Applied Languages and Digital Technologies

This theme concerns the practical application of language-related research. It encompasses topics related to translation methodologies, language pedagogy, bilingualism, non-verbal communication and the use of digital technologies including AI.

Our research is driven by a desire to enhance communication between members of different language communities, cultures and societies. Its practical focus means that it often has significant impact outside higher education, including commercially. We have a shared commitment to improving access to and experiences of language learning for everyone.

Examples: Innovative approaches to language and translation, understanding the operation and impact of translation software and Large Language Models, investigating the role of non-verbal forms of communication such as accent and gesture.

Developing More Creative Subtitling Practices (Sara Ramos Pinto)

Audiovisual media production and its translation and localisation into different languages and markets are growing industries that permeate all aspects of people's lives from entertainment and learning to governing and marketing. Low quality translation and localisation negatively impacts on peoples' ability to use, enjoy and engage with those products and, in turn, on the industry's success as a whole.

My work focuses on subtitling, one of the modes used to make audiovisual products available in foreign markets. Current subtitling norms were defined without empirical testing and are outdated and conceptually obsolete. In the past 15 years, audiovisual products evolved, the markets they target multiplied, and viewers' uses and expectations regarding subtitled products changed so dramatically that it is imperative to rethink why, what and how we subtitle. The growing dissatisfaction from viewers, production teams and exhibitors is a pressing issue with industry and societal impact.

One of the main challenges to change is the fact that production and translation teams work separately and unaware of the challenges and priorities faced by each. My currently AHRC-funded project built a UK-based network of agents involved in production, distribution, subtitling, exhibition (television, streaming platforms and cinemas) and research in order to: a) identify the challenges faced at each stage, b) design a new research agenda capable of addressing some of the issues identified, and c) collect essential data on audiences and new viewing habits, preferences and expectations.

This network will strongly impact my other research interest more focused on collecting empirical data on the impact of subtitling on how people interpret, enjoy and engage with audiovisual products. This has led me to consult with translation companies interested in revising their practices and to collaborate with film producers in developing an enhanced subtitling practice. For more details visit my research website.

Researching AI in Translation Studies (Serge Sharoff)

Artificial Intelligence and more specifically Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT, have recently made a profound impact on how we interact with the computers by providing the ability to produce new texts in response to prompts. Fundamental research in this area is at the core of my expertise which is at the intersection of (1) Language Technology solutions, (2) societal challenges and (3) linguistic research to describe how the solutions can help (or fail in helping) to address the societal challenges. Examples of my research projects cover contribution of Language Technology to studies of translation quality, language teaching, inclusive democratic participation or the spread of misinformation with funding received from AHRC, EPSRC, InnovateUK, EU FP7 and Horizon schemes.

Quantifying Bilingual Experience (Q-BEx) (Cecile de Cat)

Based on an international, cross-sector consensus among bilingualism professionals, the Q-BEx project resulted in the creation of a customisable online tool which researchers, speech & language therapists and teachers can use to better understand the language experiences and background of bilingual or trilingual children, and inform the professional evaluation of their language support needs. The tool consists of an online questionnaire and back-end calculator. The questionnaire can be customised according to professional users’ needs and is available in 28 languages. As well as processed data downloadable as spreadsheets, Q-BEx automatically generates individual child reports for professionals. These reports include information about the child’s amount of experience and abilities in each language, indices of richness of the child’s experience of each language, and a score indicating the child’s risk for language impairment. Evidence-informed guidance is provided for the interpretation of the reports. The project has been funded by the ESRC (both a research grant and an impact acceleration award) and the Harmonious Bilingualism Network. Find out more at q-bex.org.

External engagement advocating for languages education (Emma Cayley, Sofia Martinho, Becky Muradas-Taylor, Sascha Stollhans)

An important goal of research is developing innovative solutions to societal challenges. For languages academics in anglophone countries, the subject we teach is itself under threat, with fewer people studying languages in schools and universities. Many academics therefore become ‘researcher-activists’ or ‘academic-activists’, with language advocacy a central part of their role.  

Head of School Professor Emma Cayley is known nationally for her advocacy as Chair of the University Council For Languages, an umbrella organisation representing languages and cultures in UK higher education, and Co-Chair of the Arts and Humanities Alliance. 

Sofia Martinho is founder and president of the Association of Teachers and Researchers of Portuguese Language (TROPO) which advocates for the teaching of Portuguese in the UK and is the leading platform for sharing scholarship of Portuguese teaching and learning.  

Research by Professor Becky Muradás-Taylor showed that English universities with lower entry tariffs do not generally offer language degrees. She analysed universities’ geographic distribution, showing that there are cold spots in the North, East and South West of England for lower tariff universities offering languages degrees.  

This is a social justice issue: people applying to these universities, who may be from less privileged or marginalised backgrounds, have fewer opportunities to study languages. Becky’s research is helping to prevent and even reverse language degree closures: cold spots were a key argument in the successful campaign against closing languages at the University of Kent and have been used to propose new language degrees elsewhere.  

Professor Sascha Stollhans is part of a research group investigating whether introducing linguistics into the A level French, German and Spanish curriculum might increase uptake. This research lead to a manifesto for linguistics in language teaching in the UK context which was presented to a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages in the House of Lords.