Line breaks in subtitling: An eye tracking study on viewer preferences

There is a discrepancy between professional subtitling guidelines and how they are implemented in real life. One example of such discrepancy are line breaks: the way the text is divided between the two lines in a subtitle. Although we know from the guidelines how subtitles should look like and from watching subtitled materials how they really look like, little is known about what line breaks viewers would prefer. We examined individual differences in syntactic processing and viewers’ preferences regarding line breaks in various linguistic units, including noun, verb and adjective phrases. We studied people’s eye movements while they were reading pictures with subtitles. We also investigated whether these preferences are affected by hearing status and previous experience with subtitling. Viewers were shown 30 pairs of screenshots with syntactically segmented and non-syntactically segmented subtitles and they were asked to choose which subtitle in each pair was better. We tested 21 English, 26 Spanish and 21 Polish hearing people, and 19 hard of hearing and deaf people from the UK. Our results show that viewers prefer syntactically segmented line breaks. Eye tracking results indicate that linguistic units are processed differently depending on the linguistic category and the viewers’ profile

The impact of text segmentation on subtitle reading

Understanding the way people watch subtitled films has become a central concern for subtitling researchers in recent years. Both subtitling scholars and professionals generally believe that in order to reduce cognitive load and enhance readability, line breaks in two-line subtitles should follow syntactic units. However, previous research has been inconclusive as to whether syntactic-based segmentation facilitates comprehension and reduces cognitive load. In this study, we assessed the impact of text segmentation on subtitle processing among different groups of viewers: hearing people with different mother tongues (English, Polish, and Spanish) and deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people with English as a first language. We measured three indicators of cognitive load (difficulty, effort, and frustration) as well as comprehension and eye tracking variables.  Participants watched two video excerpts with syntactically and non-syntactically segmented subtitles. The aim was to determine whether syntactic-based text segmentation as well as the viewers’ linguistic background influence subtitle processing. Our findings show that non-syntactically segmented subtitles induced higher cognitive load, but they did not adversely affect comprehension. The results are discussed in the context of cognitive load, audiovisual translation, and deafness

Effects of screen size on subtitle layout preferences and comprehension across devices

The present study sheds light on the possible effects that screen size can have on preferences and comprehension of audiovisual material content shown with subtitles. Three video excerpts with subtitles displayed on three devices with different screen size (monitor, tablet, and smartphone) were presented to 30 participants, who were asked to fill out preference and comprehension questionnaires after viewing the subtitled film excerpt. The aim of this study was to provide new empirical evidence on viewers’ needs and preferences of readability by analyzing the reception of subtitles across screens. The results obtained indicate that smartphone devices had the most unsatisfactory effects, suggesting the need to undertake further research on small screens to improve subtitling reading performance and adapt subtitles according to the screen size.Esta investigación analiza los efectos que el tamaño de pantalla puede tener en las preferencias y en la comprensión de material audiovisual subtitulado. Treinta participantes vieron tres fragmentos de vídeo en tres dispositivos con distintos tamaños de pantalla (monitor, tableta y smartphone). Tras ver los fragmentos, los participantes respondieron a una serie de cuestionarios de preferencias y comprensión. A través del análisis de la recepción de los subtítulos en diferentes tamaños de pantalla, esta investigación tiene por objeto aportar nuevas pruebas empíricas sobre las necesidades y preferencias de los espectadores. Los resultados muestran que el dispositivo que se percibe con los efectos más negativos es el smartphone, lo que plantea la necesidad de seguir investigando los dispositivos con pantallas más pequeñas para mejorar la lectura de los subtítulos y adaptarlos en función del tamaño

The impact of text segmentation on subtitle reading

In this paper we address the question whether shot changes trigger the re-reading of subtitles. Although it has been accepted in the professional literature on subtitling that subtitles should not be displayed over shot changes as they induce subtitle re-reading, support for this claim in eye movement studies is difficult to find. In this study we examined eye movement patterns of 71 participants watching news and documentary clips. We analysed subject hit count, number of fixations, first fixation duration, fixation time percent and transition matrix before, during and after shot changes in subtitles displayed over a shot change. Results of our study show that most viewers do not re-read subtitlescrossing shot changes

TORRALBA MIRALLES, Gloria et al. La traducción para la subtitulación en España: mapa de convenciones. Universitat Jaume I Publicacions, 2019, 243 pp., ISBN 978-84-17429-97-3

Book review: TORRALBA MIRALLES, Gloria et al. La traducción para la subtitulación en España: mapa de convenciones. Universitat Jaume I Publicacions, 2019, 243 pp., ISBN 978-84-17429-97-3.Reseña del libro: TORRALBA MIRALLES, Gloria et al. La traducción para la subtitulación en España: mapa de convenciones. Universitat Jaume I Publicacions, 2019, 243 pp., ISBN 978-84-17429-97-3

Viewers can keep up with fast subtitles: Evidence from eye movements.

People watch subtitled audiovisual materials more than ever before. With the proliferation of subtitled content, we are also witnessing an increase in subtitle speeds. However, there is an ongoing controversy about what optimum subtitle speeds should be. This study looks into whether viewers can keep up with increasingly fast subtitles and whether the way people cope with subtitled content depends on their familiarity with subtitling and on their knowledge of the language of the film soundtrack. We tested 74 English, Polish and Spanish viewers watching films subtitled at different speeds (12, 16 and 20 characters per second). The films were either in Hungarian, a language unknown to the participants (Experiment 1), or in English (Experiment 2). We measured viewers' comprehension, self-reported cognitive load, scene and subtitle recognition, preferences and enjoyment. By analyzing people's eye gaze, we were able to discover that most viewers could read the subtitles as well as follow the images, coping well even with fast subtitle speeds. Slow subtitles triggered more re-reading, particularly in English clips, causing more frustration and less enjoyment. Faster subtitles with unreduced text were preferred in the case of English videos, and slower subtitles with text edited down in Hungarian videos. The results provide empirical grounds for revisiting current subtitling practices to enable more efficient processing of subtitled videos for viewers

Viewers can keep up with fast subtitles : evidence from eye movements

People watch subtitled audiovisual materials more than ever before. With the proliferation of subtitled content, we are also witnessing an increase in subtitle speeds. However, there is an ongoing controversy about what optimum subtitle speeds should be. This study looks into whether viewers can keep up with increasingly fast subtitles and whether the way people cope with subtitled content depends on their familiarity with subtitling and on their knowledge of the language of the film soundtrack. We tested 74 English, Polish and Spanish viewers watching films subtitled at different speeds (12, 16 and 20 characters per second). The films were either in Hungarian, a language unknown to the participants (Experiment 1), or in English (Experiment 2). We measured viewers' comprehension, self-reported cognitive load, scene and subtitle recognition, preferences and enjoyment. By analyzing people's eye gaze, we were able to discover that most viewers could read the subtitles as well as follow the images, coping well even with fast subtitle speeds. Slow subtitles triggered more rereading, particularly in English clips, causing more frustration and less enjoyment. Faster subtitles with unreduced text were preferred in the case of English videos, and slower subtitles with text edited down in Hungarian videos. The results provide empirical grounds for revisiting current subtitling practices to enable more efficient processing of subtitled videos for viewers

Self-reported reading experience in clips in English.

<p>Self-reported reading experience in clips in English.</p

Example of slow, medium-paced and fast subtitles.

<p>Example of slow, medium-paced and fast subtitles.</p