Processing of native and foreign language subtitles in films: an eye tracking study

Bisson, Marie-Jos�e; van Heuven, Walter J.B.; Conklin, Kathy; Tunney, Richard J.

Abstract

Foreign language (FL) films with subtitles are becoming increasingly popular, and many European countries use subtitling as a cheaper alternative to dubbing. However, the extent to which people process subtitles under different subtitling conditions remains unclear. In this study, participants watched part of a film under standard (FL soundtrack and native language subtitles), reversed (native language soundtrack and FL subtitles), or intralingual (FL soundtrack and FL subtitles) subtitling conditions while their eye movements were recorded. The results revealed that participants read the subtitles irrespective of the subtitling condition. However, participants exhibited more regular reading of the subtitles when the film soundtrack was in an unknown FL. To investigate the incidental acquisition of FL vocabulary, participants also completed an unexpected auditory vocabulary test. Because the results showed no vocabulary acquisition, the need for more sensitive measures of vocabulary acquisition are discussed. Finally, the reading of the subtitles is discussed in relation to the saliency of subtitles and automatic reading behavior.

Citation

Bisson, M.-J., van Heuven, W. J., Conklin, K., & Tunney, R. J. (2014). Processing of native and foreign language subtitles in films: an eye tracking study. Applied Psycholinguistics, 35(2), 399-418. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716412000434

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 22, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Oct 23, 2012
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2014
• Journal: Applied Psycholinguistics
• Print ISSN: 0142-7164
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-1817
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 399-418
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716412000434
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/996492
• Publisher URL: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9176469&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0142716412000434
• Contract Date: Mar 25, 2014