audiovisual translation and language learning: with a focus on subtitling

Audiovisual translation (avt) is a specialized branch of translation studies which deals with translation of films and tv programs from one language to another, mainly through dubbing or subtitling. among these two traditional dominant transfer methods, the latter, i.e. subtitling has received considerable pedagogical attention. despite the importance of subtitling mode of avt in language learning, little attention has been paid to this mode of avt in iran. this stands to reason that iran is a dubbing country, and consequently most of scholarly studies on avt have their focus on dubbing. however, given technological advancements along with students showing enthusiasm for this mode of avt, subtitling is growing in popularity. therefore, this study addresses the gap in literature by focusing on students’ perceptions towards the effects of watching movies and subtitles on language learning skills. to conduct the study, a sample of eighty six undergraduate students majoring in english translation at kashmar higher education institute was asked to fill out a questionnaire. the collected information was analyzed using spss. the findings of the study revealed that employing subtitled materials in class had a positive effect on the learning process of the students involved in this research. in fact, the majority of participants agreed that watching subtitled movies can substantially improve their language skills. therefore, more subtitles resources should be included in curriculum.