Getting double subtitles to work!

Discussion in 'Learning Techniques and Advice' started by Expugnator, Aug 14, 2014.

  1. Expugnator

    Expugnator Member

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    I use the app tedisubs to get double subtitles for the TED dialogues, but they don't work anymore on my old device. Then I started using http://ted2srt.org/, but it hasn't been working for double subtitles for a week over now.

    What about you guys? Have you tried any subtitle merger software? I tried one once but it didn't work properly.
  2. Big_Dog

    Big_Dog Administrator Staff Member

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    I'm also interested about this. I often use double subtitles when I watch something on Viki TV. They seem to know how to make it work. Also, for many Japanese and Chinese TV shows there are hard subs, so only one soft sub is needed when I want to see double subtitles. When you get double subtitles working, how do you use them?
  3. Expugnator

    Expugnator Member

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    Either intensively or extensively. I tend to use them intensively, pausing and comparing, when the videos are shorter. As I progress and my reading skills in the TL improve, I may get rid of the translation, especially when the áudio is in English, as in the Tedtalks. But I admit that in the beginning I do more reading than listening or L-R.

    How do you get double subtitles in Viki? All you have to do is select two languages?
  4. garyb

    garyb Member

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    I came across Lingual Media Player a while ago; it's a video player that does double subtitles (either from files or generating them with Google Translate) and has various other special features for language learners. I've not experimented with it much so I can't say how well it works; I had forgotten about it until this thread reminded me! I might give it a shot for some Spanish films.
    pat tou and Expugnator like this.
  5. t123

    t123 New Member VIP member

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    I think they removed the dual subtitle option in Viki. They also obfuscated the URL for the subtitles, makes them difficult to download. That Lingual Media Player looks pretty cool.
  6. Big_Dog

    Big_Dog Administrator Staff Member

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    That sucks. I used to use them for Thai. But I've only been using Viki for Chinese lately, since their other languages keep being diminished (copyright violations).
  7. Expugnator

    Expugnator Member

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    I watch Poor Nastya at Viki.
    Maybe the double subtitle is available with Premium?
  8. Big_Dog

    Big_Dog Administrator Staff Member

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    I don't know. I don't have premium, and I just checked it out. Single subs only.
  9. Expugnator

    Expugnator Member

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    Today I merged the subtitles for TED in Georgian using http://www.srtmerger.org/en/ . It worked pretty fine with Georgian, as the encoding was UTF-8.
    I believe with the help of these double subtitles you can make different, stimulating study patterns other than the intensive X extensive dicotomy. In the case of Chinese, I watch 2 resources with Chinese subtitles-only, 2 with double subtitles and sometimes I come across films with English-only subtitles. The Chinese ones tend to have Chinese-only, simplified subtitles, while the Singaporean ones account for most of my fiction with double subtitles The exception are the Chinese-learning seried from CCTV that also have double subtitles. I believe they not only save up a lot of time, but reinforce learning in an organic way. In the case of TED, where the audio is in English, using double subtitles is more like interlinear reading in a dinamic way. Well, not exactly, because you get transcription of the spoken language, even if it's a bit academical. All in all, I believe by using double subtitles I'm exposed to different registers and learn from different contexts.
    Big_Dog likes this.

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