Subtitles: My Digital Language Tutor

I had no idea that some teachers banned subtitle use for class materials…

But I have heard the argument that using subtitles in the target language doesn’t help a learner’s listening skills; it only helps them learn to read faster. So, is it time to ban subtitles? Are they a crutch that will destroy one’s hopes for listening skills in a language? I don’t think so. In fact, I rely on subtitles to regularly support my Russian language acquisition. I think purposefully incorporating different approaches with subtitles offers unique supports, which together make for superior language acquisition. So, let me describe what each varying approach offers me.

Subtitles in English

Surely English subtitles only prevent someone from learning their language, right? To be honest, I don’t know that watching a video in Russian with subtitles in English results in much language acquisition in the moment. But, I think there are situations where this does make sense. I watch a lot of YouTube videos as part of my language learning. But from the start even some of the simplest “slow listening” videos in Russian were too difficult for me to make sense of. Sometimes I had to watch beginner videos with English subtitles first to understand them, then rewatch them with Russian subtitles to start picking up on the language. The knowledge of the content helped me make sense of the language. And as a beginner, making sense of anything felt like a huge accomplishment.

Even now, If I am watching something created for Russian speakers, a movie for example, I understand very little without subtitles (or with only Russian subtitles). So I turn on English subtitles, and honestly I’ve noticed that I pick out more Russian words when watching movies with English subtitles than no subtitles at all. I may not be acquiring much Russian by doing that, but I’m not really learning any Russian with no subtitles if I can’t even distinguish individual words from a drone of unclear sounds.

But watching Russian movies and shows with English subtitles is most helpful because I can explore Russian culture and history. I can learn more about the context in which the language has evolved. I think being interested in (at least some aspects of) the culture is necessary for acquiring a language. Language is part of culture and evolved to describe culturally significant things. I regularly notice this background knowledge about culture and history helping me make sense of the language.

Language Reactor

I also began using Language Reactor, a free browser extension that allows for simultaneous subtitles in the language of the video and in English. Two sets of subtitles on the screen makes for a busy visual, but with some focused concentration I can rely as much as possible on the Russian subtitles and only use the English subtitles as a backup. This transitions me into understanding content created for Russian speakers (which would normally require English subtitles for me) instead of exclusively relying on content for Russian language learners.

Subtitles in my Target Language (Russian)

I also often watch videos in Russian with Russian subtitles. I can watch longer-form videos and videos that have more complex language and ideas if they have Russian subtitles instead of no subtitles. This has been great for my motivation, because as a beginner I often got bored with the very basic content I could understand without subtitles. Without the subtitles I would lose track of the topic at some point and then lose interest and stop watching. So, subtitles not only help me understand more complex language, they also help motivate me. Additionally, my first forays into “intermediate” Russian language videos were watching them with Russian subtitles (which I’ve slowly been turning off). In fact, from the very start I made turning off subtitles a conscious goal. For the first few months of watching videos in Russian, I kept track of videos that required subtitles for me to make sense of, then rewatched them a few weeks (or months) later to see if I no longer needed subtitles. Recognizing this progress was another great motivator.

No subtitles

Finally, watching a video without subtitles offers the challenge of listening without the supports I’ve described above, supports which of course don’t exist if I’m having an in-person conversation (although a video doesn’t allow me to interrupt to clarify if I’m losing track of a conversation, so it presents unique challenges as well). Many YouTube language content creators help make their videos understandable through use of images, gestures, intonation, etc., so that I can hang on to the thread of the topic even if I can’t understand 100%. Many videos also include specific vocabulary on the screen (and targeted translations) to help the viewer. Finding videos with these supports further expanded my abilities without subtitles. I also used rewatching as a strategy to make sense of videos that I could almost, but not quite, understand without subtitles. Oftentimes, on the second (or third viewing) I’d easily make sense of the entire video after struggling the first time.

This range of approaches using subtitles gives me varying levels of support to maximize how much sense I can make of language — which in the end is my goal. I want to make sense of Russian.

But to return to the situation the tweet referred to, I have a further concern. If subtitles are banned for a class, this is a choice to ignore that students will understand a video with a lot of variance. And it’s not simply a question of which student has the largest vocabulary or understands the most grammar. If the video is on a topic that interests a student they will understand it better. If a student has lots of relevant background knowledge they will understand better. And of course the opposite is true. My experience using subtitles is that my need for them varies far more than simply tagging a video as beginner, intermediate or advanced. Not only my familiarity or interest in a topic impacts my understanding, but even how tired or alert I am at the moment. Adjusting my use of subtitles based on a variety of contextual factors allows me to maximize my language acquisition. Given the complexity of all this, I think the best approach is to be a reflective learner. This is essential for self study, but it is also something teachers can instill in their students. They can ask students to choose whether or not to use subtitles based on how well they are understanding. Perhaps they can even ask students to find videos they can understand without subtitles and videos they can understand with subtitles as a reflective project. Instead of the authoritarian approach that “knows best” for all students, I believe those of us who are teachers need to foster reflective and intentional learning among our students. And of course those of us who are engaged in self study can choose to incorporate more and more reflection in our own learning. In the end, a reflective and intentional use of subtitles makes the subtitles a sort of digital tutor — they expand the limits of language we can make sense of.