Exploring collaborative reverse subtitling for the enhancement of written production activities in English as a second language

Abstract

This article explores the effects of collaborative reverse subtitling as an activity for the promotion of writing skills in English as a second language. An initial analysis is undertaken of the pros and cons of the role of translation in second language learning historically and the role of information and communication technology in this process, with special attention being paid to recent initiatives on the didactic use of audiovisual translation in the form of subtitling, and the evidence of their efficacy obtained so far. Subsequently, a completed research project is described, which was aimed at promoting second language learning among distance learning university students through collaborative reverse subtitling. Specifically, the project aimed to explore both the potential of a guided subtitling activity for the development of written production skills, and also the dynamics of undertaking such an activity collaboratively, in order to gain insights on the social, cognitive, metacognitive and transfer mechanisms that can be activated in collective study. Finally, we reflect on the need to accumulate evidence on multimodal translating scenarios combining individual and collective work for the development of communicative language competences, through further research and classroom use, in order to consolidate and refine these findings.

Audiovisual translation in the foreign language classroom: applications in the teaching of English and other foreign languages

“…The type of analysis applied is both qualitative and quantitative. Concerning reverse interlingual subtitling, the research focus is the development of writing and translation skills (Burczyńska, 2015;Talaván et al, 2016a;Talaván & Rodríguez-Arancón, 2014b). In the three experimental studies available, a qualitative and quantitative analysis is carried out on reverse subtitling of movie excerpts (with Aegisub or Subtitle Workshop) with English as the L2.…”

“…In the three experimental studies available, a qualitative and quantitative analysis is carried out on reverse subtitling of movie excerpts (with Aegisub or Subtitle Workshop) with English as the L2. Two of the studies involve a great number of university students as participants in online learning settings (Talaván et al, 2016a;Talaván & Rodríguez-Arancón, 2014b), whereas investigation on the application of intralingual subtitling tasks in language learning is quite limited. To this regard, only two studies were identified, one of which combines the use of intralingual subtitling and dubbing.…”

“…The author calls for an integration of subtitling in the regular foreign language course both for writing and vocabulary enhancement. Talaván et al (2016a) investigate collaborative reverse subtitling for the enhancement of written production activities in an online setting within a research project on Collaborative AVT to Improve Language Skills in English as a second language at UNED, Spain. The month and a half mixed-research experimental study involved 68 undergraduate students of English who were divided into two equal groups (experimental and control).…”

“…However, a greater degree of improvement was found in the experimental group. According to the authors (Talaván et al, 2016a), "the learning experience has influenced writing skills development in the [experimental group], while the [control group] members have improved at a slower pace, […] there is a direct cause-effect relationship between the reverse subtitling process and the improvement of written production" (p. 12).…”

La traducción audiovisual como recurso didáctico para mejorar la comprensión audiovisual en lengua extranjera

“…En la combinación L2-L1 de subtítulos interlingüísticos (directos), es decir, la subtitulación estándar más conocida, todos los niveles de dominio de la L2 (de A1 a C2) podrán beneficiarse de la actividad, gracias al apoyo constante de la lengua materna. Cabe mencionar aquí que el uso de la traducción y de la lengua materna en este contexto resulta altamente beneficioso, al estar los alumnos inmersos en una actividad de mediación que además combina el componente tecnológico con el audiovisual (Talaván, Ibáñez, & Bárcena, 2017). Los niveles más iniciales (A1 y A2) deberán subtitular vídeos más breves y sencillos, con menor contenido lingüístico, mientras que el resto de los niveles (B1, B2, C1 y C2) podrán trabajar con mayor variedad de tipologías de vídeos y complejidades lingüísticas.…”