Student reflections on multilingual dubbing and subtitling of instructional videos

Abstract

This article explores the perceived usefulness of multilingual dubbing and subtitling in instructional videos for Agricultural Sciences students at two South African higher education institutions: a comprehensive university and a university of technology. Set against the backdrop of ongoing decolonial and epistemic justice efforts, particularly in the language domain, the study situates itself in the broader context of the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions and its aim to promote multilingualism in higher education. Drawing from prior research on the role of subtitles and dubbing in aiding comprehension and language acquisition, the article examines how these modalities support students’ learning experiences. Through student reflections, the study assesses the impact of dubbed and subtitled videos on comprehension, linguistic access, vocabulary development and overall knowledge acquisition in discipline-specific contexts. Findings show that students found subtitles to enhance understanding and engagement more than dubbing, whether in academic English, plain English, or one of the other home languages. Demonstrating the need to consider institutional contexts when designing multilingual educational materials, the study could contribute to a growing body of literature that advocates audiovisual materials to foster inclusivity, cognitive development and multilingual access in South African higher education.