Reading Subtitles Research Articles

Effects of English Film Subtitle on the Vocabulary Level of Grade-11 Students in a private school in Sipocot, Camarines Sur

This study aimed to determine the effects of reading subtitles on the vocabulary level of Grade-11 students in a private school in Sipocot, Camarines Sur. The study employed a pre-experimental design with static group comparison and descriptive correlational methods. The data gathering tools used were a survey questionnaire and a researcher-made test. The test was used to assess the vocabulary level of the respondents. The study found that there was a significant difference in the language proficiency of respondents who read subtitles and those who did not, in terms of vocabulary, form, meaning, and use. The respondents who read subtitles demonstrated a higher level of language proficiency in vocabulary compared to those who did not read subtitles. The study also found that there was no significant relationship between the extent of reading subtitles and vocabulary level in terms of form and meaning, but there was a significant relationship in terms of use only. Based on the findings, the study concluded that reading subtitles while watching English films can expand vocabulary level for further purposes.

An experimental study on reading in high‐immersion virtual reality

AbstractHigh‐immersion virtual reality (VR) is an increasingly valued environment for language learners. Although reading constitutes a core language skill, practicing reading in VR has received little attention. In this between‐subject, quantitative study, 79 intermediate learners of English at a German university were randomly assigned to view an interactive, multimedia‐rich story under two conditions. In the experimental condition, subjects (the VR group) experienced the story using a high‐immersion VR headset. In the comparison condition, subjects (the video group) watched a video recording (ie, screencast) of the same VR experience. In both conditions, the story was presented using identical captions in English, which served as the reading comprehension text. In addition to measuring the impact of VR on reading comprehension, validated questionnaires yielded data on the subjects' intrinsic motivation, sense of presence and cognitive load. The analysis produced several findings. First, t‐tests revealed the VR group was associated with statistically significantly higher reading comprehension scores compared with the video group (p = 0.03). Second, Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests showed that the VR treatment elicited statistically significantly higher levels of motivation (p ≤ 0.0001) and sense of presence (p ≤ 0.0001). Cognitive load was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.22). Our main implication is that VR can be beneficial for reading practice. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic High‐immersion virtual reality (VR) is engaging and motivational. Engaging students to practice reading is important. Research on practicing reading in VR has received little attention. What this paper adds It examines the effectiveness of using VR for practicing reading. It shows that VR enhances motivation and the sense of presence when reading. Students report equal levels of cognitive load while reading subtitles in VR and reading subtitles in videos. Implications for practice and/or policy Our main implication is that VR can be beneficial for reading practice. VR could be used as a motivational tool to engage students in reading activities.

Want to quickly adapt to distorted speech and become a better listener? Read lips, not text.

When listening to distorted speech, does one become a better listener by looking at the face of the speaker or by reading subtitles that are presented along with the speech signal? We examined this question in two experiments in which we presented participants with spectrally distorted speech (4-channel noise-vocoded speech). During short training sessions, listeners received auditorily distorted words or pseudowords that were partially disambiguated by concurrently presented lipread information or text. After each training session, listeners were tested with new degraded auditory words. Learning effects (based on proportions of correctly identified words) were stronger if listeners had trained with words rather than with pseudowords (a lexical boost), and adding lipread information during training was more effective than adding text (a lipread boost). Moreover, the advantage of lipread speech over text training was also found when participants were tested more than a month later. The current results thus suggest that lipread speech may have surprisingly long-lasting effects on adaptation to distorted speech.

Accessible Cinema for Older Adults

Age-related sensory and cognitive decline of older adults is typically not taken into consideration while designing accessible audiovisual services. As most studies on audiovisual translation (AVT) and media accessibility have focused on young or adult audiences, we know little about specific preferences and needs of older adults regarding AVT. In 2015, 82% of Polish older adults declared that they never or almost never go to the cinema, which for the vast majority of foreign films offers subtitling. A study carried out as part of the AudioMovie project in Poland suggested that older adults may have problems with reading subtitles and that they are willing to use an accessibility application to watch films with audio subtitles (AST) in the cinemas. However, we still do not know if they are able to deal with the technology once they actually start using it. This focus group study investigated whether older adults experience problems with reading subtitles and whether they be willing to use a smartphone application in the cinema. The results show that older adults may have problems with following subtitles, especially when watching fast-paced films, and, although they are not always proficient smartphone users, the overall reception of the app was positive. Lay summary In Poland, the translation of foreign films in cinemas is usually provided through subtitling (dubbing is used only for family films). This mode of audiovisual translation might be particularly difficult to process for older viewers who usually experience vision loss, hearing loss and decline in cognitive functioning. While most academic studies have focused on young or adult audiences, little is known about the specific preferences and needs of older adults regarding the type of audiovisual translation. A survey carried out in Poland in 2018 has suggested that older adults may find it difficult to read subtitles and that they may be willing to use a smartphone application that would provide an oral translation (voice-over or dubbing) in cinemas. However, it is not yet known if this group of viewers is prepared to manage the functions of the technology (in this case, a smartphone) once they start using it. With that in mind, I conducted a group interview which investigated whether older adults experience problems with reading subtitles, and whether they would be willing to use a smartphone application in the cinema. The results show that older adults may have problems reading subtitles, especially when watching fast-paced films. The overall reception of the app was positive, though the participants were not always proficient smartphone users. The study also suggests that such applications could help elderly cinema-goers watch films in their preferred types of translation (such as dubbing or voice-over).

Subtitles as a Tool to Boost Language Learning and Intercultural Awareness?

There is growing concern about the steep decline in language learning in the UK over the last 20 years. A simple, inexpensive way to boost children’s learning of other languages in the UK and indeed in other countries could be to increase their exposure to subtitled audiovisual (AV) content in other languages. There is considerable evidence that subtitled AV content can aid children’s acquisition of other languages, enhance their literacy skills, and foster intercultural awareness. However, little attention seems to have been paid thus far to eliciting the opinions and experiences of children themselves of watching subtitled films and television programmes in other languages. This study aims to contribute to filling the gap. A cohort of 17 children aged 8-9 years took part in interviews and participatory workshops and shared their views and experiences of viewing AV content with interlingual subtitles. Although the sample size is small, the findings of this study support the proposal of providing children with greater access to subtitled AV content in other languages, since the children’s responses to the idea were overwhelmingly positive, and many felt that this would help them to learn languages and about other cultures in a fun way. Lay summary In the UK, the number of children and young people studying languages has fallen sharply over the last 20 years. This is causing a lot of concern, because learning other languages is very beneficial, especially for children and young people. Studying languages can improve their communication skills and open up other cultures and job opportunities to them. Language skills are also important for inclusion and wellbeing in our increasingly multilingual societies and for international relations and trade. Many studies have shown that watching videos in other languages with subtitles can boost children’s language learning and help them learn to read in their home language. But few researchers have asked children themselves about their opinions on reading subtitles. To help fill this gap, I held interviews and workshops with 17 children aged 8–9 years about their views and experiences of watching subtitled videos in other languages. Their answers were very positive. Many felt it helps them learn languages and about other cultures in a fun way. As a result, I have concluded that a cheap, simple way we can help children to learn other languages is by making it easier for them to watch more TV programmes and films in other languages with subtitles.

Why subtitle speed matters: Evidence from word skipping and rereading

AbstractHigh subtitle speed undoubtedly impacts the viewer experience. However, little is known about how fast subtitles might impact the reading of individual words. This article presents new findings on the effect of subtitle speed on viewers’ reading behavior using word-based eye-tracking measures with specific attention to word skipping and rereading. In multimodal reading situations such as reading subtitles in video, rereading allows people to correct for oculomotor error or comprehension failure during linguistic processing or integrate words with elements of the image to build a situation model of the video. However, the opportunity to reread words, to read the majority of the words in the subtitle and to read subtitles to completion, is likely to be compromised when subtitles are too fast. Participants watched videos with subtitles at 12, 20, and 28 characters per second (cps) while their eye movements were recorded. It was found that comprehension declined as speed increased. Eye movement records also showed that faster subtitles resulted in more incomplete reading of subtitles. Furthermore, increased speed also caused fewer words to be reread following both horizontal eye movements (likely resulting in reduced lexical processing) and vertical eye movements (which would likely reduce higher-level comprehension and integration).

Effects of subtitle speed on proportional reading time

AbstractHow much time do viewers spend reading subtitles and does it depend on the subtitle speed? By posing these questions, in this paper we re-analyse previous data to address this issue while promoting two methodological advancements in eye-tracking audiovisual research: (1) the use of proportional reading time (PRT) as a metric of time spent on subtitle reading and (2) the analysis of data via linear mixed models (LMMs). We tested 19 Polish L1 viewers with advanced English proficiency watching two clips with English soundtrack with Polish subtitles. First, we compared PRT at two different subtitle speeds: 12 characters per second (cps) and 20 cps. Then, we used actual subtitle speed rates to better understand the speed-PRT relationship. The results showed a significantly higher PRT for 20 cps compared to 12 cps, with the models predicting a PRT of 45.24% at 20 cps. We have also found strong evidence of the advantage of LMMs over more commonly used statistical techniques.

Accessible scenic arts and Virtual Reality: A pilot study with aged people about user preferences when reading subtitles in immersive environments

The technological advancements in virtual reality and other forms of immersive content such as 360o video are triggering the concept of liveness in the scenic arts, and deserve in-depth consideration in audiovisual translation studies. The reception of subtitles in this new VR-based media needs to be studied. In the specific field of media accessibility, accessibility in immersive media much research needs to be done. This article explores the preferences of two subtitle options: Subtitles for the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing and Easy-to-Read in a 360o video of Romeo and Juliette the opera, played at the Gran Teatre del Liceu during the 2017/2018 season. A pilot study was prepared and conducted with the aim of determining which subtitling options are preferred by users aged between 50 and 79.

Accessibility Mainstreaming and Beyond – Senior Citizens as Secondary Users of Audio Subtitles in Cinemas

Audiovisual accessibility is traditionally seen as a means of providing access for people with sensory impairments, be it sight or hearing loss (Orero, 2004). Recently, a much broader perspective opened as some also see it as a way of providing linguistic accessibility (Díaz Cintas, 2005; Orero & Matamala, 2007) or even as services that cater for the specific needs of people who "cannot, or cannot properly, access the audiovisual content in its original form" (Greco, 2016: 23). This article fits squarely into this trend as it reports on a survey-based study set out to find out preferences regarding linguistic accessibility in the cinema among unimpaired senior citizens in Poland. On the whole, 40 people aged 60 or more took part in the study. Results show that senior citizens are more likely to choose voice-over and dubbing over subtitling. This could be because the majority of participants declared that they experience discomfort or difficulties when reading subtitles. As a result, they are willing to use a mobile app that would enable them to listen to audio subtitles in the cinemas.

Effects of Watching Flash Stories with or without Subtitle and Reading Subtitles on Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

This study investigated the effect of flash stories with or without subtitle on incidental vocabulary acquisition of elementary learners. To this end, two experimental groups and one control group were selected. The data was gathered through a 5-point vocabulary knowledge scale. After random assignment of the participants into three groups, they were given the same pre- and post-test before and after the treatment. An ANCOVA was used to compare the effectiveness of each language material on incidental vocabulary acquisition (IVA) of the learners. The results revealed that flash stories resulted in more IVA of the respondents than reading subtitles as text.

Power, Identity and Subtitling in a Diglossic Society

This article attempts to address the problematics of identity and power relations as they arise in the practice of subtitling. Specifically, the article asks questions about how subtitling can play an active part in the shaping of identity by mediating between the local, the national and the global, and how the subtitler can be an agent in adjusting the power relations between cultural constituencies. These questions are considered in the context of a diglossic society, not only because issues about language, identity and power relations are inextricably involved in discussions about diglossia, but also because diglossia is a common experience for many subtitlers and film audiences. The possibility is explored that the subtitler can create a hybrid language that redefines the rigid roles assigned to the local dialect and the national language and revises our codes for reading subtitles. Examples from Hong Kong are used to illustrate these points.

Effects of text chunking on subtitling: A quantitative and qualitative examination

Our work serves as an assay of the visual impact of text chunking on live (respoken) subtitles. We evaluate subtitles constructed with different chunking methods to determine whether segmentation influences comprehension or otherwise affects the viewing experience. Disparities in hearing participants' recorded eye movements over four styles of subtitling suggest that chunking reduces the amount of time spent reading subtitles.

Posterior cortical atrophy with [11C] Pittsburgh compound B accumulation in the primary visual cortex

Sirs, Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a presenile dementia that presents primarily with signs and symptoms of cortical visual dysfunction [1]. The most common associated pathologic findings of PCA are amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles predominantly affecting the visual association areas [8]. Although [C] Pittsburgh compound B (PIB) PET studies of amnestic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been conducted [2, 3, 5], the link between amyloid-b (Ab) and regional brain dysfunction remains controversial. However, two PIB studies of PCA supported the possible link between Ab deposition and clinical features [7, 10]. Here, we describe a patient with PCA who showed left homonymous hemianopsia and uncoupling between PIB uptake and glucose metabolism in the right occipital lobe. A 63-year-old woman consulted our hospital with a 5-year history of poor vision. She first noticed that characters on posters appeared to be shaking. One year later, she found difficulty in reading subtitles in movies and then she became unable to read books. On neurological examination, she showed left homonymous hemianopsia. A Goldmann dynamic visual field examination demonstrated macular-sparing left homonymous hemianopsia. Visual acuity was normal and bilateral light reflexes were prompt. Other neurological examinations were normal. On neuropsychological evaluations, she showed visuospatial dysfunction and dyscalculia. MMSE score was 26 of 30. Memory function was preserved. She demonstrated disturbed recognition of superimposed figures. Face and color recognition were normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Ab42 was decreased (297 pg/ ml) and in normal controls, the levels are 874 ± 293 pg/ml (mean ± SD, INNOTEST b-AMYLOID(1-42), Innogenetics, Ghent, Belgium). CSF tau protein phosphorylated at serine 199 was increased (1.36 pM). In normal controls, these levels are 0.6 ± 0.4 pM [4]. [F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET image was acquired for 6 min starting 45 min after the injection of 150 MBq of tracer. The accumulation of [C] PIB was evaluated by a standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) on a summing image obtained 40–60 min after injection of 500 MBq of tracer taking the cerebellar cortex as a reference region. [F] FDG PET showed hypometabolism in the temporo-parieto-occipital lobe predominantly on the right (Fig. 1d–f). [C] PIB PET demonstrated increased uptake in the bilateral frontal lobes and parietal and occipital cortices with more intense uptake on the right (Fig. 1g–i). In the right occipital lobe, FDG uptake showed lower metabolism in the lateral occipital cortex (Fig. 1d, e, arrow) than in the calcarine cortex (Fig. 1d, e, arrowhead). In contrast, amyloid imaging demonstrated high PIB uptake in the right calcarine cortex (Fig. 1g, h, arrowhhead) while the adjacent lateral occipital cortex showed normal PIB uptake (Fig. 1g, h, arrow). It was shown that macular sparing occurred when the posterior part of the calcarine cortex was spared in patients with striate cortical disease such as infarction, neoplasm and cerebromalacia, while macular splitting occurred when the occipital pole and operculum were involved [6]. Neuroimaging studies of our patient demonstrated that in the occipital lobe, there were two regions showing different T. Kambe Y. Motoi (&) N. Hattori Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1, Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan e-mail: motoi@juntendo.ac.jp

Neural correlates of auditory sensory memory and automatic change detection

An auditory event-related potential component, the mismatch negativity (MMN), reflects automatic change detection and its prerequisite, sensory memory. This study examined the neural correlates of automatic change detection using BOLD fMRI and two rates of presentation previously shown to induce either a large or no MMN. A boxcar block design was employed in two functional scans, each performed twice. A block consisting of 1000-Hz standards (S) alternated with one consisting of 1000-Hz standards and 2000-Hz infrequent deviants (S + D). Presentation rate was either 150 or 2400 ms. Fourteen participants were instructed to ignore all auditory stimulation and concentrate on a film (no audio) by reading subtitles. Data analysis used SPM99 and random effects approach. Cluster statistics ( P < 0.05, corrected) were employed at a height threshold of P < 0.001. At the short ISI, there was a significant BOLD response in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), the left insula, and the left STG (including parts of primary auditory cortex). There were no suprathreshold clusters at the long rate, with S + D blocks inducing no greater activity than S blocks. These results support the hypothesis that the automatic detection of auditory change occurs in the STG bilaterally and relies on the maintenance of sensory memory traces.

Watching Subtitled Television

When foreign movies are subtitled in the local language, reading subtitles is more or less obligatory. Our previous studies have shown that knowledge of the foreign language or switching off the sound track does not affect the total time spent in the subtitled area. Long-standing familiarity with subtitled movies and processing efficiency have been suggested as explanations. Their effects were tested by comparing American and Dutch-speaking subjects who differ in terms of subtitling familiarity. In Experiment 1, American subjects watched an American movie with English subtitles. Despite their lack of familiarity with subtitles, they spent considerable time in the subtitled area. Accordingly, subtitle reading cannot be due to habit formation from long-term experience. In Experiment 2, a movie in Dutch with Dutch subtitles was shown to Dutch-speaking subjects. They also looked extensively at the subtitles, suggesting that reading subtitles is preferred because of efficiency in following and understanding the movie. However, the same findings can also be explained by the more dominant processing of the visual modality. The proportion of time spent reading subtitles is consistently larger with two-line subtitles than with one-line subtitles. Two explanations are provided for the differences in watching one- and two-line subtitles: (a) the length expectation effect on switching attention between picture and text and (b) the presence of lateral interference within two lines of text.

Media use and children's reading performance

This study explores the impact of leisure reading and television on children's development of reading skills among Dutch second- ( N=505) and fourth-graders ( N=515). Controlled for intelligence, sex, and parents' educational attainment level, multiple regression analyses show that the frequencies with which children read books and comics contribute positively to the prediction of both decoding skills (Grade 2 and 4) and reading comprehension (Grade 4). Although the reading of television program subtitles appears to add positively to the prediction of decoding skills, viewing frequency is negatively related to reading performance. Apparently, the beneficial effect of reading subtitles is annulled because watching television, through other mechanisms, hinders the development of children's reading performance.