{"id":20931,"date":"2026-01-19T07:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/?p=20931"},"modified":"2026-01-19T07:50:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T06:50:54","slug":"chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-20938\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reading-listening-300x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reading-listening-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reading-listening-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reading-listening-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reading-listening.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Subtitles and transcripts can help you understand spoken Chinese, but do they also help you become a better listener?<\/p>\n<p>Should you read along, read first, or save the text for after you\u2019ve listened?<\/p>\n<p>This article is based on a lesson in my video course <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\">The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water<\/a>.\u00a0You can watch the entire lesson for free on YouTube here:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uYu62eTXUXg?si=vcO9FhHUaYD_BD6d\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Tune in to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/podcast\/\">the Hacking Chinese Podcast<\/a> to listen to the related episode (#285).<br \/>\n<\/em><iframe src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/3h2glP4GknwkRy9rsTDKR4?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border-radius:12px;\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe>\n<em>Available on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hacking-chinese-podcast\/id1536284827\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/5iCRv1jg3j3yJZGJlYVYaO\">Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/uYu62eTXUXg\">YouTube<\/a>\u00a0and many other platforms!<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"should-you-read-before-while-or-after-listening\">Should you read before, while or after listening?<\/h3>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019re going to explore the following:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#listening-and-reading-why-are-you-listening\">Listening and reading: Why are you listening?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#the-benefits-of-using-text-support\">The benefits of using text support<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#subtitles-in-your-native-language-useful-but-not-for-listening-practice\">Subtitles in your native language: useful, but not for listening practice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#chinese-subtitles-better-but-still-not-realistic-listening-practice\">Chinese subtitles: better, but still not realistic listening practice<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#listening-to-learn-more-when-comprehension-matters-a-lot\">Listening to learn more: When comprehension matters a lot<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#reading-before-while-or-after-listening\">Reading before, while or after listening?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#option-1-reading-before-listening\">Option #1: Reading before listening<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#option-2-reading-while-listening\">Option #2: Reading while listening<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#option-3-reading-after-listening\">Option #3: Reading after listening<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#more-reasons-to-listen-before-you-read\">More reasons to listen before you read<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#finding-buying-or-creating-chinese-text-support\">Finding, buying or creating Chinese text support<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening\/#conclusion-text-support-is-great-but-only-if-you-use-it-correctly\">Conclusion: Text support is great, but only if you use it correctly<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"the-fluent-listener-navigating-spoken-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"the-fluent-listener-navigating-spoken-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\">The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water<\/h3>\n<p>This course will help you become a fluent listener, no matter your proficiency level. It guides you in building an immersive listening environment and equips you with essential listening strategies.<\/p>\n<p>Strengthen your listening to connect with others and navigate Chinese culture with ease, feeling \u5982\u9c7c\u5f97\u6c34 (r\u00fay\u00fad\u00e9shu\u01d0) or &#8220;like a fish in water&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>You can read more about the course here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\">The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-19771\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent-1024x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent-1024x300.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent-300x88.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent-768x225.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent-1536x450.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener_Logo-Transparent.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you prefer to read about subtitles, transcripts and when to use them, the rest of this article is for you. It covers roughly the same content as the video lesson.<br \/>\n<a name=\"listening-and-reading-why-are-you-listening\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"listening-and-reading-why-are-you-listening\">Listening and reading: Why are you listening?<\/h3>\n<p>To talk about subtitles and transcripts in a useful way, we need to start with a key question: Why are you listening? What are you trying to achieve?<\/p>\n<p>In practice, your reasons usually fall into three broad categories:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\" data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>To comprehend.<\/strong> You need to understand what is being said. Maybe you\u2019re listening to something important: a lecture, a colleague, a recorded message from your spouse, an announcement, and so on. Your goal is the information itself.<\/li>\n<li><strong>To develop your listening ability.<\/strong> Here, the goal is to get better at understanding spoken Chinese. You want your listening comprehension to improve over time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>To improve in other areas.<\/strong> Listening can help you build vocabulary and grammar, which in turn supports speaking, reading and writing. Or you might be listening mainly for enjoyment, motivation or cultural exposure.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>All of these are valid reasons to listen. They can overlap, but more importantly, they can also be in direct conflict with each other.<\/p>\n<p>If your main goal is pure comprehension and nothing else, then listening in your native language is more efficient. If something can be translated or you can switch languages, doing so might give better results immediately. But that doesn\u2019t develop your listening ability in Mandarin.<\/p>\n<p>The same tension shows up when adding text support. Seeing what you are listening to written down can help you understand much more, but it can also reduce how much actual listening practice you get. Which one matters more depends on your goal.<br \/>\n<a name=\"the-benefits-of-using-text-support\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"the-benefits-of-using-text-support\">The benefits of using text support<\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019ll use \u201ctext support\u201d as a catch-all term for subtitles, transcripts, captions, or any written version of what is being said.<\/p>\n<p>There are several clear benefits of using text support:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Extra path to comprehension:<\/strong> If the audio doesn\u2019t click, the text gives you a second chance. Even if your listening is better than your reading (which is not the norm), it\u2019s still sometimes helpful to see things written down.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Easier lookups:<\/strong> Audio can be ambiguous (tones, word boundaries, segmentation). Text shows you exactly what to copy-paste and search for (or use a pop-up dictionary).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pause and study:<\/strong> With subtitles or a transcript, you can pause, replay, and keep the content in front of you while you check things. That\u2019s just not possible with pure audio.<\/li>\n<li><strong>See what you can\u2019t hear:<\/strong> If you keep mishearing the same expression, seeing it written down often makes it click. Sometimes, it\u2019s possible to hear a common word or phrase dozens of times without really hearing it, in which case seeing it can alert you to its existence. If you want to go one step further, try transcribing short sections (see Transcribing Chinese audio as an active form of listening ).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Because of these benefits, I generally recommend choosing listening materials that come with transcripts or subtitles, even if you don\u2019t plan to use them immediately. Having the option is valuable.<\/p>\n<p>Still, as mentioned earlier, comprehension is not everything. Just because you understand more when you turn on subtitles, it doesn\u2019t automatically follow that this is good for your learning.<\/p>\n<p>A good example of comprehension not being everything is using subtitles in your native language.<br \/>\n<a name=\"subtitles-in-your-native-language-useful-but-not-for-listening-practice\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"subtitles-in-your-native-language-useful-but-not-for-listening-practice\">Subtitles in your native language: useful, but not for listening practice<\/h3>\n<p>If you watch a Chinese movie with English subtitles, are you actually listening to the Chinese?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe, but often the English text is so easy to process that you mainly read. If that happens, the activity becomes \u201creading English while Chinese happens in the background\u201d. That can be enjoyable, and it can be motivating if the content is good, but it\u2019s not a great way to improve Chinese listening comprehension.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s fine, as long as the goal is motivation, cultural enjoyment, or basic access to information, not listening practice.<br \/>\n<a name=\"chinese-subtitles-better-but-still-not-realistic-listening-practice\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"chinese-subtitles-better-but-still-not-realistic-listening-practice\">Chinese subtitles: better, but still not realistic listening practice<\/h3>\n<p>Subtitles in Chinese clearly have more benefits for developing your language proficiency, but it is still not ideal for listening practice.<\/p>\n<p>The reason is that you\u2019re focusing on the wrong type of connections. Listening is about connecting spoken form with meaning, but when reading, you\u2019re not even trying to do that. Understanding what something means by reading it is fundamentally different from understanding it through listening.<br \/>\n<a name=\"listening-to-learn-more-when-comprehension-matters-a-lot\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"listening-to-learn-more-when-comprehension-matters-a-lot\">Listening to learn more: When comprehension matters a lot<\/h3>\n<p>Still, even if comprehension is not a goal in and of itself, it\u2019s generally true that understanding is good, and often necessary, for learning.<\/p>\n<p>If you understand nothing of what you listen to, you won\u2019t learn much either. You can\u2019t learn vocabulary or grammar if you don\u2019t understand the sentences they are embedded in.<\/p>\n<p>In that situation, transcripts and subtitles can be very helpful. If reading enables you to understand more, then using text support can directly increase how much you learn.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth noting that you need to have reached a certain level of fluency in reading before it becomes helpful. If your reading is not up to par, subtitles might hinder more than they help.<\/p>\n<p>Reading with audio support is a worthwhile activity, but again, it\u2019s not ideal for developing listening ability.<br \/>\n<a name=\"reading-before-while-or-after-listening\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"reading-before-while-or-after-listening\">Reading before, while or after listening?<\/h3>\n<p>Now we get to the core of this article. Assuming you have access to a transcript or subtitles, when should you use them?<\/p>\n<p>There are three main options:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Read <strong>before<\/strong> listening<\/li>\n<li>Read <strong>while<\/strong> listening<\/li>\n<li>Read <strong>after<\/strong> listening<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The order matters a lot, so let\u2019s have a look at each option in turn.<br \/>\n<a name=\"option-1-reading-before-listening\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"option-1-reading-before-listening\">Option #1: Reading before listening<\/h3>\n<p>If you read first, your reading becomes meaning-focused: you are primarily trying to understand the content through text.<\/p>\n<p>Then, when you listen, you already know what is happening. You know the topic, who is speaking, what the key points are, and often what the next sentence will be about.<\/p>\n<p>That means the listening is no longer meaning-focused. It becomes something else, such as:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>linking spoken and written language<\/li>\n<li>noticing pronunciation details<\/li>\n<li>confirming how a word is said<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There\u2019s nothing wrong with that, but it\u2019s not great if your goal is to improve listening comprehension, for reasons we have already discussed.<br \/>\n<a name=\"if-you-want-to-read-before-listening-read-for-context\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"if-you-want-to-read-before-listening-read-for-context\">If you want to read before listening, read for context<\/h3>\n<p>Previewing is helpful. In real life, you rarely enter a listening situation with zero context. Reading headlines, a short summary, bullet points, or a few keywords can activate prior knowledge and make listening easier without removing the need to listen.<\/p>\n<p>Reading a word-by-word transcript before listening essentially spoils the listening (see Listen before you read: Improve your listening ability ).<br \/>\n<a name=\"option-2-reading-while-listening\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"option-2-reading-while-listening\">Option #2: Reading while listening<\/h3>\n<p>This is the case we have already discussed, including watching a video with subtitles or reading a transcript while listening to a podcast. Let\u2019s just summarise the pros and cons:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Extra path to comprehension<\/li>\n<li>Lets you pause to look things up<\/li>\n<li>Links spoken and written language<\/li>\n<li>Lets you see what you cannot hear<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Requires good reading skills<\/li>\n<li>Can distract you from listening<\/li>\n<li>Can turn listening practice into reading practice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So again, it comes back to the same question: Why are you listening?<\/p>\n<p>If you are listening primarily to improve listening comprehension, this is usually not the best default approach.<br \/>\n<a name=\"option-3-reading-after-listening\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"option-3-reading-after-listening\">Option #3: Reading after listening<\/h3>\n<p>Reading after listening is the preferred option in most cases.<\/p>\n<p>The basic idea is simple:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\" data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Listen once.<\/li>\n<li>Listen again (if you can).<\/li>\n<li>Only then check the transcript or turn on subtitles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If you want to read more about why listening more than once is awesome, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese\/\">Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"zuUgTjLQES\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese\/\">Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese&#8221; &#8212; Hacking Chinese\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese\/embed\/#?secret=ckZaXpGSAO#?secret=zuUgTjLQES\" data-secret=\"zuUgTjLQES\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This sequencing gives you the best of both worlds: You get meaning-focused listening practice first, and then you use the text to clear up what you missed.<\/p>\n<p>Reading after listening can help you:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>resolve ambiguities<\/li>\n<li>look up things you couldn\u2019t hear<\/li>\n<li>solidify your understanding<\/li>\n<li>link spoken and written language<\/li>\n<li>search and revisit content later<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you do it this way, there are very few downsides to using text support, and you get all the upsides, too.<br \/>\n<a name=\"more-reasons-to-listen-before-you-read\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"more-reasons-to-listen-before-you-read\">More reasons to listen before you read<\/h3>\n<p>Beyond the pedagogical reasons discussed so far, there\u2019s also a very practical reason to listen before you read:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easier to find good reading materials than listening materials.<\/p>\n<p>Good reading material is everywhere. Good listening material that is level-appropriate and enjoyable is harder to find, even if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\">The Fluent Listener<\/a> comes with a library of listening resource recommendations, sorted by level.<\/p>\n<p>I wrote more about this topic here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/listen-before-you-read-improve-your-listening-ability\/\">Listen before you read: Improve your listening ability<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There is one important exception to the \u201clisten first\u201d principle: if you\u2019ve already read something for another reason, listening to the audio is great for reviewing and re-encountering the same content in spoken form. The prime example of this is listening to the audio for a graded reader you have already read.<br \/>\n<a name=\"finding-buying-or-creating-chinese-text-support\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"finding-buying-or-creating-chinese-text-support\">Finding, buying or creating Chinese text support<\/h3>\n<p>Text support can be found, bought, or created. The easiest method by far is to choose listening resources that already come with transcripts or subtitles, however.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some options:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong>Use resources with text support:<\/strong> Many learner podcasts and platforms offer transcripts, either free or as a subscriber perk. If you have options, pick the one that includes text. Please note that platforms like YouTube and Spotify often automatically generate captions and transcripts. If you need recommendations for YouTube videos or podcasts, start here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese\/\">The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-best-podcasts-for-learning-chinese\/\">The best podcasts for learning Chinese<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pay for transcripts:<\/strong> For creators, transcripts often fund the project. If you love a podcast, buying transcripts can be worth it and saves you a lot of hassle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Generate transcripts with tools:<\/strong> You can create subtitles or transcripts with AI transcription, but remember that time you spend fiddling with software could have been spent listening to more Chinese instead.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"OvcqDLfI5z\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese\/\">The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2025&#8221; &#8212; Hacking Chinese\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese\/embed\/#?secret=4QKbbd3PGW#?secret=OvcqDLfI5z\" data-secret=\"OvcqDLfI5z\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a name=\"conclusion-text-support-is-great-but-only-if-you-use-it-correctly\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"conclusion-text-support-is-great-but-only-if-you-use-it-correctly\">Conclusion: Text support is great, but only if you use it correctly<\/h3>\n<p>Subtitles and transcripts give you an extra path to comprehension and make it easier to look things up, pause, and work with the content.<\/p>\n<p>The downside is that text can pull attention away from the audio, especially if your goal is to develop listening ability.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to improve listening comprehension, listen first and only turn to the text after you\u2019ve given the audio at least one (preferably two or more) honest attempts.<\/p>\n<p>If your main goal is understanding or learning from the content, using text support is often the most efficient way to get there.<br \/>\n<a name=\"the-fluent-listener-navigating-spoken-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water-2\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"the-fluent-listener-navigating-spoken-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water-2\">The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water<\/h3>\n<p>If you want a whole course dedicated to helping you improve your listening comprehension in Mandarin, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\">The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water<\/a>. The course will help you make the most out of your listening by improving what you listen to, how you listen and how much you listen!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/courses\/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-19864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup-1024x598.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup-1024x598.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup-768x448.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup-1536x896.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.hackingchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fluent-Listener-Devices-Mockup.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Subtitles and transcripts can help you understand spoken Chinese, but do they also help you become a better listener? Should you read along, read first, or save the text for after you\u2019ve listened?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,10,15,17],"tags":[1510,750,1100,556,622,637],"class_list":["post-20931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advanced","category-beginner","category-intermediate","category-listening","category-reading","tag-fluent-listener","tag-listening-comprehension","tag-podcast-episode","tag-subtitles","tag-transcripts","tag-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Subtitles and transcripts can help you understand spoken Chinese, but do they also help you become a better listener? 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