Processing subtitles and film images. Hearing vs deaf viewers

Subtitling is often assumed to be a solely linguistic operation which involves the translation of dialogue into written captions. However, from a viewer's perspective subtitled productions include more than just linguistic information. In addition to subtitles, viewers have to process film images in order to establish a coherent narrative. Both types of information must be received through the same visual channel. This article examines a number of significant linguistic and non-linguistic features of subtitles and film which potentially affect the way viewers watch subtitled productions. Non-linguistic features are examined in the context of recent studies on eye-movement behaviour, including a comparative study involving deaf and hearing viewers conducted by the authors.