This article explores the effects of collaborative reverse subtitling as an activity for the promotion of writing skills in English as a second language. An initial analysis is undertaken of the pros and cons of the role of translation in second language learning historically and the role of information and communication technology in this process, with special attention being paid to recent initiatives on the didactic use of audiovisual translation in the form of subtitling, and the evidence of their efficacy obtained so far. Subsequently, a completed research project is described, which was aimed at promoting second language learning among distance learning university students through collaborative reverse subtitling. Specifically, the project aimed to explore both the potential of a guided subtitling activity for the development of written production skills, and also the dynamics of undertaking such an activity collaboratively, in order to gain insights on the social, cognitive, metacognitive and transfer mechanisms that can be activated in collective study. Finally, we reflect on the need to accumulate evidence on multimodal translating scenarios combining individual and collective work for the development of communicative language competences, through further research and classroom use, in order to consolidate and refine these findings.

In this paper we present our findings on analyzing two different uses of a mobile application, VISP (VIdeos-for-SPeaking), designed to promote oral skills based on audio description: one use is integrated in the classroom and the other one is self-directed. Participants were divided in two groups: one group received an introduction on audio description and an explanation of how to use the app. They were also informed about what was expected from them. The other group was just asked to download the app and try it out, that is, they were supposed to direct their own learning autonomously. The results show that, regarding language practice, VISP is equally effective as a support tool in the classroom and as an independent app, used outside the classroom. However, when it comes to attitudinal issues, the group of students who used the app as part of the classroom activities were more positive towards the app than the ones who used the app in a self-directed way, who were less motivated about the app uses and benefits. This shows the effectivity and potential of mobile apps as support resources in the foreign language classroom and the need to design strategies to improve VISP towards learners’ autonomy and self regulated learning.

El presente estudio explora el alcance y las limitaciones de integrar la audiodescripción (AD) en el aula de español como lengua extranjera (ELE), centrándose en el uso de los verbos pronominales (VPs), uno de los temas más controvertidos de la gramática española (Mendikoetxea, 1999). Se estudia si estudiantes belgas neerlandófonos, con un nivel B2 de español en el momento del estudio, usan los VPs de la misma manera en que lo hacen los nativos españoles. Además, el objetivo final del presente trabajo es averiguar si la traducción intersemiótica (es decir, la AD) también mejora los resultados del aprendizaje en lo que respecta a la expresión en ELE. Los resultados muestran que los 58 estudiantes belgas utilizaron significativamente menos VPs que los 46 estudiantes españoles al escribir en español. Además, también indican que la AD como modalidad de traducción en el aula de ELE es percibida de forma positiva por parte de los estudiantes, al ofrecerles la oportunidad de ser creativos y suponer un reto mayor en su práctica del español.

This chapter presents the results of a preliminary study which consisted of (1) the design, and (2) preliminary testing of a series of automated assessment tools, which were used in a virtual course of English for Tourism, level B2, to promote students' learning autonomy and self-evaluation. These rubrics were used to assess two activities: a writing task, where students had to create an audio description script of a touristic video, and an oral task, where students had to record themselves and produce their own audio described sequence of the selected clip. Then, for each task they had to assess themselves by filling in two corresponding rubrics. These rubrics were also used by the tutors to assess the same tasks. After that, the results of the rubrics were compared. The preliminary results show that the rubrics helped students obtain better feedback and develop a more accurate sense of their own progress. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

En este artículo se presentan los resultados del análisis parcial de un conjunto de datos recientemente recabado para conocer el perfil de los migrantes y refugiados (MR en adelante) en España. Los datos analizados incluyen: (a) los propios de ONG y asociaciones que trabajan con este colectivo en la Comunidad de Madrid; y (b) algunas de las respuestas obtenidas a un cuestionario distribuido entre las personas responsables de dichas asociaciones. Estas respuestas del cuestionario han permitido delinear el perfil identificativo y sociolingüístico de los MR en nuestro país. Este estudio se complementa con otro presentado en este mismo volumen, y cuyo fin último conjunto ha sido realizar un análisis de necesidades de formación lingüística de las MR en España, de cara al posible desarrollo de cursos masivos en línea y abiertos (o MOOC, por sus siglas en inglés) para un aprendizaje del español y/o de otras lenguas de alta demanda (inglés, francés, etc.) convenientemente adaptado a las mismas.

This study presents the results of a blogging project that was carried out in a course in English for Tourism during the lockdown in Spain in March-May 2020. This course, aimed at students who already possess a B1 level (according to the CEFRL, 2001, 2018), intends to help them reach a B2 level. The course is normally based on blended learning. However, given the fact that students could not attend the face-to-face follow-up sessions, blogging was used as an extra activity, so that they could practice their written skills online. The project consisted of the following: students were invited to write an entry for the course blog, created with the tool Blogger. They also had to comment on each other’s posts, and there was a phase of peer review. Results show that the rate of success among the students who took part in this project was significantly higher than those who did not.