Foreign Language Comics Where to Find Em, How to Use Em

Foreign Language Comics Where to Find Em, How to Use Em Kablammy! Boost Your Foreign Language Learning with Comics Wonder Woman. Mighty Mouse. Superman. The Hulk.We all know the names. We all love the heroes.And most of us spent hours lost between the pages of these comicsâ€"and so many othersâ€"when we were kids.But lets be honest.We still are obsessedâ€"scrolling on our phones for the latest updates about superhero movies, reading Kindle books of our favorite comics on the slyAre they fun? Yes. Entertaining? Certainly. Only for kids? Absolutely not!But comic booksâ€"and their heroesâ€"arent even just a way that we continue to enjoy the entertaining stories we love, theyre also a solid force for language learning.Not completely convinced? Thats okay, you dont have to be. Not yet, anyway.Lets see if we cant change your mind on this oneâ€"without using any superpowers!Why Are Comics Useful for Language Learners?Comics are excellent resources for language learners for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is their appearance. Lets face it, the graphic art is colorful, fun and visually engagin g. Anything that catches our attention and holds itâ€"while teaching us somethingâ€"is a useful tool.The stories are generally dynamic, so they grab your interest right from the very first panel. Theyre also short, so theyre a fast read. Reading in another language is great, but most of us dont want to take on lengthy epics for learning purposes. Comic books? Theyre just the right size for rapid learning.Comics are sequential art, which means the story is told through a series of art images. Those drawings actually force readers to align language with images, so a connection is made between vocabulary, image and action. You see whats happening while youre reading, which boosts your learning.Images reduce the need to know every single word. And speech bubbles are such an excellent delivery system! They eliminate unnecessary words and convey meaning quickly. The fact that idioms, sentence structure and vocabulary are illustrated and tucked in between the action is a bonus!Studies have even shown that comics can be motivational in language learning. They encourage reading, which favorably impacts second language acquisition.Kablammy! Boost Your Foreign Language Learning with ComicsHow to Add Comic Books to Your Language LearningFirst, and maybe most importantly, choose comics that appeal to you. The variety is almost endless; its really not difficult to find a character or storyline that will get you hooked.Devote some of your foreign language reading time to comics. It doesnt have to be the only reading you do, but if you make a percentage of your reading time strictly for comics you’ll enjoy the benefits they provide. Even 30 minutes every day will power up your reading skills.Comics are, like any other reading material, a prime source for learning vocabulary. So note new words and phrases with their meanings. You never know when being able to exclaim Thud! in your target language will come in handy!Keep up with pop culture in your target language on FluentU. Comics and pop culture go hand-in-hand, so understanding the place of both in the culture(s) of the language youre learning is essential.  FluentU takes real-world videos and turns them into personalized language lessons, which means youll find videos and vocabulary relevant to the comic book world in the FluentU library, like this Italian trailer for the movie Black Panther.If youre a beginner-level language learner, start with basic comics. Try childrens comics first, then progress to more advanced selections as your skills improve. As you level up, look for more expansive vocabulary in the panels. Graphic novels often offer more adult content, so when you’re comfortable reading basic comics, look for bigger challenges.Resources for Finding Foreign Language ComicsComic books and graphic novels can be found in many places.If youre really lucky, theres a comic book shop near where you live. Check your local listings for one. Most good comic book shops or bookstores can special or der foreign language titles if they don’t have them in stock. If you don’t see what youre looking for, ask the owner for assistance. They love comic books! They’re there to help!Secondhand bookstores are also a good resource. The titles probably wont be the latest editions but that really has no impact on their usefulness for language learners. Because theyre not current issues, theyre usually discounted. Ive picked up a lot of Spanish-language comics in secondhand bookstores. Theyre definitely worth checking out.The internet is, of course, a no-fail source for foreign language learning materials. Comic books and graphic novels are no exception and, fortunately, many languages are available at the click of a mouse!Abe Books has a huge selection of foreign language comics. There are a number of languages to choose from and a variety of comics, both old and newer, available. Try doing a search for your target language and narrow the results to comics to find results that might i nterest you.Amazon, of course, also has a huge variety of foreign language comics and graphic novels, and its  wildly simple to find some in your target language. Just  go to Amazon, type in [target language] comic books and hit  the search icon. Youll be amazed by the number of choices that appear. It might be harder to choose which comics to buy than it  is to find them! So if you dont have a local comic book shop, dont worry. Amazon has you covered!Some Great Comics to Try in Different Languages (and More Places to Find Them)Still not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas.German learners might enjoy the online comic  Sandra and Woo.  Its a comedy strip that tells the tales of a girl named Sandra and her daring pet raccoon. The strip is free and theres an archive of Sandra and Woo comics that includes a few years worth of adventures. But remember, there are plenty of other great German comics out there.Russian learners can find Russian-language versions of Garfield and Dilbert available on the site Russian for Free. Fun, learning and no cost? What an excellent combination! Garfield is recommended for beginners and Dilbert for intermediate and advanced learners.The Man of Steel absolutely comes alive in Spanish versions. Ive got to admit, I am a Spanish-language Superman follower. I snap this comic up whenever I see one I havent read. Learning Spanish with comics is extremely workable because theres so much material out there.Who doesnt love Wonder Woman?  Shes such an iconic figureâ€"in any language. Shes always ready to right wrongs and save the world, and shes a hero who deserves some space in your language learning program. Her action-packed adventures pull readers in and keep them turning pages. The linked comic is a triple-language edition, bringing Wonder Womans adventures to life in English, French and German!Kanji de Manga is a Japanese comic that teaches reading and writing. The panels are basic, but the drawings are action-packed. Everything ha s English translations so even someone whos an absolute beginner will be able to follow along. If youre more advanced, start venturing further into the wide world of manga.Mickey Mouse and Batman both deliver pure entertainment in Italian! Since both are such big deals in the comic book world, there are lots of books featuring these characters. Read one, and you may become hooked. These are my favorite comics, and Ive been known to return from Italy with a carry-on stuffed with Italian comic books!For Portuguese language learners, theres an epic adventure graphic novel called Dragões da Tempestade (Storm Dragons). The graphics are  stunning. But if dragons arent your thing, don’t despair. Just check out other Portuguese options!The possibilities dont end here. Whether youre looking for comics in English, French, Chinese or another language, theres plenty of material to be found online and at the resources above.As you can see, comic books can definitely add to a language learning program.All readingâ€"even fun reading!â€"promotes  language acquisition.And since comics are available in so many languages, practically any language learner can benefit from adding them to their bookshelf.Try a few and see what happens. I suspect that youll come over to the foreign comic book side of reading as soon as you get a feel for how the artwork, fast-paced storylines and larger-than-life characters contribute to your fluency.Comic books are the superheroes of language learning.Pick them up for reading funâ€"and watch your doubts go  crash! and  kablammy! as your reading superpowers hit new levels!And One More ThingIf you love the idea of learning languages with comics, you may love learning with FluentU even more.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.