The use of audio description in foreign language education

Abstract

Audio description (AD) is a type of audiovisual translation (AVT) used for making video content accessible to the blind and visually impaired. Over the last decade, the pedagogic potential of AVT in foreign language learning (FLL) has gained increasing recognition by experts. However, AD as a didactic tool in FLL is an innovative area that has received very little attention so far, despite its significant potential for language learners. In addition, many experts in Applied Linguistics have shown a growing interest in the study of fluency, pronunciation and intonation.With these ideas in mind the author of the present article has carried out a small scale preliminary experiment with university students of Spanish as a foreign language. This article presents the methodological framework of the experiment which includes the instruments for data gathering. Although only six students completed the experiment, their responses were positive and encouraging as they found active AD tasks useful for language learning. It is hoped that the lessons learnt will inform the methodological framework for larger scale studies.

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

“…Pair and individual work were the most appreciated by the participants. Although it was not the aim of the study, in the final group interview, the researchers observed an improvement in the participants' oral skills in terms of fluency and pronunciation which goes in line with previous studies (Ibáñez Moreno & Vermeulen, 2015a;Navarrete, 2018;Talaván & Lertola, 2016).…”

“…Two questionnaires were also administered to collect students' perceptions of the two oral activities (podcast and AD). Navarrete (2018) acknowledges the limitations of the study; however, she considers that the positive responses of the learners to the AD task are encouraging and set the basis for further investigation. Calduch and Talaván (2018) investigate whether AD can foster stylistic richness by enhancing vocabulary acquisition.…”

“…They showed great enthusiasm towards the project, and reiterated that it gave them a valuable opportunity to practise English. Navarrete (2018) explores the potential of AD in the development of oral skills through a small-scale experimental study. The study involved six B1-level final-year undergraduate students of Spanish as a foreign language at Imperial College, London (12 students initially participated in the course but only half completed it).…”

An action-oriented approach to didactic dubbing in foreign language education: Students as producers

“…Teachers can use a variety of audiovisual programmes, as well as exploit different types of videos to prompt students to produce their own subtitling (captions, interlingual, reversed) and revoicing (voiceover, dubbing). Tasks on media accessibility practices, such as audio description (AD) for the blind and the partially sighted audiences and subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), are becoming more common nowadays too (Navarrete, 2018;Talaván, 2019). Nonetheless, all these educational methods must respond to previously established objectives.…”

The Effects of Intralingual Subtitles on Jordanian University Students’ Foreign Language Learning

“…The accelerating pace of change has put tremendous pressure on instructors who had no choice but to cope with the digital transformation and the technical know-how required in order for them to survive and not be left behind. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for teachers to infuse technology into teaching and at all levels of education (Adcock, 2008;Blyth, 2018;Navarrete, 2018).…”