Dateline Movies Goes to American English's Conversational English Class

Ah English, why is it important in the movie world? Most of the highest-grossing movies are made in English. Movies made in another language would almost always have English subtitles in an effort to reach a wider audience. Thus, getting lost in translation somewhere along the line affects the impact of movies on its audience.

Mastering the English language is great for career and business opportunities. In the movie world, it is very useful in areas such as movie dubbing. Have you ever experienced the struggle of getting past the awful English translations, or the terrible and/or unfocused performances from the voice actors, brought upon by several grammatical errors? If you constantly find yourself being like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, asking if they even came from a country like "What?", then we can all agree that the dubbing industry should step-up its game, and they can start by undergoing classes like this one I recently attended.

For voice-over aspirants and other players in the industry here in the Philippines, this is the place to be. This is the American English Skills Development Center, Inc., which offers Saturday classes for those who are in need of English language proficiency lessons, aside from its weekday offerings. You can find them at 1705 Antel Corporate Center, located in 121 Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Students who are seeking to enhance their English-speaking skills are provided a short list of courses that can help one in the path to communication efficiency, including Presentation Skills and Public Speaking, which is incidentally a favorite of mine. It is not the most formal of education settings, but trust me when I say that there is never a dull moment when you join the program. Fun fact, I am the only seventeen-year old in the room. I and the rest of the grown-ups chatted about personal lives, and even played Hangman, a classic of ours in my school, all the while upgrading our speech skills and whatnot during breaks. You even get treats for acting some of the activities. Plus, there is free coffee - every workaholic's creative energizer.

Attending this Conversational English class was a welcome breather after this week's "project avalanche" at school. It made me realize just how critical learning the English language is, whatever area of interest we have. Enrolling in any of the courses offered by American English Skills Development Center Inc., depending on your needs, will definitely put you ahead in the game as you work towards your goals.

That's all for now but before you guys actually leave, here is a short video from WatchMojo, featuring the top ten worst examples of dubbing and translations fails in anime. Hopefully, this can convince you that speaking the English language efficiently, proficiently and correctly requires learning even in the seemingly all-fun world of anime. Stay tuned for more Dateline Movies!