative and inspirational listening session. When you go to TED.com, click \u201cWatch\u201d on the top panel, then \u201cTED talks.\u201d<\/a> Next, you can browse through interesting topics, select English as the language and choose a duration. There are plenty of talks under 15 minutes that are perfect for English learners. These are especially helpful for people studying English for professional reasons or who plan to attend college in English, because they help prepare learners for lectures and presentations.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the goal in watching TV, movies and videos in English is to help learners feel more comfortable understanding their second language. This comfort and familiarity will build a base on which learners gain confidence in speaking with native speakers. Consider this listening practice a form of entertainment while your brain is working hard undercover to achieve the fluency you\u2019re aiming for.<\/p>\n

Let us know what you\u2019re watching in the comments below!<\/p>\n

\"Rebecca
Rebecca Wagoner is a Voxy tutor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The most common question I\u2019m asked by ESL learners when we first meet is, \u201cHow can I become fluent in English?\u201d The answer to this is tricky, because it truly depends on the individual and a number of factors, such as agreeing on what fluency even means. It\u2019s my job to help people become fluent, […]\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":14684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-para-estudiantes"],"yoast_head":"\nRebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The most common question I\u2019m asked by ESL learners when we first meet is, \u201cHow can I become fluent in English?\u201d The answer to this is tricky, because it truly depends on the individual and a number of factors, such as agreeing on what fluency even means. It\u2019s my job to help people become fluent, [...]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Voxy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/goVOXY\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beatriz Franqueira\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beatriz Franqueira\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beatriz Franqueira\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/c69551e1ec681720191a9e5ed9f1a9d4\"},\"headline\":\"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\"},\"wordCount\":847,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Para Estudiantes\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/\",\"name\":\"Voxy\",\"description\":\"Learn a language from life\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Voxy\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-web-stories-Google.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-web-stories-Google.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Voxy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/goVOXY\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/voxy\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/voxy\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Voxy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/c69551e1ec681720191a9e5ed9f1a9d4\",\"name\":\"Beatriz Franqueira\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/cc41450a89c234e5de7948b4e78bf8c1.jpg?ver=1779277528\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/cc41450a89c234e5de7948b4e78bf8c1.jpg?ver=1779277528\",\"caption\":\"Beatriz Franqueira\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy","og_description":"The most common question I\u2019m asked by ESL learners when we first meet is, \u201cHow can I become fluent in English?\u201d The answer to this is tricky, because it truly depends on the individual and a number of factors, such as agreeing on what fluency even means. It\u2019s my job to help people become fluent, [...]","og_url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/","og_site_name":"Voxy","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/goVOXY\/","article_published_time":"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beatriz Franqueira","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Beatriz Franqueira","Tiempo de lectura":"4 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/"},"author":{"name":"Beatriz Franqueira","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/c69551e1ec681720191a9e5ed9f1a9d4"},"headline":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture","datePublished":"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/"},"wordCount":847,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg","articleSection":["Para Estudiantes"],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/","name":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture - Voxy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg","datePublished":"2016-11-15T17:58:21+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-27T18:29:11+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/parker-byrd-89354.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/blog\/rebecca-wagoner-learning-english-pop-culture\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rebecca Wagoner: Learning English Through Pop Culture"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#website","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/","name":"Voxy","description":"Learn a language from life","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#organization","name":"Voxy","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-web-stories-Google.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Logo-web-stories-Google.jpg","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Voxy"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/goVOXY\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/voxy\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/voxy","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Voxy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/c69551e1ec681720191a9e5ed9f1a9d4","name":"Beatriz Franqueira","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/cc41450a89c234e5de7948b4e78bf8c1.jpg?ver=1779277528","contentUrl":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/cc41450a89c234e5de7948b4e78bf8c1.jpg?ver=1779277528","caption":"Beatriz Franqueira"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voxy.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}