Question: In reality, do orcas actually understand English? Willy seems to understand Jesse when Jesse teaches him tricks.
Answer: Dogs can learn words up to the level of a 3 yr old, and whales are smarter than dogs, so definitely.
Dogs don't learn words, they start to recognize the sound that comes with a certain word like "stay" or "fetch", it's got more to do with the intonation than the actual word. They don't know what the word actually means. They can't imitate it nor can they recognize it in a sentence.
Answer: While sounds and words can be used to alert orcas and dolphins, they recognize the hand signals and movements as to what to do.
LorgSkyegon