Quote:
Originally Posted by maiy
Howdy,
So I'm working on my Japanese. I've gotten some stuff done, 200 or so word vocab, hiragana, some basic phrases, etc.
I'm also tired of listening to people ask where the bathroom is, but I still want to work on listening to the language. So my brilliant idea: watch some japanese movies and translate as I go. Practice hearing it spoken, expand my vocab scene at a time... easy for me to memorize movies for some reason.
So here is my problem... the japanese subtitles, of course, have kanji. I find it very difficult to look up these symbols... Last night I spent an hour looking through flashcards, and in various japanese programs for a word that has to mean something along the lines of regret( from the english subs).
My interest in Kanji is very limited. Is there a easy way to translate these subtitles? Has someone maybe made a katakana/ romaji script for a popular movie?
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Here's the problem. You are at a kindergarten level, and are asking a college level question.
The problem is subtitles are rarely direct translations of what is being spoken on the screen. Japanese sentences are structured differently, so in a long sentence you might be reading the second half while listening to the first. It is an ambitious idea for someone who has studied intensely for 3 or 4 years, but with only a 200 word vocabulary, you are in way too deep.
You spent an hour trying to track down a single kanji. How much more could you have learned in that hour if you were practicing hiragana or katakana?
I know this SEEMS like a brilliant idea, but will only end up as an exercise in frustration. Learn the ropes, then you get to get into the fun stuff.