Across Languages and Cultures
Volume/Issue:
Volume 17: Issue 2
Is subtitling equally effective everywhere? A first cross-national study on the reception of interlingually subtitled messages
Authors:
Elisa Perego Department of Legal, Language, Translation and Interpreting Studies University of Trieste, Via Filzi 14, 34144 Trieste, ItalyPhone: +39 0405587620, E-mail: eperego@units.it

Search for other papers by Elisa Perego in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Monika Laskowska Institute of Applied Linguistics University of Warsaw, ul. Dobra 55, 00-312 Warsaw, PolandPhone: +48 225526021, E-mail: ika.las@wp.pl; a.szarkowska@uw.edu.pl

Search for other papers by Monika Laskowska in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Anna Matamala Department of Translation, Interpreting, and East Asian Studies Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), SpainPhone: +34 935813360, E-mail: anna.matamala@uab.cat

Search for other papers by Anna Matamala in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Aline Remael Department of Applied Linguistics/ Translation and Interpreting TricS Research Group Faculty of Arts, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumPhone: + 32 3 265 4600, E-mail: aline.remael@uantwerpen.beE-mail: isabelle.robert@uantwerpen.be

Search for other papers by Aline Remael in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Isabelle S. Robert Department of Applied Linguistics/ Translation and Interpreting TricS Research Group Faculty of Arts, University of Antwerp, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumPhone: + 32 3 265 4600, E-mail: aline.remael@uantwerpen.beE-mail: isabelle.robert@uantwerpen.be

Search for other papers by Isabelle S. Robert in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Agnieszka Szarkowska Institute of Applied Linguistics University of Warsaw, ul. Dobra 55, 00-312 Warsaw, PolandPhone: +48 225526021, E-mail: ika.las@wp.pl; a.szarkowska@uw.edu.pl

Search for other papers by Agnieszka Szarkowska in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Anna Vilaró CAIAC, Centre d’Accessibilitat i Intel·ligència Ambiental de Catalunya Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), SpainPhone: +34 93586 8916, E-mail: annavilaro@gmail.com

Search for other papers by Anna Vilaró in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Sara Bottiroli Headache Science Center (HSC) C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, ItalyPhone: +39 3389693427, E-mail: sara.bottiroli@unipv.it

Search for other papers by Sara Bottiroli in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Pages:
205–229
Online Publication Date:
Dec 2016
Publication Date:
01 Dec 2016
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2016.17.2.4
Keywords:
cross-national; reception; subtitling; familiarity; processing effectiveness
Restricted access

Recent research on the reception of interlingual subtitling revealed that it is cognitively effective: watching a subtitled film results in a good understanding of the film content, it does not require a significant tradeoff between image processing and text processing, and it leads to a good performance in the recognition of the words and expressions contained in the subtitles. To date, the studies that revealed the effectiveness of subtitle processing have been conducted mono-nationally — e.g. d’Ydewalle and De Bruycker (2007) in Belgium; Wissmath et al. (2009) in Switzerland; Perego et al. (2010, 2015) in Italy; Hinkin et al. (2014) in the US. However, it has not yet been demonstrated empirically whether subtitle effectiveness varies depending on the familiarity of viewers with subtitles. The cross-national study described in this paper aims to fill this gap and appraise the cognitive performance and overall appreciation of a moderately complex subtitled film by viewers with different degrees of familiarity with subtitles, i.e., viewers living in countries (Italy, Spain, Poland and Dutch-speaking Belgium) with different audiovisual translation traditions. The main findings reveal that subtitling is effective irrespective of users’ familiarity with it, although it is not enjoyed equally among the tested populations.

  • Barsam, R. 2007. Looking at Movies. An Introduction to Film. New York: Norton and Company.

  • Bilalic, M., McLeod, P. & Gobet, F. 2008. Expert and “Novice” Problem Solving Strategies in Chess: Sixty Years of Citing de Groot (1946). Think. Reason Vol. 14. 395–408.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bisson, M.-J., van Heuven, W., Conklin, K. & Tunney, R. 2014. Processing of Native and Foreign Language Subtitles in Films: An Eye Tracking Study. Applied Psycholinguistics Vol. 35. No. 2. 399–418.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bogucki, L. 2004. Relewancja jako ograniczenie w procesie tworzenia napisów. [Relevance as a constraint in the subtitling process]. Journal of Specialised Translation Vol. 1. 71–88.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Chaume, F. 2012. Audiovisual Translation: Dubbing. Manchester: St. Jerome.

  • Chiaro, D. 2009. The Politics of Screen Translation. In: Federici, F. (ed.) Translating Regionalized Voices in Audiovisuals. Roma: Aracne Editrice. 27–42.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G. & de Bruycker, W. 2007. Eye Movements of Children and Adults while Reading Television Subtitles. European Psychologist Vol. 12. No. 3. 196–205.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G. & Gielen, I. 1992. Attention Allocation with Overlapping Sound, Image, and Text. In: Rayner, K. (ed.) Eye Movements and Visual Cognition: Scene Perception and Reading. New York: Springer-Verlag. 415–427.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G. & van Rensbergen, J. 1989. Developmental Studies of Text-Picture Interactions in the Perception of Animated Cartoons with Text. In: Mandl, H. & Levin, J. (eds) Knowledge Acquisition from Text and Pictures. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. 233–248.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G., Praet, C., Verfaillie, K. & van Rensbergen, J. 1991. Watching Subtitled Television. Automatic Reading Behaviour. Communication Research Vol. 18. No. 5. 650–666.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G., van Rensbergen, J. & Pollet, J. 1987. Reading a Message when the Same Message is Available Auditorily in Another Language: The Case of Subtitling. In: Kevin O’Regan, J. & Lévy-Schoen, A. (eds) Eye Movements: From Psychology to Cognition. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. 313–321.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • d’Ydewalle, G., Muylle, P. & van Rensbergen, J. 1985. Attention Shifts in Partially Redundant Information Situation. In: Groner, R., McConkie, G. W. & Menz, C. (eds) Eye Movements and Human Information Processing. Amsterdam: North-Holland. 375–384.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Danan, M. 1991. Dubbing as an Expression of Nationalism. Meta Vol. 36. No. 4. 606–614.

  • De Houwer , Remael, A. & Vandekerckhove, R. 2008. Intralingual Open Subtitling in Flanders: Audiovisual Translation, Linguistic Variation and Audience Needs. Journal of Specialised Translation Vol. 10. 76–105.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Díaz Cintas, J. 1999. Dubbing or Subtitling: The Eternal Dilemma. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology Vol. 7. No. 1. 31–40.

  • Díaz Cintas, J. 2001. La traducción audiovisual: el subtitulado. Salamanca: Ediciones Almar.

  • Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T. & Tesch-Römer, C. 1993. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance. Psychological. Review Vol. 100. No. 3. 363–406.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Garcarz, M. 2007. Przeklad slangu w filmie. Polskie przeklady filmów amerykanskich na jezyk polski [Slang in translation: Polish translations of American films]. Kraków: Tertium.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gauthier, A. H. 2000. The Promises of Comparative Research. Paper prepared for the European Panel Analysis Group.

  • Gottlieb, H. 1994. Subtitling: People Translating People. In: Dollerup, C. & Lindegaard, A. (eds) Teaching Translation and Interpreting 2: Insights, Aims, Visions. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 261–274.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gottlieb, H. 2004. Language-Political Implications of Subtitling. In: Orero, P. (ed.) Topics in Audiovisual Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 83–100.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gottlieb, H. 2008. Screen Translation. In: Schjoldager, A. (ed.) Understanding Translation. Aarhus: Authors and Academica. 205–246.

  • Grimes, T. 1991. Mild Auditory-visual Dissonance in Television News May Exceed Viewer Attentional Capacity. Human Communication Research Vol. 18. No. 2. 268–298.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Harberger, A. 1987. Comment. In: Fischer, S. (ed.) NBER Macroeconomics Annual. Cambridge MA: MIT Press. 253–257.

  • Hassanabadi, F. M., & Heidari, M. 2014. The Effect of Intersemiotic Translation on Vocabulary Learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences Vol. 98. 1165–1173.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hinkin, M. P., Harris, R. J. & Miranda, A. T. 2014. Verbal Redundancy Aids Memory for Filmed Entertainment Dialogue. The Journal of Psychology Vol. 148. No. 2. 161–176.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, J. H. P. & Harkness, J. A. 2005a. Methodological Aspects in Cross-National Research. Mannheim: GESIS-ZUMA.

  • Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, J. H. P. & Harkness, J.A. 2005b. Methodological Aspects in Cross-National Research: Foreword. In: Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik, J. H. P. & Harkness, J.A. (eds) Methodological Aspects in Cross-National Research. Mannheim: GESIS-ZUMA. 5–10.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ivarsson, J. & Carroll, M. 1998. Subtitling. Simrishamn: Trans Edit.

  • Jensema, C. 1998. Viewer Reaction to Different Captioning Speeds. American Annals of the Deaf Vol. 143. No. 4. 318–324.

  • Jensema, C., Danturthi, R. S. & Burch, R. 2000. Time Spent Viewing Captions on Television Programmes. American Annals of the Deaf Vol. 145. No. 5. 464–468.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Keppel, G. 1991. Design and Analysis: A Researcher Handbook. New Yersey: Prentice Hall.

  • Kilborn, R. 1993. Speak my Language: Current Attitudes to Television Subtitling and Dubbing. Media Culture Society October 1993 Vol. 15. No. 4. 641–660.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Koffka, K. 1935. Principles of Gestalt Psychology. 1st Edn. New York, NY: Harcourt.

  • Koolstra, C.M., Peeters, A. L. & Spinhof, H. 2002. The Pros and Cons of Dubbing and Subtitling. European Journal of Communication Vol. 17. No. 3. 325–354.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kothari, B. & Bandyopadhyay, T. 2014. Same Language Subtitling of Bollywood Film Songs on TV: Effects on Literacy. Information Technologies and International Development Vol. 10. No. 4. 31–47.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kruger, J.-L. & Steyn, F. 2014. Subtitles and Eye Tracking: Reading and Performance. Reading Research Quarterly Vol. 49. No. 1. 105–120.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kruger, J.-L., Hefer, E. & Matthew, G. 2014. Attention Distribution and Cognitive Load in a Subtitled Academic Lecture: L1 vs. L2. Journal of Eye Movement Research Vol. 7. No. 5. 1–15.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kruger, J.-L., Szarkowska, A. & Krejtz, I. 2015. Subtitles on the Moving Image: an Overview of Eye Tracking Studies. Refractory Vol. 25. http://refractory.unimelb.edu.au/2015/02/07/kruger-szarkowska-krejtz/

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kyle, F. E. & Cain, K. 2015. A Comparison of Deaf and Hearing Children’s Reading Comprehension Profiles. Topics in Language Disorders Vol. 35. No. 2. 144–156.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lang, A., Bolls, P., Potter, R. & Kawahara, K. 1999. The Effects of Production Pacing and Arousing Content on the Information Processing of Television Messages. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media Vol. 43. No. 4. 451–475.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lang, A., Zhou, S., Schwartz, N., Bolls, P. & Potter, R. 2000. The Effects of Edits on Arousal, Attention, and Memory for Television Messages: When an Edit is an Edit Can an Edit be too Much? Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media Vol. 44. No. 1. 94–109.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Laskowska, M., Szarkowska, A., Pilipczuk, O. & Oliver A. 2015. Wplyw jezyka oryginalu na czytanie napisów filmowych [The influence of the original language of the video on the subtitle reading process]. Paper presented at the 3rd Polish Eyetracking Conference on 5–6 March 2015, Warsaw, Poland.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Luyken, G.-M., Herbst, T., Langham-Brown, J., Reid, H. & Spinhof, H. 1991. Overcoming Language Barriers in Television. Dubbing and Subtitling for the European Audience. Manchester: The European Institute for the Media.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Magez, W., Tierens, M., Bos, A., van Huynegem, J. & Decaluwé, V. 2015. CoVaT-CHC Uitbreiding. Cognitieve VaardigheidsTest volgens het CHC-model: Module Gc (Gekristalliseerde intelligentie). Antwerpen: Psychodiagnostisch centrum (PDC), Thomas More.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Marleau, L. 1982. Les sous-titres... un mal nécessaire. Meta Vol. 27. No. 3. 271–228.

  • Mazur, I. & Kruger, J.-L. 2012. Pear Stories and Audio Description: Language, Perception and Cognition across Cultures. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology Vol. 20. No. 1. 1–3.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MCG (Media Consulting Group). 2007. Study on Dubbing and Subtitling Needs and Practices in the European Audiovisual Industry. Final report. European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture.

  • MCG (Media Consulting Group). 2011. Study on the Use of Subtitling. The Potential of Subtitling to Encourage Foreign Language Learning and Improve the Mastery of Foreign Languages. Final report. European Commission, Directorate-General Education and Culture.

  • Murphy, J. J. 2007. Me and You and Memento and Fargo. New York: Continuum.

  • Ockers, L. 2010. Televisie-ondertiteling in Vlaanderen [Television subtitling in Flanders]. http://www.ockers.be/ondertiteling.html

  • Pashler, H. , & Wagenmakers, E. J. 2012. Editors’ Introduction to the Special Section on Replicability in Psychological Science: A Crisis of Confidence? Perspectives on Psychological Science Vol. 7. No. 6. 528–530.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Perego, E., Del Missier, F. & Bottiroli, S. 2015. Dubbing versus Subtitling in Young and Older Adults: Cognitive and Evaluative Aspects. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology Vol. 23. No. 1. 1–21.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Perego, E., Del Missier, F., Porta, M. & Mosconi, M. 2010. The Cognitive Effectiveness of Subtitle Processing. Media Psychology Vol. 13. No. 3. 243–272.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Romero Fresco, P. 2015. The Reception of Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Europe. Bern: Peter Lang.

  • Salthouse, T. A., Atkinson, T. M. & Berish, D. E. 2003. Executive Functioning as a Potential Mediator of Age-related Cognitive Decline in Normal Adults. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Vol. 132. No. 4. 566–594.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Stam, R. 2000. Film Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.

  • Subbotko, D. 2008. Kapitulacja BBC Prime [Capitulation of BBC Prime]. Gazeta Wyborcza http://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,4827095.html

  • Szarkowska, A. 2009. The Audiovisual Landscape in Poland at the Dawn of the 21st Century. In: Goldstein, A. & Golubovic, B. (eds) Foreign Language Movies – Dubbing vs. Subtitling. Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Kovac. 185–201.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Szarkowska, A., Krejtz, I., Klyszejko, Z. & Wieczorek, A. 2011. Verbatim, Standard, or Edited? Reading Patterns of Different Captioning Styles among Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Viewers. American Annals of the Deaf Vol. 156. No. 4. 363–378.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Szarkowska, A. & Laskowska, M. 2015. Poland – a Voice-over Country no More? A Report on an Online Survey on Subtitling Preferences among Polish Hearing and Hearing-impaired Viewers. In: Bogucki, L. & Deckert, M. (eds) Accessing Audiovisual Translation. Bern: Peter Lang. 179–197.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Talaván, N. & Rodríguez-Arancón, P. 2014. The Use of Reverse Subtitling as an Online Collaborative Language Learning Tool. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer Vol. 8. No. 1. 84–101.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wissmath, B., Weibel, D. & Groner, R. 2009. Dubbing or Subtitling? Effects on Spatial Presence, Transportation, Flow, and Enjoyment. Journal of Media Psychology Vol. 21. No. 3. 114–125.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Collapse
  • Expand
Cover Across Languages and Cultures
Across Languages and Cultures
Print ISSN:
1585-1923
Online ISSN:
1588-2519

Editor-in-Chief: Krisztina KÁROLY (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary)

Consulting Editor: Dániel MÁNY  (Semmelweis University, Hungary)

Managing Editor: Réka ESZENYI (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary)

Founding Editor-in-Chief: Kinga KLAUDY (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary)

EDITORIAL BOARD

  • Andrew CHESTERMAN (University of Helsinki, Finland)
  • Kirsten MALMKJÆR (University of Leicester, UK)
  • Christiane NORD (University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa)
  • Anthony PYM (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain, University of Melbourne, Australia)
  • Mary SNELL-HORNBY (University of Vienna, Austria)
  • Sonja TIRKKONEN-CONDIT (University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland)

ADVISORY BOARD

  • Mona BAKER (Shanghai International Studies University, China, University of Oslo, Norway)
  • Łucja BIEL (University of Warsaw, Poland)
  • Gloria CORPAS PASTOR (University of Malaga, Spain; University of Wolverhampton, UK)
  • Rodica DIMITRIU (Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Iasi, Romania)
  • Birgitta Englund DIMITROVA (Stockholm University, Sweden)
  • Sylvia KALINA (Cologne Technical University, Germany)
  • Haidee KOTZE (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
  • Sara LAVIOSA (Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy)
  • Brian MOSSOP (York University, Toronto, Canada)
  • Orero PILAR (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain)
  • Gábor PRÓSZÉKY (Hungarian Research Institute for Linguistics, Hungary)
  • Alessandra RICCARDI (University of Trieste, Italy)
  • Edina ROBIN (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary)
  • Myriam SALAMA-CARR (University of Manchester, UK)
  • Mohammad Saleh SANATIFAR (independent researcher, Iran)
  • Sanjun SUN (Beijing Foreign Studies University, China)
  • Anikó SOHÁR (Pázmány Péter Catholic University,  Hungary)
  • Sonia VANDEPITTE (University of Gent, Belgium)
  • Albert VERMES (Eszterházy Károly University, Hungary)
  • Yifan ZHU (Shanghai Jiao Tong Univeristy, China)

Prof. Dr. Krisztina KÁROLY 
School of English and American Studies, Eötvös Loránd University
H-1088 Budapest, Rákóczi út 5., Hungary 
E-mail: 

  • WoS Arts & Humanities Citation Index
  • Wos Social Sciences Citation Index
  • WoS Essential Science Indicators
  • Scopus
  • Linguistics Abstracts
  • Linguistics and Language Behaviour Abstracts
  • Translation Studies Abstractst
  • CABELLS Journalytics

2023  
Web of Science  
Journal Impact Factor 1.0
Rank by Impact Factor Q2 (Linguistics)
Journal Citation Indicator 0.76
Scopus  
CiteScore 1.7
CiteScore rank Q1 (Language and Linguistics)
SNIP 1.223
Scimago  
SJR index 0.671
SJR Q rank Q1

Across Languages and Cultures
Publication Model Hybrid
Submission Fee

none
Article Processing Charge 900 EUR/article
Printed Color Illustrations 40 EUR (or 10 000 HUF) + VAT / piece
Regional discounts on country of the funding agency World Bank Lower-middle-income economies: 50%
World Bank Low-income economies: 100%
Further Discounts Editorial Board / Advisory Board members: 50%
Corresponding authors, affiliated to an EISZ member institution subscribing to the journal package of Akadémiai Kiadó: 100%
Subscription fee 2025 Online subsscription: 362 EUR / 398 USD
Print + online subscription: 420 EUR / 462 USD
Subscription Information Online subscribers are entitled access to all back issues published by Akadémiai Kiadó for each title for the duration of the subscription, as well as Online First content for the subscribed content.
Purchase per Title Individual articles are sold on the displayed price.

Across Languages and Cultures
Language English
Size B5
Year of
Foundation		 1999
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 2
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1585-1923 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2519 (Online)

Monthly Content Usage

Abstract Views Full Text Views PDF Downloads
Aug 2024 48 1 1
Sep 2024 54 1 2
Oct 2024 115 2 2
Nov 2024 70 0 0
Dec 2024 24 0 0
Jan 2025 41 0 0
Feb 2025 0 0 0