SDH as a pedagogical tool

Abstract

Abstract Audiovisual products have gained ground in the last few decades, becoming a crucial part of our life nowadays. This research paper was carried out as part of the piloting phase of the TRADILEX project, which stands for Audiovisual Translation as a Didactic Resource in Foreign Language Education. The study aims to foster awareness on media accessibility through the application of Subtitling for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (SDH) as a didactic resource to explore its pedagogical potential in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. A set of six SDH-based lesson plans were designed and implemented for students to develop their integrated language skills and to foster their equity, diversity, and inclusion awareness, with a special focus on accessibility. The Initial Test of Integrated Skills (ITIS) and the Final Test of Integrated Skills (FITIS) were designed within the framework of the TRADILEX project and used to measure the development of each participant’s language skills together with qualitative ad hoc questionnaires to gather their impressions about the intervention. Results show that participants have improved both their foreign language and subtitling skills, and gained more awareness regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) issues. Thus, the current study stands as a proof for the potential of Didactic Audiovisual Translation (DAT) to develop both EFL and personal skills, which are crucial for the 21st century language education.