The conference’s main objective is to highlight the importance of the use of subtitled audiovisual materials in formal teaching/learning contexts (primary, secondary, tertiary education), and in informal contexts (individual language learning for adult learners).

The conference is also a channel to disseminate the final results of a three-year empirical research project carried out by a group of scholars from ten Universities: University of Pavia – Italy (hosting university); Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza – Poland; Universitade do Algarve – Portugal; Hellenic Open University – Greece; Universitat Jaume I – Spain; University of Ljubljana – Slovenia; Universitat Pompeu Fabra – Spain; University of Turku – Finland; Vilniaus Universitietas – Lithuania; Bar-Ilan University – Israel. The project investigated a variety of teaching/learning experiences combining language learning and subtitled audiovisual materials in many different European contexts and both in formal and informal learning environments.

Since research on subtitled audiovisual materials as teaching aids as well as the translation of subtitles are becoming assets within the academic community, the conference aims to bring together scholars and young researchers engaged in the analysis of subtitles from the perspective of second/foreign language acquisition. It is paramount to focus upon the acquisitional feedback of the various types of subtitles: interlingual, intralingual and reversed. Last but not least, the quality of subtitles rests with updated translation techniques.

The conference is also meant to persuade European school teachers to use multimodal subtitled teaching tools to foster foreign language learning in their classrooms in order to motivate their students and raise the quality of learning. Subtitles also open up foreign language learning to students from a wider variety of backgrounds. This aspect implies the need to enhance the quality of teacher training in a European dimension to improve pedagogical approaches in the field of e-learning.

The following keynote speakers and chairs have accepted our invitation:

Keynote speakers
Martine Danan (Defense Language Institute, Monterey, CA)
Jorge Diaz-Cintas (Imperial College London, UK)
Robert Vanderplank (University of Oxford, UK)

Chairs
Frederic Chaume (Universitat Jaume I, Spain)
Yves Gambier (University of Turku, Finland)
Stavroula Sokoli (Hellenic Open University, Greece)
Patrick Zabalbeascoa (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain)

Scientific Committee
Annamaria Caimi (University of Pavia, Italy)
Yves Gambier (University of Turku, Finland)
Cristina Mariotti (University of Pavia, Italy)
Stavroula Sokoli (Hellenic Open University, Greece)
Teresa Tomaszkiewicz (Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza, Poland)
Patrick Zabalbeascoa (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain)

Organising committee
Domenico Annino (University of Pavia, Italy)
Federica Basadonne (University of Pavia, Italy)
Alessandra Cardaci (University of Pavia, Italy)
Annamaria Caimi (University of Pavia, Italy)
Cristina Mariotti (University of Pavia, Italy)