Many English learners may already know that watching English movies and listening to English songs can help them learn the language. On Saturday, a few winning students in the Speak·Shenzhen campaign’s English contests told reporters how they reached the top by making full use of English movies and songs.

The four winners in the film-dubbing competition, 15-year-old Wu Xinyin and Su Xiling, and 16-year-old Zhang Chi and Xuan Zixiang, said they usually watched films or videos in English at weekends. Sometimes they resort to* Chinese subtitles* when they can’t understand what the characters are saying.

“It is better to have English subtitles so that the translation does not disturb you. But it is best not to read subtitles at all. Then you have to understand what is going on by listening really carefully,” said Xuan. He added that for some, not reading subtitles might mean missing some of the film, but it is worth in the end.

Sixteen-year-old Tang Dexin from Nanshan Foreign Language School, the first prize winner in the singing category* for this year’s Speak·Shenzhen campaign, said he had listened to more than 900 English songs over the past five years. He said he has not only developed his listening and reading skills in an enjoyable* way, but also gained natural pronunciation* skills.

Huang Juan, a junior student from Shenzhen University who come first in this year’s Speak·Shenzhen speech contest, said: “It can be a bit frightening at first, but if you practice and learn some basic techniques, you can overcome your fear of public speaking.”

Huang said a successful speaker should have one main goal in mind, to offer something different to the audience.

“You should be trying to inform your audience when you speak. That is the reason why they are sitting there and listening to you. Try to choose a subject that you are passionate about, this will ease some of your nervousness. Let your inner glow shine through in your actions and words.”

“Don’t forget to communicate with your audience with eye contact, body language and questions, your words can then better move or motivate them. Using your real life experiences is also good practice, as this will make the audience feel the warmth or feel as if they are your best friends.”

Above all, Huang said practice makes perfect, especially when delivering a speech in a foreign language. She advised anyone who wants to be successful to observe English speakers, taking note of their strengths and weaknesses.

(Adapted from the November 27 issue of the Shenzhen Daily)