This document discusses the potential role of dubbing in foreign language learning. It proposes using dubbing as an innovative way to enhance oral skills like fluency, pronunciation, and speech speed. Short video clips could be dubbed by students in pairs or groups, with tasks including warm-up, dubbing, and follow-up activities. Previous research suggests dubbing can improve listening, speaking, vocabulary, and autonomous learning. An experiment was conducted with English students, having them dub and subtitle videos both collaboratively and individually. Students reported improvements in oral and written skills from these audiovisual translation tasks. The document concludes dubbing has much to offer language learning and can involve real-world skills when shared online.

1. THE ROLE OF DUBBING IN FOREIGN
LANGUAGE LEARNING:
FIRST INSIGHTS
José Javier Ávila & Noa Talaván
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
SO-CALL-ME (M.E.C.) FFI 2011-29829

2. Introduction
 Audiovisual Translation in foreign language learning
 Subtitles as a support (Ghia, 2012)
 Subtitling as an active task (Talaván, 2013)
 Until now AVT in language learning has mainly
focused on the benefits of subtitling to enhance
various communicative skills and activities.
 Innovative use of dubbing to enhance oral skills
 The pedagogical use of dubbing (revoicing) offers multiple
possibilities, almost all skills can be involved

3. The possibilities of dubbing
 The audiovisual text (dimension to exploit-
soundtrack)
 Monologues
 Dialogue exchanges and songs
 Communicative activities
 Speaking production (fluency, natural pronunciation and
speed of speech)
 Oral comprehension (the original or their classmates’
work)
 Writing production (register, style, cohesion, coherence,
etc.)

4. Methodological framework
 Short video clips (1-3 minutes)
 Selection criteria: relevance, interest, the number of characters
involved, the type of situation contained, the type of language
presented (to be exploited in class as a follow-up)…
 Choice of language combination
 L1-L2
 L2-L2
 Music-L2 (audiodescription)
 The task
 Warm-up - dubbing - follow-up

5. Methodological framework…
 Possible software
 Windows Movie Maker
 CLIPFLAIR
 Dubbing / voice-over / audiodescription
 REVOICING
 Accesibility and social networks
 Taking learning beyond the educational context

6. Task sample (language lab)
STEP TASK
Warm-up (10 minutes) Introducing new vocabulary, getting background information
to understand the clip, etc.
Viewing the video
( 1-3 minute video)
Students take notes to get the general messages (so that
they can later use them to work on their own scripts)
Working on the script for
dubbing
(in pairs /groups)
(15 minutes)
Students work on their notes (they can also watch the video
as many times as they need or use the script provided by
the teacher) to create a draft of the text they will then have
to record (synchronizing their voices with the images)
Dubbing
(15 minutes)
Individual dubbing with Windows Movie Maker or via a
CLIPFLAIR activity
Follow-up 1
(5 minutes)
Sharing the final videos (or at least a representative sample)
Follow-up 2
(10 minutes)
Working on pronunciation, exploiting the corresponding
linguistic content through integrated skills, role-play, etc.

7. Previous research
 Duff (1989)
 Using technological tools, dealing with language production and cooperating with
peers
 Kumai (1996)
 Improve phonetic competence, intonation, and speed, via the attempt to reproduce
native utterances
 Burston (2005)
 Improve not only listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, but also to foster
advanced grammar and vocabulary acquisition
 Wagener (2006)
 Improve listening, vocabulary, and autonomous learning skills, focusing on
consecutive interpretation rather than on actual synchronization
 Danan (2010)
 Vocabulary acquisition; speaking fluency and pronunciation; fun activity fostering
creativity and initiative
 Chiu (2012)
 Avoid mispronunciation, improve fluency and intonation
 Talaván (2013)
 Subtitling and dubbing combined: improvement of general speaking skills (C1
students)

8. The experiment
 Aims:
 Assessing the validity of dubbing and subtitling combines to
improve both written and oral productions skills
 Participants:
 Experimental group:
 20 students from English Advanced Level (C1)
 26 students from English Studies Degree (General Translation
course)
 Control Group:
 28 following the regular course, randomly assigned
 Profile of the participants (Level C1 students):
 Graduate, non-formal/formal training, having lived in English
speaking country, familiar with audiovisual material in English,
preferring subtitled material over dubbed, no previous experience
in dubbing, in need to improve speaking skills

9. The experiment…
 Resources :
 4 pre-edited video clips from Todo es Mentira
(Fernández Armero,1994), graded in increasing difficulty
 Specific software:
 Windows Movie Maker to dub videos
 DivXLand Media Subtitler to subtitle videos
 Virtual community (aLF platform)
 Procedures: STEP TASK
Pre-Q and pre-T Fill in the pre-questionnaire and hand in the oral /written pre-test.
Collaborative translation 1
(days 1-4/ +- 2 hours work)
Collaborative draft for dubbing (chats / forums / videoconference).
Central task 1: Dubbing
(Days 5-6/ 1 hour work approx.)
Individual dubbing with Windows Movie Maker using the same draft, sharing
the final video and voting for a representative version.
Collaborative translation 2
(days 7-8/ 1 hour work approx.)
Collaborative draft for subtitling (chats / forums / videoconference).
Central task 2: Subtitling
(Days 9-10/ 1 hour work approx.)
Individual subtitling with DivXLand Media Subtitler using the same draft,
sharing the final video and voting for a representative version.
Post-Q and post-T Fill in the post-questionnaire and hand in the oral/written post-test
Final session Group videoconference to present the results of the work and draw some
conclusions out of the experience

10. Students’ sample
 Dubbed video

11. CONCLUSIONS
 Dubbing and revoicing have a lot to offer
 Other skills
 Other language combinations
 Long-term results
 Different levels (beginners?)
 In an audiovisual world…AVT rules
 In a dubbing country, students know what needs to be
done, and they don’t consider it learning: it is about
performing real tasks that you can use and ‘share’ in the
real world (learning and living on the move)

12. José Javier Ávila & Noa Talaván
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
THANK YOU!
SO-CALL-ME (M.E.C.) FFI 2011-29829