The use of reverse subtitling as an online collaborative language learning tool
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 8 (1):
84--101 (January 2014)DOI: 10.1080/1750399X.2014.908559
Abstract
This paper presents an experiment on the potential pedagogical benefits of collaborative reverse subtitling in foreign language education. The principal objective was to discover whether reverse subtitling used as a collaborative language learning tool could enhance general translation and writing skills. The participants involved in the study had two and a half months to subtitle two short clips and were monitored as they followed a series of steps guiding their work week by week. The findings obtained from the analysis of the language tests results, the answers given to questionnaires and the teachers' observations are promising. Given the small size of the sample (20 students), it is difficult to make generalisations. However, the main conclusion is that writing and general translation skills can be fostered by the use of reverse subtitling within an online, collaborative learning framework. This is a very encouraging result that we believe will lead the way to further research in the field.