Page 21 - ELG1906 May-Jun Issue 465

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EU special research news
SPECIAL FEATURE
Don’t dub and improve your English New Malta work rights

Countries which use subtitles score higher on tests, according

to European researchers to lure long stay students

By Gillian Ragsdale can improve English proficiency fell firmly into either the ‘dubbed’ subtitling Netherlands has higher
has been debated for some time. or ‘subtitled’ category. Outside scores than dubbing Austria, An economic boom means Malta has work for international
Watching English-language films When questioned, only 12 per Europe, Arabic-speaking North despite being of similar size
and TV with subtitles rather cent of Europeans thought this African countries generally used and investing similar amounts students and for teachers, Matt Salusbury reports
than being dubbed may increase could be a useful way to learn dubbing, while the Koreas were in education: Austria is able
TOEFL scores by as much as 17 English. On the one hand, it is an unusual exception, as dubbing to access dubbed film and TV Institute (affiliated to the University of
p ercent, according to a team of a relatively cheap, abundant and is mandatory in North Korea made for its larger neighbour – AUM London) offers BSc courses in computer
researchers from across Europe. easily accessed source material while subtitling is routine in Germany. sciences, accounting, banking and business.
Although English is the for both language learners and South Korea. Investment in education and EEC-ITIS Malta Tourism and Languages
most popular choice of second teachers. But on the other hand – Comparing TOEFL scores for language proximity to English Institute – a merger of Malta Tourism
language around the world, it is very passive, running counter 2008-2015 from 135 countries also significantly predicted Institute (ITIS) and EEC Language Centre
English proficiency by country to an increasing move toward around the world (67 of which TOEFL scores, as expected. A 1 – runs BA hospitality and tourism courses.
varies a great deal. Even within more active learning. used dubbing and 68 using per cent increase in investment Also, the Institute of Tourism Studies Malta
the EU, neighbouring countries The history of cinema, it turns subtitles) the team, which in education predicted a 1.7 per is about to open applications for its new BA
show significant differences in out, provides a natural quasi- included academics working in cent increase in TOEFL scores. courses in culinary arts, gastronomy and
average TOEFL scores. Portugal’s experiment to test this idea. Spain, Italy and the UK, found The additional factor of using hospitality management.
average score of 94, for example, When sound was first introduced that countries where English films subtitles instead of dubbing was There are also good post-study work
is well ahead of neighbouring back in the 1930s-40s, Hollywood were subtitled had TOEFL scores calculated as equivalent to a 2.4 The campus of the American University of Malta opportunities. The country has recently taken
Spain’s average score of 89. started dubbing films into on average 17 per cent higher per cent increase in monetary tudents from outside the EU on longer Office of National Statistics figures for off as a financial services hub and is enjoying
Some of the major reasons for European languages for export. than those of countries where investment in education, making stays in Malta now have the right to Malta’s international graduate numbers in a property boom. Unemployment has fallen
these differences are well-known, But dubbing increases the cost films were dubbed. Breaking those these findings of interest to work. There’s also a visa scheme to 2015 show that ‘internationals’ made up 6 sharply while wages remain relatively low.
such as government investment of imported films and is only scores down further revealed that cash-strapped educational policy Sallow recent non-EU graduates to per cent of undergraduates, with the UK and The same factors may be making it
in language education and how cost-effective if box office sales all four skills (listening, reading, makers looking to raise English find work. This development is expected to Kuwait as the biggest sending countries. harder for schools to find teachers. Maltese
closely related the first language are expected to reach a certain writing and speaking) were language proficiency across the make Malta a more attractive destination for Malta’s relatively tiny higher education schoolteachers used to work in the summer,
is to English. Recently, a team level. For countries with ‘small improved in dubbing countries whole population. long-stay study. sector is gradually expanding. The University with others recruited from abroad for the
of researchers led by Augusto languages’ (i.e. relatively few but, unsurprisingly, listening skills Switching to subtitles may be a It’s too early to tell whether the scheme, of Malta has a good reputation, particularly season. Recent figures show there were 197
Rupérez Micola, from the speakers of a language not shared were especially improved (up 25 hard sell to the language-learning introduced last year, has had any effect on for medicine. According to its website, of the fewer teachers for this summer.
Luxembourg School of Finance, with a larger country), studios per cent), with speaking skills public, however. Generally, overall international student numbers. The university’s 11,500
wondered if watching English TV soon switched to using subtitles least so (up 12 per cent). countries with a history of dubbed Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures students, around
and films in their original language, in order to reduce the cost of For example, Portuguese is films prefer dubbing to subtitles from March showed a miniscule overall 1,000 are foreign
with subtitles rather than dubbing imported films. a ‘small language’ compared while, interestingly, countries decrease in the number of foreign students nationals.
into the local language, could be Once these processes were to Spanish, and Portugal uses used to subtitles prefer that attending English language courses for 2018. The website of the
another factor influencing average established in each country they subtitles rather than dubbing. method (90 per cent of Swedes Enrolments shrank imperceptibly on the relatively new private
TOEFL scores. remained unchanged for both This may partly explain the for example, prefer subtitles previous year, to 87,112, with average stays sector American
Whether or not watching film and TV to this day, and the difference in average national compared to less than 20 per cent slightly shorter than in 2017. University of Malta
English language films or TV languages in this study generally TOEFL scores. Similarly, the of Germans). Six of the top ten sending countries were (AUM) views the
In 2008, the Polish government within the EU, where language travel is new work rights as a
proposal to use subtitling for all overwhelmingly a short-stay market. selling point, noting
English language programming The long-stay markets are from long-haul last year that, “with
on a public broadcasting channel regions: Latin America and East Asia. EFL AUM getting ready
was met with ‘strong opposition’. students from Colombia currently stay the to open its doors to
But as the world-wide appetite longest in Malta (an average of 11 weeks in new students… new
for English language proficiency 2018). They’re followed by South Koreans visa and employment
increases, subtitled public (7.9 weeks) and Turks (6.4 weeks). Malta’s policies come as a
broadcasting could be an competitive edge could increase if it can huge breath of fresh
attractive option, with the added induce students to stay longer, attracting air.” The university
benefit of expanding the market them with the prospect of progressing to an adds that many
for subtitled foreign language English-medium higher education course and students, “start
film and TV generally. Thus, a the possibility of post-study work. their life in Malta
policy aimed at improving English Malta is moving to increase its appeal. It as English language
language learning may also is now easier to upgrade a tourist visa to a students before
serve to improve cross-cultural student visa and students on courses of over moving on to higher-
communication and education in three months’ duration can work 20 hours a level education.”
all languages. week while studying. Students from countries Most Maltese HE
with no Maltese consulate now don’t have to institutions are small
■ Micola, A. R., Fenoll, A. A., apply for a visa in person. and new, offering
Banal-Estañol, A. and Bris, A. Also, non-EU national students who a narrow range of
(2019) ‘TV or not TV? The graduate from one of Malta’s higher courses. Domain
impact of subtitling on English education institutes now have six months in Academy runs
skills.’ Journal of Economic which to find a job, and can work full-time in computer science
Subtitling foreign fi lm, rather than dubbing, may improve English language learning skills Behavior and Organization 158(4): the islands on a post-study work visa in a job courses to degree
87–4 99 “related to their area of specialisation”. level. St Martins

EU8 May/June 2019 editorial@elgazette.com EU9