Learning specialised vocabulary through reverse subtitling in the context of translation and interpreting training

Abstract

This study explores the didactic role of active interlingual subtitling in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language for trainee translators and interpreters. It focuses on the acquisition of specialised vocabulary, particularly relevant in this context as preparation for mandatory courses in specialised translation that constitute the backbone of the 3rd and 4th years of the translation and interpreting degree at the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. A classroom study is described in which students of an English-language course (B2+) produced reverse subtitles (from Spanish into English) for audiovisual material containing technology-related vocabulary. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in a set of pre-and post-tasks that helped compare their achievements regarding the use of technical terms before and after the subtitling work, as well as from a questionnaire about their feelings regarding the subtitling experience administered at the end of the activity. The results revealed that active reverse subtitling had a positive effect on the acquisition of specialised vocabulary. The combination of the practice of translation into English, the use of multimodal material, and the need to use a computer program played an important role in fostering students’ interest in didactic subtitling.