Shadowing Practice: How 3-D-Printed Prosthetic Hands Are Changing These Kids’ Lives | Short Film Showcase - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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What it was like before having this hand,
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What it was like before having this hand,
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or like having like any hand, it was pretty hard.
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I'd get bullied a lot and like I really wanted to be part of a team.
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I wanted to have friends.
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I wanted to act like I actually had like my hand and I wouldn't really care if I had that.
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Enable is an online global community of volunteers who are using 3D printers
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and 3D design software to make prosthetics for children and adults who are missing fingers,
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hands and wrists.
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And we're giving them away for free.
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One of the reasons 3D printing is so well suited to this problem is no two cases are exactly the same.
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You know, some kids are missing all of their fingers,
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some are missing even the palm and the wrist.
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One of the reasons we can produce these devices for kind of incredibly low cost,
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well under $100, is these devices are entirely body driven,
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purely mechanical, so there are no motors,
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there are no sensors, there are no heavy batteries.
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So it's a very lightweight, very simple device.
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These hands don't even pretend to look like normal hands.
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They're very different.
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These things look like something Iron Man or a superhero would have,
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and the kids love them for that reason.
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Once I had this hand,
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my friends would ask, hey, dude, how's it going?
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Has anything changed with it?
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Is it working better?
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And it's pretty cool how they're actually involved.
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They're actually talking to me about it.
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And I love this, because I could pick up stuff and I could help.
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It's been really great to have Kieran and his family come to Pier 9 to prototype these new ideas,
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to test drive these new hands,
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and to be able to see the higher perspective,
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what this is all about,
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to see how that hour of CAD translated into him being able to hold his coat or zip a zipper better.
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What Enable has done is it seems that they've kind of proven
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that regular people can design amazing things if they're given access to the tools.
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I think it's pretty cool that I'm one of the people actually testing this out for a bunch of other people.
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It's going to be really awesome to see it when it's so big,
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every kid that has a problem like me will have a hand.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice English by engaging with a transformative story about how 3D-printed prosthetic hands are changing the lives of children. This short film showcases the experiences of kids who receive these innovative prosthetics and highlights the emotional and practical impacts on their lives. Through this engaging narrative, you will learn to articulate personal experiences, describe emotions, and discuss technological advancements in an accessible way. By practicing your English through this video, you will not only improve your listening skills but also your speaking abilities, enabling you to share impactful stories in your own words.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Prosthetic: A device that replaces a missing body part, like a hand or a leg.
  • 3D printing: A process of creating three-dimensional objects by layering materials.
  • Community: A group of people sharing common interests or goals.
  • Mechanical: Relating to machines or tools, especially without electronic components.
  • Accessibility: The quality of being easy to obtain or use.
  • Test driving: A term used to describe trying out something to see how it works.
  • Emotional impact: The effect that certain experiences have on one’s feelings.
  • Involvement: Participation or engagement in an activity.

Practice Tips

To effectively improve your speaking skills while watching this video, use the shadowing technique. This method involves listening closely to the dialogue and mimicking the speakers as they talk. As you practice, pay attention to the speed and tone of the children’s voices. Since the pace is conversational yet emotional, you may wish to pause the video after short segments to repeat what you hear. This allows you to focus on accurately capturing the intonation and emotions conveyed in their speech. Additionally, try to use shadowspeak by incorporating key vocabulary terms into your practice sentences. This not only enhances your language retention but also gives you a chance to connect the content to your personal storytelling. By using this shadow speech method with engaging content like this, you will reinforce your English learning experience and gain confidence in speaking.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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