Enhancing communicative competence and translation skills through active subtitling: a model for pilot testing didactic Audiovisual Translation (AVT)

Abstract

The current paper reports on empirical evidence from TRADILEX, a project intended to develop a methodological proposal integrating different AVT modes to enhance communicative competence in the L2. To this end, a didactic sequence has been articulated with 15 lessons that will be tested with B1 and B2-level learners from Spanish universities. In this article, we present the results of the pilot study for the subtitling sequence. The participants were students of English Philology (B2) at the University of Jaen. Before working on the lesson plans, participants took an initial test of integrated skills to assess their language command of the L2. Once completed, they started the didactic sequence, consisting of six lesson plans. Finally, participants took a final test of integrated skills, whose results are compared with those obtained from the initial test. The preliminary conclusions of the pilot study confirm that the communicative competence and the translation skills of students were enhanced. Beyond verifying the impact of didactic AVT on the learning process, the paper offers a model for pilot testing that can be used in future studies on didactic AVT.

Keywords

• audiovisual translation
• didactic AVT
• subtitling
• language teaching
• pilot testing