Reversed Subtitling and Foreign Language Learning: Investigating the Applications of Reversed Subtitling in Formal Language Learning Environments in Greece

Abstract

In light of the current generation’s extensive familiarization with technology and exposure to a vast amount of audiovisual materials daily, researchers have been investigating the effects of subtitled audiovisual products in foreign language learning for years. It has been generally found that the polysemiotic nature of subtitled audiovisual content (Lertola 2019) enhances foreign language learning, as the message conveyed is supported by the audio and the visual and textual information (Talaván Zanόn 2006) presented on screen. The relevant studies show that the various modes of subtitling (interlingual, intralingual, and reversed interlingual subtitling) offer benefits in different aspects of language learning, with reversed interlingual subtitling (L1 audio with subtitles in L2) having demonstrable advantages in the vocabulary and grammar acquisition of less advanced learners. A study was conducted to examine the current state of the integration of reversed subtitled material in the Greek learners’ foreign language learning experience. This study investigated the perceptions and practices of Greek teachers who teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with regards to using reversed subtitles as a teaching method. It was revealed that the majority of the teachers participating in the study had not used this mode as a teaching practice due to their unfamiliarity with its educational potentials. Motivated by the findings, the paper concludes with suggestions of informal learning spaces where learners could have access to reversed subtitled materials and yield their language learning benefits incidentally.