I'm sorry but I didn't quite get that...
The other day I found this website for Italian music, news, and shows over the Internet. I reminisced our life in Italy as I listened to the live broadcast of an Italian radio station. Listening to the radio (as opposed to watching television) is not a very good way to pick up a foreign language because there's no visual context to what is being said. Having learned Spanish (living in South America) and Italian (living in Italy), I can tell you that the last groups of people you will understand in a foreign language are little children, the elderly, and radio announcers.
That being said, the radio can be helpful if you have a basic understanding of the language. TV is best (but what's on TV may not be the best). We found Italian television programming (as opposed to dubbed American programming) a bit silly—especially their spettacoli (somewhat similar to variety shows). Also, shows that are heavy in history or culture are more difficult to understand. Good luck trying to answer correctly the questions on the Italian version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"
Lastly, idiomatic expressions (proverbs or sayings) are always tough. For example, in English one would say, "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." In Spanish one would say, "Mas vale un pájaro en mano que cien volando" (a bird in hand is worth more than 100 flying). In Italian one would say, "È meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani" (better an egg today than a hen tomorrow). Obviously, one who uses this phrase is not talking about birds or eggs so a literal translation doesn't really help. And, you can't reach through the radio or television and ask what in the heck they're talking about.
Comments