Enhancing English Language Teaching through Mandarin-to-English Subtitles: A Study of Quality and Pedagogical Potential

This study investigates the quality of Mandarin-to-English subtitles in Netflix content and their implications for English Language Teaching (ELT) and language acquisition. Drawing on a corpus of selected episodes from popular series, the research employs Pedersen’s Taxonomy of Subtitling Errors and Díaz Cintas’ subtitling strategies to identify prevalent issues, including mistranslations, omissions, and unnatural phrasing. The findings illuminate the impact of subtitle quality on viewers’ comprehension, vocabulary development, and exposure to authentic language usage. The study posits that audiovisual translations can serve as a valuable pedagogical tool in ELT. It concludes with practical recommendations for integrating high-quality subtitles into language learning strategies to optimize learner engagement and outcomes.