This relies on the idea that we are good enough with our native language that backwards or mixed up sentence structure can be quickly decoded and understood.
Making the native sentence relate exactly to the language being subtitled will allow the absorption of the one to one relationship of nouns, verbs and adjectives of the two languages. It will also show the phrase structure of the new language in the native language.
Following a subtitled unknown language I tend to match the odd word. Hopefully this way I can match a larger number of words, gain the strange phrasing and learn the new language.-- wjt, Apr 24 2010 "Madeleine, what that what that what that is?"
"Ah, Pierre, I have a doll in my drawer."
"That is the end of the beans! I have the mustard climbing to my nose! Why you not have used a cloak English?!!"
"Not make no a cinema! Go you to make to cook an egg!"
Would that help?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 24 2010 Hmmmm. This wouldn't help me at all. I have no problem learning the vocabulary of a new language, but the grammar (specifically the word order) is a bit of a problem. This idea would ruin the grammar while helping with the vocab. So not a good idea for me. I would prefer to watch an English language film, dubbed in English, but with the word order of the language I was trying to learn.
[+-]
[+] for the general idea
[-] for the wrong approach (for me)
Not yes make cinema an.-- wagster, Apr 24 2010 So the differential between the languages would be to great for this to work. Oh well, just a thought.
Writing the native subtitles as above sorely misses out the matching bit, though. Now I think about it, the subtitle display has to be timed matched to the spoken words for this idea to be truely effective. This would be a bit more advanced than standard subtitling.
Maybe, we could keep the native phrasing and have a red adjustible marker zap back and forth in time with the new language.-- wjt, Apr 25 2010 I like it, but to some extent it's Anglocentric, or at least centred on languages whose meaning is heavily dependent on syntax, such as English. This could be done easily in certain other languages whose word order is freer. In English it could completely change the meaning of a phrase, were it not explicitly marked as in a linguistics text. If you could get used to hyphenated abbreviations such as John-NOM Mary-and Bill-ACC see-PAST, then yes.-- nineteenthly, Apr 25 2010 "Have you seen the steamroller of the policeman's mother ?"
"Alas ! Summon the postilion ! There is a beetle in my Grandmother's eartrumpet !"
"The Charabanc is dismayed. Something is amiss with the Magneto."-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 I remember always wanting my French/German teacher to translate like this.
My name is /= Je M'appelle = I me'call.-- marklar, Apr 25 2010 I suppose in the end it would increase the work load on the brain trying to pick the correct meaning rearrangement. By examples given, a game in itself to keep the mind sharp.
Maybe, if learning a new language, this subtitling technique would be limited to children's learning type programmes where the spoken language is more tied to the visual happenings. This would give more clues to proper sentence rearrangement while still preserving the word to word information.
[Ian] I read Ant as Aunt first off. A kitchen really isn't a pen though. It's amazing what the brain weights if not in truly open mind mode. The cooking pyrex dish being the biased fact.-- wjt, Apr 25 2010 sic ut dixit [undevigintesime]-- pertinax, Apr 26 2010 as stated [ ??? ]-- wjt, Apr 26 2010 undeviginti = XIX-- pertinax, Apr 26 2010 Ave!-- nineteenthly, Apr 26 2010 Going back to the idea title, Yoda as a wise, omniscient judge, dispensing justice mixed with insightful Jedi aphorisms, would have a certian attraction.
"Too fast you driven have ... speeding fine pay you must ... "-- 8th of 7, Apr 27 2010 random, halfbakery