Great resources from non-native English speaking creators
I am not a native English speaker. And damn proud of it too!
If you are speaking multiple languages too, you know how combining them in your life is…
interesting;
helpful;
sometimes challenging,
but never boring.
And it comes with some fun extra possibilities too.
I love listening to business podcasts from the US, and story podcasts from Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgium). I love reading fiction books from Ireland, and children’s books from The Netherlands. I love watching British series, and Dutch, Swedish, French, Korean, and Spanish series.
It truly widened my horizon when I started consuming media in other languages. I became much more aware that English-speaking stories also only offer storylines that are rooted in English-speaking storytelling. (I think by now I have seen more than enough Hero’s Journeys in my life.)
TV series from the US make jokes about US brands. Canadian books use idioms that are English. Australian podcasts mention holidays from the English-speaking world.
All of this is not -per se- a bad thing, but it can push other cultures out (as is very well described in this short but insightful article on linguistic colonialism).
So today I am celebrating all my fellow non-native English speakers (and their wonderful cultures) by sharing some of my favorite resources.
You are highly encouraged to share others in the comments below!
Films & series
Reflecting on my consumption of almost only English-speaking media, started when Gael and I fell absolutely in love with the Korean rom-com series Crashlanding on You. How did we not know about gems like this heartwarming, funny, and completely surprising South Korean drama. (Thanks Jon for the recommendation)
Anne+ is a Dutch series about the life of a lesbian student living in Amsterdam. It is absolutely delightful. Watch the 10-minute episodes with subtitles (for free) here on YouTube.
DARK is a German series, science fiction meets thriller meets drama. Great acting, intelligent story, and the fact that they speak German is a real added value. Find it on Netflix.
Reading
Impro magazine Status is published every month in 6 languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Polish) and created by authors that bring stories, opinions, and interviews from their own cultures. I have had many deep discussions about the topics of their articles.
The Facebook group Improvisers Talking About Food is maybe not the first place you would think of ‘learning about other cultures’ but it SO is. Discussions about etiquettes, ingredients and ‘what is normal in your kitchen’ teach me every day how we are beautifully different. (Thanks Gael for the recommendation!)
online courses
I am a fan of ‘Profound in the Mundane’, which is a mindfulness course by Pakistani creators Maheen Mohammed & Nida Khan. Lovely tone, great insights, very skilled teachers. I am in the middle of it and thoroughly enjoying it. You can access it through the Improv Learning Center*.
Because I am an omnivore when it comes to taking online courses, I actually also started ‘Impro from Japanese culture’ by Oshow at the Improv Learning Center*. It’s a fun way to watch Japanese improvisers play scenes, and learn about their approach to improv.
listening
The Spanish album Los Ángeles by ROSALÍA is so dreamy and cool. The Flamenco influences make it relaxing music I don’t usually hear. (Thanks Rick for the recommendation!)
For a few weeks, I lost my spouse to The Witcher audiobook. Gael was completely sucked into this originally Polish series of books. A masterpiece that is narrated in English, but the Polish setting is reflected in things like the food.
Stromae is one of those multi-talent artists, who makes absolutely fantastic music for parties and for thinking. Well, if you understand French.
I want to continue consuming more media that is not centering English speaking countries and cultures. Any tips you have, put them below!
* This is an affiliate link. Clicking on it makes no difference for you. But I get compensation if you decide to join the platform. Yep, it is a pretty neat system. I like it!
