Lesson: Improve Your Listening Skills by Transcribing

Transcript Hide translations

• English learners can improve their listening skills by transcribing spoken English.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• That advice comes from Pascal Hamon,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• the Academic Director for the English Language Institute at Missouri State University.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Students often study listening comprehension in less than interesting,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• even boring ways, he adds.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Transcription, however, provides a fun way to improve one's listening skills.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• At VOA Learning English, we often receive questions from English learners about how they can improve their listening skills.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Some learners want to build up general English skills,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• while others want to take exams that involve listening skills.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Take the TOEFL exam, for example.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• International students who want to attend an American college or university are often required to pass TOEFL,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• short for the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• This test has a listening section.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• It asks students to show their ability to understand short and long conversations in English.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Those discussions are designed to test one's understanding of common vocabulary,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• idiomatic expressions, and special grammatical constructions used in speech.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Whether you want to build general English skills or prepare for a test,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• being able to understand spoken English is a necessary skill.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• And you will not get better at this skill unless you practice!
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Pascal Hamon says that listening exercises should force English learners
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• to focus on turning the sounds that they hear into words.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Then, learners must use their brains to turn these words into a message.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Many students try to learn listening skills by performing listening comprehension activities.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Hamon believes that such exercises have value
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• but do not force the student to decode individual sounds.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Worse, some English learners listen to television or radio programs in English,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• but do not actively try to study how native speakers say words and sentences.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Building listening skills does not have to be boring, says Hamon.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• There are fun, game-like activities that build listening skills.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• One such activity, Hamon says, is to make transcriptions.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Transcribing is the act of writing down the words that have been spoken.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• English learners should start working with transcriptions
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• by finding audio or video material that has a transcript with it, Hamon says.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Then, he adds, English learners can start practicing.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• They listen to a segment as many times as they need, and they try to write everything they hear
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• without subtitles, without, just focusing on what they hear.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• And then they can check with the actual transcript to see what they got right,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• what they did not get right,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• if there are areas where they thought they heard two words but there is actually only one,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• or they missed a verb ending or plural or something.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Students should not stop the transcription exercise there, however.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Hamon says that students should always try to learn from their mistakes.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Students should think, Hamon adds, about what they could do better.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• By identifying problems, and repeating the exercise,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• English learners will improve their listening skills.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• You can start practicing transcription on your own by following these steps.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• First, find audio that has a printed transcript, but do not look at the words.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• You should choose audio that is right for your level.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• One way you could do this on our website is to open a story
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• and start listening to the audio before reading the story.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• All of our stories have audio below the headline of the story.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Second, listen to a short section of the audio many times.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• After you have listened many times, try to write down what you hear.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Third, compare what you wrote against the story.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Finally, think about, as Hamon suggested, where you had problems.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Ask yourself the following questions.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• What do I need to improve?
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• What words or sounds did I not hear?
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Remember, when you transcribe something, you do not always have to choose a news story.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• You could choose a song or part of a movie that you like.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Just be sure that you are able to find a transcript for it to check your work.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• To get you started, let me give you something to transcribe.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• Listen to part of a song at the end of this story.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• The song is called, How Deep is the Ocean,
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.
• and the singer is American Billie Holiday.
• This segment hasn't been translated yet.