Same Language Subtitling: Small Change for Colossal Gains in Literacy

Author : Brij Kothari
Date added : 2001-03-27

Brief Project Background

Same Language Subtitling (SLS) is an idea that is being researched and developed since early 1997. After several field tests and experiments, it was piloted during June 1999 to Dec. 2000 on Gujarat State television, to give around 16 million partially literate people, regular reading practice through everyday entertainment. The lyrics of Chitrageet, a weekly program of Gujarati film songs, were subtitled in the 'same' language as the audio. Subtitles were designed to change color and match the audio track exactly, thus, giving subliminal reading practice to millions at a ridiculously low per person cost. Research suggests that SLS contributed to skill improvement and was found by both, literate and partially literate viewers, to be more popular than the unsubtitled Chitrageet. The potential of SLS for India's estimated 325 million partially literate people is enormous.

The project uses basic ICT (Television), in a creative way. Studies from developed country contexts on learning for English as a Second Language (ESL) and deaf education generally point positively to the potential of subtitling. However, the link between first language literacy and subtitling, in a non-Roman script language, has not been explored anywhere and certainly not in a developing country context where this has tremendous relevance. The innovativeness of the project lies in a combination of factors.

Firstly, the interaction (reading practice) between the user (partially literate person) and IT (television) was designed to take place in everyday life and entertainment. In addition, the link between subtitling and literacy was explored:

a) in "First Language" literacy;
b) on a mass scale with millions of people with extremely low literacy skills, i.e., people, who can barely sign their name or read anything in any language;
c) in a language that does not use the Roman script;
d) using an inexhaustible, readily available, and ever-popular entertainment resource (film songs) and not formal teaching-learning materials; and
e) with a unique subtitling method designed for literacy improvement among the partially literate and enhanced entertainment for all.

Thus, SLS has not been implemented anywhere in the world, expressly for literacy, on such a mass scale.

Results

Same Language Subtitling: Invites reading and leads to reading skill improvement

An experiment with primary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds provided the first concrete evidence of the contribution that SLS could make to reading skills (Kothari et al., 2001). SLS was not ignored by children. An indication of this was observable through children's lip movement, and once in a while, a spontaneous breaking into group singing, as in Karaoke. This confirms extensive research by Gery d'Ydewalle (e.g., d'Ydewalle et al. 1991) who has systematically tracked eye-ball movement to prove that reading of television subtitles is automatic and unavoidable. If the subtitles are there, they WILL be read! Given that SLS did invite children to read along, did it then lead to measurable reading skill improvement? Yes! The experimental group that saw songs with SLS evinced greater improvement in reading ability than the group that saw the same songs without subtitles or the control group that saw no songs at all (Kothari et al., 2001).

Building upon the earlier experiment in a controlled setting, the potential impact of SLS was explored on television by subtitling weekly programs of Chitrageet on Gujarat State TV, for six months. This time the impact on the reading skills of partially literate adults was evaluated. Despite the short duration of the program, it was found that the reading skills of adults who watched the program regularly during the pilot study, showed greater improvement than others who did not watch the program. The improvement was incremental, as expected (see Table below). However, in a lifelong sense, this could add up to substantial progress on a mass scale.

Improvement in reading: Post-test minus pretest scores
Reading exercise
Group n d_S d_Time
SLS 358 4.4 -5.0
Control 121 0.4 +7.2
p < 0.00* 0.01*
d = difference in score and Time (T) taken
* Significant differences between groups (p < 0.05)

Popular with viewers

Out of the over three thousand post-cards received from viewers with a range of literacy levels during the telecast of subtitled Chitrageet, only three expressed not liking the idea. In media, this is an overwhelming endorsement. SLS promotes a culture of reading and writing. Viewers are known to try and write down the lyrics from the screen. Parents and teachers have written that they encourage children to watch the subtitled Chitrageet program because it makes them read. Since SLS creates an environment for literacy activity through entertainment, it may also motivate non-literates for literacy. Non-literates see in the acquisition of literacy skills, the possibility of enhanced entertainment such as being able to sing along and know song lyrics. These very reasons are responsible for the widespread popularity of SLS, not only among the partially literate, but also literate viewers.

Lessons

Same Language Subtitling is effective and economical

Everybody benefits from SLS on television. The direct beneficiaries are children enrolled in school who can get reading skill reinforcement at home, child and adult school drop-outs who have picked up rudimentary skills but are not able to sustain or improve upon them due to the near absence of reading in their lives, and adults who have attended or are attending non-formal education classes. In general, SLS promotes a culture of reading and writing.

SLS on just one program such as Chitrageet, gives 30 minutes of reading practice a week at a cost of US$ 0.0066 per person per year. In the Hindi speaking states, where half the country’s non- and partially literate people reside, the cost comes down to a lowly US$ 0.0007/person/annum (Kothari et al., 2001).

Major barriers and challenges in project

SLS needs to be implemented on song-based television programs with greater frequency and over a longer period for its contribution to become amply apparent. The idea needs to be tried out in all states and languages where song programs exist already.

While the idea has generated interest among international and civil society agencies, it has found few champions in Indian policy-making with the power and willingness to ensure sustained implementation on a wider scale. As of date, there is no single program with SLS that is telecast nationally. Even in Gujarat State where SLS on Chitrageet has proven its success in a pilot mode, State level policy-makers in education and the State Resource Center for literacy with considerable funds at their disposal, have not so far expressed enthusiasm to take over the project or even become a partner. Showing an SLS program on television implies diversion of less than 1 % of the State’s annual budget for Continuing Education (CE). Furthermore, the reach of SLS on television is at least 10 times more than the roughly half-a-million people served under the CE program in Gujarat.

The SLS idea was not born within policy-making circles, including a small and select group of “inner-circle-experts” that policy-making turns to for direction. Any idea born outside these circles already faces a daunting challenge to be heard, let alone find acceptance. Because SLS is astoundingly simple and any lay person could have suggested it, the “why did we not think about it ourselves” syndrome conspires to its detriment. Creating lifelong reading opportunities in a country of such diversity and size as India has vexed experts in the literacy movement since the beginning. If SLS delivers so simply, its success may well be seen by experts as their own failure.

SLS is an extremely low-cost approach in relation to the mass impact it promises. The expense elements and the number of agencies involved are few. The entire implementation process is straightforward and transparent, leaving little room for project fund misappropriation. Functionaries used to complicated projects replete with monitoring difficulties and several agency interfaces are likely to find the SLS project disappointing.

With policy-makers exhibiting a cold shoulder, the future of SLS lies in private partnerships to start subtitled song programs in competition with unsubtitled ones. If the assertion is correct that subtitling is more popular, then its addition should attract more viewers and put pressure on other programs to do the same. The challenge is to put up at least one national program of songs with SLS, make it financially sustainable, and prove its popularity and effectiveness for literacy.

Development Impacts

India is home to 560 million literate people in the 7+ age group, of which, roughly 325 million are neo-literate. The National Literacy Mission (NLM) has played a significant role since the late 80s to generate an enormous number of neo-literates. However, the NLM’s efforts have not been able to sustain the movement from neo to functional and irreversible literacy. As a result, millions of people find themselves unable to progress beyond abysmally low literacy skills, or worse, are relapsing into non-literacy.

The link between literacy and several development indicators such as life expectancy, reproductive choice, infant and maternal mortality, nutritional status, and ultimately poverty, is well established. In the emerging information society, functional literacy has become synonymous with access to information and expansion of choice. While India’s literacy rate in the 2001 census is expected to touch 67 % (7+ group), more than half the so-called literates will have below functional level literacy skills. The proposed idea can potentially upgrade the literacy skills of 325 million people and empower them to become fuller citizens and decision-makers in an information society.

While the context of the project is India, its scope is global. SLS may benefit any country, including the developed world, where music-videos are popularly watched and low literacy skills is a concern.

References

d’Ydewalle, Gery, Praet, Caroline, Verfaillie, Karl and Rensbergen, John Van, 1991, Watching subtitled television. Communication Research, 18(5), 650-666.

Kothari, Brij, Takeda, Joe, Joshi, Ashok, & Panday, Avinash. (2001, forthcoming). Same Language Subtitling: A butterfly for literacy? International Journal of Lifelong Education.

Project Information

Organisation : Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
URL : http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/acads/acadsmain.htm
Total budget in US$ : So far US$ 55,000 have been spent

Are there any partners involved : yes
What is partners role?: Doordarshan Kendra (DDK), Ahmedabad (State TV for Gujarat), DECU DDK: Allowed us to subtitle their TV program and facilitate

Contact Information

Brij Kothari
brij@iimahd.ernet.in and brijkot@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: No stories on this website shall be reproduced or stored in any other retrieval system without the written permission of the infoDev/IICD. Although every precaution will be taken in the preperation and maintenance of this collection of stories, neither infoDev, IICD or the submitting parties assume any responsibilities for errors or omissions. In addition, no liability is assumed fordamages resulting from the use of the information supplied in the stories.