Innovation in Language Learning
From Shadowing to Subtitling: Training Second-Language Educators in Dialect-Attuned LSP Creation
Oliwia Szymanska, University of Oslo (Norway)
Abstract
This paper introduces a pilot course where university students design language-for-special-purposes materials focused on spoken dialect comprehension in multilingual workplaces. In Norway—where second language speakers dominate healthcare, construction, and transport—the project addresses challenges in understanding regional dialects, overlooked by standard L2 Norwegian courses.
Grounded in research showing small but consistent advantages of learning through material creation over restudying or testing, students act as emerging instructional designers. Hybrid workshops integrate workplace communication theory, language assessment, and material design, supported by digital platforms and AI-enhanced feedback. In teams, students iterate through design cycles: collecting data from authentic settings like healthcare observations or workplace dialogues, then creating multimodal resources. Advanced IT and generative AI tools enable video/audio production, transcription, translation, subtitling, and adaptation, boosting generative learning and producing market-ready, AI-aligned products. The course trains future L2 educators as reflective practitioners, grounding designs in evidence via feedback loops and rationales. It fosters competencies for digital/multilingual workplaces, emphasizes creative production over exams, and yields shareable vocational resources. Outcomes provide a transferable model for higher education in multilingual contexts, empowering innovative contributions to diverse workplace communication.
Keywords: ai-integrated practice, creative production, materials for dialect comprehension, multilingual workplaces, student-created teaching materials
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