An international study provides new data on the importance of watching films in their original language. This study highlights the advantages of preserving the original audio of films, series, and other content in English for learning this language as a foreign language. In fact, school is not the only way to learn.
The research corroborates previous studies on the same issue, such as those cited in the supplementary bibliography, but presents new data, both in terms of the countries observed and the method used. The authors analyzed data from 36 non-English-speaking European countries with frequent exposure to films originally in English. The analysis distinguished between subtitling contexts—as is standard practice in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Portugal—and dubbing contexts, as is the case in Germany, Austria, Spain, France, and Italy.
To identify the specific effect of non-dubbing, not only countries were compared, but also two subjects: English and mathematics. Assuming that mathematics results do not depend on the mode of audiovisual translation, performance in the latter subject was used as a basis for comparison. This is an interesting strategy, which seeks to verify whether non-dubbing is a causal factor in improving English proficiency.
English proficiency was measured using three complementary instruments: the English Proficiency Index (EPI), based on large-scale online tests; the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which allows separate analysis of areas such as speaking and reading; and the Adult Education Survey (AES), based on self-assessments using representative samples. The results were also compared with those for mathematics from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
The differences between countries are clear. In subtitling contexts—such as Iceland (75%), Denmark (68%), and Finland (67%)—most young people report high levels of English proficiency in the latest AES, while in countries that prefer dubbing, such as Italy and France, these percentages are around 16% and 21%. In the most recent EPI report, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden are among the best performers in Europe, with very high proficiency levels. France and Italy, on the other hand, show only moderate levels, despite English being part of the school curriculum.
The analysis confirms that the effect of subtitling is consistent and robust across the three indicators analyzed. On average, viewing subtitled content is associated with significant gains—close to one standard deviation—in English proficiency; differences large enough to clearly distinguish subtitled countries from dubbed countries. The impact is similar in general proficiency measures (EPI and AES), while in TOEFL—a more demanding exam geared toward academic contexts—it is slightly lower. In the latter, progress is mainly seen in oral expression and comprehension, and is much smaller in reading and writing. The effects are stronger among young people, but are also observed in adults and older groups. Thus, if countries such as Austria, Germany, or Poland had opted for subtitling, their populations would probably have average levels of English proficiency comparable to those of the Scandinavian countries or the Netherlands.
Finally, cross-referencing the results in English with those in mathematics shows a positive association between the two: countries with better performance in English (such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark) also tend to score high in mathematics, while countries with low English proficiency (such as Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine) perform poorly in mathematics. However, almost all subtitling countries reveal higher levels of English than would be expected based on their math scores, while dubbing countries generally score below expectations.
In short, learning a foreign language is not limited to school. Watching movies and TV shows in their original version, with subtitles, also helps you learn English.