The act of creating subtitles to learn a foreign language: theoretical perspectives.

What is it about?

Didactic subtitling is a relatively new area of investigation that is undergoing a surge in popularity. By bringing together findings from Audiovisual Translation (AVT), Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and psycholinguistics, some theoretical issues related to the practice of subtitle creation in Foreign Language Learning (FLL) are appraised. Concepts such as noticing, skill development, interaction, pushed output and consciousness-raising are addressed.

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Why is it important?

In a still predominantly communicative era, language researchers are questioning the effectiveness of entirely communicative approaches to Foreign Language Learning (FLL). Many support the idea that, if successful learning is to be achieved, some Form-Focused Instruction (FFI) is needed. This article reviews relevant FFI literature, and explores how far active subtitling can provide an effective strategy for focussing on form that leads to communicative language development.