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Today’s audiovisual advertising is heard more than seen, as many viewers feel overloaded with visual information or engage in multitasking while viewing. The fact that many viewers are not watching the screen is a problem that should concern the entire advertising industry. Are there technological solutions that enable us to hear what we do not see? Audio description (AD) is an established option in the field of visual impairment, but is it the only option to make advertising accessible to people who are not looking at the images? This study considers these questions, applying a methodology based on Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) and combining Grounded Theory and the focus group model as a data collection technique. Three focus groups ⎼two comprising people with a visual disability and the third made up of people without one explored the question of whether contemporary advertising has been drifting towards an exclusion of spectators with visual impairment. Participant responses were split between the view that commercials should incorporate AD but with clear improvements that take viewer opinion into account and the belief that advertising should return to its origins and make its soundtrack more explicit, perhaps rendering AD unnecessary.

Audio description scripts represent a text type structured into several parts helping the speaker produce their recording. The heterogeneous composition and formatting of these parts makes it difficult to describe the linguistic features of audio description (AD) scripts in one go. Hence, it seems useful to implement them into a corpus tool enabling the analysis of the specificities of each AD section. In this paper, the AD scripts of 69 episodes from a German television show serve as a sample to explore a method for dealing with variation when preparing AD scripts for corpus processing. In our article, we offer a short overview of existing research on AD script corpora and on variation, and we present our dataset and the tools we used to prepare and explore the data. We then outline the features of the analysed AD scripts and the treatments applied. In the last section of the article, we discuss our results. Our analysis leads us to conclude that modifying original data for the sake of corpus implementation (e.g. changing formatting features) is a weighty step which may have unforeseen consequences: formal variation in AD scripts conveys more meaning than expected. Lay summary Audio description (AD) is a cultural technique helping blind people to enjoy going to the movies despite their disability. An additional soundtrack provides them with the information necessary to understand the essential action of the film. The scripts of such soundtracks are mostly written by authors specialising in audiovisual translation. We were interested in the formatting features of such texts, called AD scripts, e.g. the use of bold print or of words entirely written in capital letters. We conducted the study reported in this article because we wanted to know which sorts of variation can be identified in AD scripts. We also wanted to understand to which extent some of the varying features should be modified to improve text quality. That is why we collected the AD scripts of 69 episodes of a German TV show (we got the rights to use them for our research). These texts were written by 13 AD authors over a period of 6 years. The broadcaster is the only stable parameter. With the help of text statistics tools, we found out that these AD scripts vary a lot from one author to another and even over time in the scripts written by one and the same author. We modified our texts in order to unify some of their formatting features. However, we understood that reducing variation in AD scripts is not in any case a good option: the voice talents responsible for recording these scripts need clear and sufficient information to know how to proceed. In addition, AD script writing is a creative activity which should not be locked into strict rules.

This is an abstract for an oral presentation at the Making the Invisible Visible Conference by Olga Davis, PGR student at the University of Surrey.

The article presents a comprehensive approach to the process of audiovisual translation that includes application of multimodal analysis of semiotic codes present in audiovisual productions. The article dwells on how the proposed approach can be applied to analyzing audiovisual productions for different types of audiovisual translation. Due to its multimodal nature, an audiovisual production is understood by the authors as an audiovisual text that combines image, sound and verbal means, that is, different modes conveying meaning. The means of conveying meaning in an audiovisual production include the visual non-verbal elements, visual verbal elements as well as audio non-verbal and verbal elements. The priority of these means of meaning transfer and their interaction in meaning generation differ significantly depending on the genre of audiovisual productions and the specifics of the process of its creation.

In this article we report on an experiment examining audience experience when two different audio description (AD) intonation types are used. Following the classification put forward by Cabeza-Cáceres (2013), we tested twenty participants with vision loss who were asked to listen to twenty film clips with AD voiced following the adapted and emphatic intonation. All clips were rated as evoking emotions, either positive or negative. Participants’ experience was measured through heart rate variability, a self-assessment emotional response (Self-Assessment Manikin), a self-assessment presence questionnaire (ITC-SOPI) and an interview. Results show that participants strongly preferred adapted intonation, particularly when presented clips were evoking negative emotions. Higher rating of intonation type was also linked to greater intensity of the emotional experience and immersion, both self-reported and measured as psychophysiological reaction. The qualitative analysis of the participants’ reports on their experience indicated that adapted intonation is considered a golden mean between emotionless and melodramatic intonation. Film genre, voice type and emotional valence can be influencing factors. Emphatic intonation could be beneficial for certain genres, but a poorly-matched voice can distract the audiences.

RESUMO Este artigo objetiva estudar a expressão dos sentimentos em duas sequências de Bravura e na audiodescrição (AD) desse curta de animação. O trabalho se enquadra no campo dos Estudos da Tradução, mais particularmente nos da Tradução Audiovisual Acessível, em que a AD é uma forma de acessibilizar uma obra audiovisual para as Pessoas com Deficiência Visual. A pesquisa adotou a abordagem da sociossemiótica multimodal e da Semântica do Discurso. Para a leitura da narrativa visual, utilizou-se os sistemas interpessoais de Painter, Martin e Unsworth (2012), enquanto, para a análise do verbal, elegeu-se o Sistema de VALORAÇÃO de Martin e White (2005). Para a análise do filme e da AD fílmica enquanto gêneros, o aporte é Martin e Rose (2008). A proposta metodológica de Iedema (2001), de segmentação de filmes para análise, foi adotada parcialmente. Os resultados mostram que os textos manifestam a presença dos significados interpessoais relativos à expressão de ATITUDE. O roteiro da AD tem predominância de AFETO e APRECIAÇÃO, ambos com CARGA POSITIVA e GRADAÇÃO por FORÇA. Já a narrativa visual apresenta uma gama maior de significados que evocam AFETO, em especial PATHOS, AMBIÊNCIA e GRADAÇÃO. Os resultados também mostram que há complementaridade entre os modos visual e verbal quanto aos significados interpessoais. No entanto, o modo visual apresenta uma variedade maior desses significados. Por exemplo, há FAMILIARIDADE das cores, o que, por um lado, aproxima a cena do real. No desenho da personagem, constata-se mudança do engajamento EMPÁTICO para o APRECIATIVO, o que, por outro, distancia o espectador da referida personagem. ABSTRACT This article aims to study the expression of feelings in two shots of the short film Bravura and in their audio description (AD). The work falls within the Translation Studies field, more particularly within Accessible Audiovisual Translation, in which AD is a way of making an audiovisual work accessible to visually impaired people. The research reported here has adopted the approach of multimodal social semiotics and Discourse Semantics. To read the visual narrative, the interpersonal systems of Painter, Martin and Unsworth were used, and to analyze the verbal language the Appraisal System of Martin and White (2005) was chosen. To analyze the short film and its AD as genres Martin and Rose (2007, 2008) was used. The methodological proposal by Iedema (2001), of segmenting films for analysis, was partially adopted. The results show, in general, that both visual and verbal texts express meanings of ATTITUDE, both with POSITIVE charge and GRADUATION of FORCE. The visual narrative, on the other hand, presents a wider range of meanings that evoke affection, especially PATHOS, ENVIRONMENT and GRADUATION. The results also show that there is complementarity between the visual and verbal modes, regarding the interpersonal meaning. However, the visual mode presents a greater variety of these meanings. For example, there is FAMILIARITY in colors, which, on the one hand, brings the scene closer to the real. In the character’s design, on the other hand, there is a shift from EMPATHIC to APPRECIATIVE engagement, which distances the viewer from the feelings of that character.

This article presents a global overview of the results of the evaluation activities performed in the European project Immersive Accessibility (ImAc), which investigated how access services can be integrated into 360º videos. More specifically, the paper presents the methodological approach in ImAc testing, and reports on the results of the evaluation activities on the tools (a subtitling editor, an audio description editor, a sign language editor, and an accessibility content manager), on the media player, and on the access services (subtitling, audio description, audio subtitling, and sign language interpreting).

La comunicación en la actualidad se ha establecido y afianzado en canales ahora bastante comunes como son las redes sociales. Su uso se ha extendido por todos los países y no distingue de razón social, poniendo en el punto de mira a un grupo fácilmente franqueable: las personas con discapacidad sensorial, que conforman un subtotal de más de 1814 millones de personas en todo el mundo. Tanto para la discapacidad visual como para la auditiva, se ha encontrado una falta de medidas que propicien la inclusión de las personas afectadas en el entorno digital. A través del estudio de casos y de entrevistas en profundidad a representantes de la FAPAS y ONCE se ha llegado a la conclusión de que el uso de técnicas que garanticen que el mensaje de contenidos audiovisuales difundido en redes sociales llegue a todo su público sigue siendo una materia pendiente. Tanto es así, que se ha visto oportuno la creación de una Guía de Recomendaciones que resulte de modelo para aquellas marcas que quieran realizar una comunicación inclusiva. En esta guía se puede encontrar métodos como el uso de textos alternativos, la lengua de signos, la audiodescripción y la subtitulación, entre otros. Además, se considera necesaria la implementación de un marco regulatorio que garantice que todas las marcas creen un contenido accesible en el entorno de las redes sociales. Communication today has been established and entrenched in now quite common channels such as social networks. Its use has spread throughout all countries and does not distinguish between company names, targeting an easily bypassable group: people with sensory disabilities, who make up a subtotal of more than 1,814 million people worldwide. For both visual and hearing disabilities, a lack of measures has been found to promote the inclusion of affected people in the digital environment. Through the study of cases and in-depth interviews with representatives of FAPAS and ONCE, it has been concluded that the use of techniques that guarantee that the message of audiovisual content disseminated on social networks reaches its entire audience continues to be a pending matter. So much so, that the creation of a Recommendations Guide has been deemed appropriate as a model for those brands that want to carry out inclusive communication. In this guide you can find methods such as the use of alternative texts, sign language, audio description and subtitling, among others. In addition, the implementation of a regulatory framework that guarantees that all brands create accessible content in the social network environment is considered necessary. Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas

This work is assumed in the context of an experience report from a training situation that involves the arrival of a software development analyst, in a technology team in a banking network, being a blind person. It aims to report a case of an action research on the inclusion of a blind person, proposing a lecture, as a participant research, entitled “Audiodescription and Technology: making relationships accessible in an agile context”. From the perspective of action research, the author reports step by step, with theoretical foundations on disability and audio description, how she elaborated the lecture. There were 13 participants aged between 22 and 55 years old, all members of the team, with different roles, such as software and mobile developers, designers, managers, functional and accessibility testers. The results revealed that the training was fundamental in the establishment of communication without barriers and that the entire team was engaged to carry out the audio descriptions together with the images circulated in the remote environments of exchange of messages, in the meetings and internal presentations, extending the behavior to beyond the organizational environment. Este trabajo se asume en el contexto de un relato de experiencia de una situación de formación que involucra la llegada de un analista de desarrollo de software, en un equipo de tecnología en una red bancaria, siendo una persona ciega. Tiene como objetivo relatar un caso de una investigación-acción sobre la inclusión de una persona ciega, proponiendo una conferencia, como investigación participante, titulada “Audiodescripción y Tecnología: haciendo accesibles las relaciones en un contexto ágil”. Desde la perspectiva de la investigación-acción, la autora relata paso a paso, con fundamentos teóricos sobre discapacidad y audiodescripción, cómo elaboró la conferencia. Participaron 13 participantes con edades comprendidas entre los 22 y los 55 años, todos miembros del equipo, con diferentes roles, como desarrolladores de software y móviles, diseñadores, gerentes, probadores funcionales y de accesibilidad. Los resultados revelaron que la capacitación fue fundamental en el establecimiento de una comunicación sin barreras y que todo el equipo se comprometió a realizar las audiodescripciones junto con las imágenes circuladas en los ambientes remotos de intercambio de mensajes, en las reuniones y presentaciones internas, ampliando el comportamiento más allá del entorno organizacional. Trata-se de um relato de experiência a partir de uma situação formativa que envolve a chegada (contratação) de uma analista de desenvolvimento de softwares, em um time de tecnologia numa rede bancária, sendo ela uma pessoa cega. Tem como objetivo relatar um caso de uma pesquisa-ação na inclusão de uma pessoa cega, propondo uma palestra, como pesquisa participante, intitulada “A Audiodescrição e a Tecnologia: acessibilizando as relações no contexto ágil”. Na perspectiva da pesquisa-ação, a autora relata passo a passo, com fundamentação teórica sobre deficiência e audiodescrição, como elaborou a palestra. Estiveram presentes 13 participantes da faixa etária de 22 a 55 anos, todos integrantes do time, com papeis diferentes, tais como desenvolvedores de softwares e mobile, designer, gestores, testers funcionais e de acessibilidade. Os resultados revelaram que a formação foi fundamental no estabelecimento de uma comunicação sem barreiras e que todo o time se engajou para realizar as audiodescrições junto às imagens circuladas nos ambientes remotos de troca de mensagens, nas reuniões e apresentações internas, estendendo-se o comportamento para além do ambiente organizacional.

Resumo A Audiodescrição (AD) é uma modalidade de tradução que visa tornar materiais audiovisuais acessíveis. Seu público primário é formado por pessoas cegas ou com baixa visão para as quais o recurso é uma fonte de informação e lazer. Nos últimos anos, a qualidade das descrições oferecidas e sua adequação ao público-alvo têm se tornado questões de extrema relevância, levando pesquisadores a repensar certos parâmetros que vêm guiando a área. Um desses pontos a serem revistos é o caráter compensatório tradicionalmente atribuído à AD, segundo o qual o audiodescritor passa a ser “o olho” de quem não vê e a AD o instrumento que compensa a “perda” da visão. A ideia de que a experiência de videntes e pessoas com deficiência visual deva ou possa ser igualada, e de que esse deva ser o objetivo final da AD, acaba por resgatar conceitos há muito abandonados, como, por exemplo, o ideal de “equivalência”. Neste trabalho discutimos as raízes e consequências negativas dessa prática, bem como apresentamos um paradigma alternativo: o paradigma emancipatório. Sob esse novo viés, a AD supera tendências assistencialistas, contribuindo para que seu público tenha maiores condições de fruir produtos audiovisuais a seu próprio modo. Abstract Audio description (AD) is a type of translation that aims at making audiovisual materials accessible. Its primary audience is made up of blind or low vision people for whom the resource is a source of information and leisure. In recent years, the quality of the descriptions offered and their suitability for the target audience have become extremely relevant issues, leading researchers to rethink certain parameters that have been guiding the area. One of these points to be reviewed is the compensatory character traditionally attributed to AD, according to which the translator becomes “the eye” of those who do not see and AD becomes the instrument that compensates for their “loss” of vision. The idea that the experience of sighted and visually impaired people should or even could be equated, and that this should be the ultimate goal of AD ends up rescuing long-abandoned concepts, such as, for example, the ideal of “equivalence”. In this paper, we discuss the roots and negative consequences of this practice, as well as present an alternative option: the emancipatory paradigm. Under this new paradigm, AD overcomes assistentialist tendencies, contributing to better help its target audience enjoy audiovisual products in their own way.

The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which audio description contributes to the visually impaired individuals’ comprehension of a film by examining the visually impaired and sighted participants’ comprehension of two versions of the same film, one with and the other without supplementary audio description. The results of the study showed that the visually impaired participants were able to comprehend and narrate the events to the same extent as the sighted participants did when the film was supplemented with audio description. The qualitative analysis validated this finding and demonstrated that the visually impaired participants were able to comprehend the film to a great extent with the assistance of audio description. These findings emphasized the role of audio description assistance and its effects as an important resource in converting visual information to vocal information, which greatly aids the visually impaired individuals’ film comprehension. Also, the use of “Causal Network Model” showed that understanding the plot better could enable the audio description creators to provide better assistance for the visually impaired if they applied this model.

Audio description (AD) is a type of translation involving the transfer of images into words, whose primary target audience are persons with sight loss. However, in reality audio description users a...

In this paper we present our findings on analyzing two different uses of a mobile application, VISP (VIdeos-for-SPeaking), designed to promote oral skills based on audio description: one use is integrated in the classroom and the other one is self-directed. Participants were divided in two groups: one group received an introduction on audio description and an explanation of how to use the app. They were also informed about what was expected from them. The other group was just asked to download the app and try it out, that is, they were supposed to direct their own learning autonomously. The results show that, regarding language practice, VISP is equally effective as a support tool in the classroom and as an independent app, used outside the classroom. However, when it comes to attitudinal issues, the group of students who used the app as part of the classroom activities were more positive towards the app than the ones who used the app in a self-directed way, who were less motivated about the app uses and benefits. This shows the effectivity and potential of mobile apps as support resources in the foreign language classroom and the need to design strategies to improve VISP towards learners’ autonomy and self regulated learning.

Multilingualism in audiovisual productions has substantially increased in recent years as a reflection of today’s globalised world. While the number of publications looking at the phenomenon from the perspective of audiovisual translation (AVT)—especially interlingual subtitling and dubbing—has grown considerably in the last decade, there seems to be relatively little research on the rendering of multilingualism from the perspective of accessibility modes, namely subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and audio description (AD). This article aims to investigate how multilingualism is rendered for deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as blind and partially sighted audiences, focusing on SDH and AD, as well as audio subtitling (AST). The study analyses a small corpus of TV shows available on Netflix and aims to highlight how multilingualism is made accessible both in SDH and AD. The products selected for the study had to satisfy three main criteria: they had to be a recent production, include the presence of an L1 (English) and one or more third languages and offer both intralingual SDH (closed captions) and AD. The results show that, even within the context of a single streaming platform, the strategies applied to deal with multilingualism seem to vary quite significantly both in SDH and AD/AST, ranging from neutralisation to L3 visibility.

Museums aim to offer engaging and memorable visitor experiences, but their visuo-centric bias can prove challenging for people both with and without sight. Audio Description was developed to convey...

Even though museums and galleries have made efforts to become more inclusive, many continue to find it challenging to engage visitors who are blind or have low vision. The ‘Vis-ability’ exhibition,...

Audio description (AD) is a mode of audiovisual transfer which involves making audiovisual content and live performances accessible to people with sight loss. With the growing demand for this audio...

This article analyzes the domestic and foreign research experience of audiovisual translation, identifies individual approaches to the study of this type of translation, evaluates the positive and negative aspects of each of the approaches considered. The author deals with the text-centric approach to the study of audiovisual translation, which is followed by most researchers. A comprehensive and detailed analysis of the sources of theoretical material allows the author to draw a conclusion about the need to create a new paradigm for the study of audiovisual translation and opens up further research prospects in this area.

Audio is the main form for the visually impaired to obtain information. In reality, all kinds of visual data always exist, but audio data does not exist in many cases. In order to help the visually impaired people to better perceive the information around them, an image-to-audio-description (I2AD) task is proposed to generate audio descriptions from images in this paper. To complete this totally new task, a modal translation network (MT-Net) from visual to auditory sense is proposed. The proposed MT-Net includes three progressive sub-networks: 1) feature learning, 2) cross-modal mapping, and 3) audio generation. First, the feature learning sub-network aims to learn semantic features from image and audio, including image feature learning and audio feature learning. Second, the cross-modal mapping sub-network transforms the image feature into a cross-modal representation with the same semantic concept as the audio feature. In this way, the correlation of inter-modal data is effectively mined for easing the heterogeneous gap between image and audio. Finally, the audio generation sub-network is designed to generate the audio waveform from the cross-modal representation. The generated audio waveform is interpolated to obtain the corresponding audio file according to the sample frequency. Being the first attempt to explore the I2AD task, three large-scale datasets with plenty of manual audio descriptions are built. Experiments on the datasets verify the feasibility of generating intelligible audio from an image directly and the effectiveness of proposed method.

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar cómo se transmite la violencia en la audiodescripción (AD). El estudio se centra en un análisis descriptivo preliminar de la AD de escenas violentas en tres películas de Quentin Tarantino, a saber, Pulp Fiction, Malditos bastardos y Los odiosos ocho. Para llevar a cabo el análisis, se ha definido el concepto de violencia en el cine, se han seleccionado las escenas violentas de dichas películas y se han clasificado las escenas según qué estrategia (retención, generalización, especificación u omisión) se ha usado para elaborar la AD. Los resultados han permitido apuntar tendencias en la AD de la violencia en el cine. This paper aims to analyse how audio description (AD) deals with violence. The study focuses on a preliminary descriptive analysis of the AD of violent scenes in three Quentin Tarantino films, namely, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and The Hateful Eight. To carry out the analysis, the concept of film violence has been defined. Violent scenes from the abovementioned films have been selected and these scenes have been classified according to the strategy used to elaborate the AD (retention, generalization, specification or omission). Results have allowed us to establish trends in the AD of violence in films. Altres ajuts: Marta Brescia Zapata es además beneficiaria de la beca FI con número de expediente 2020FI-B 00814. Este artículo forma parte del proyecto RAD (PGC2018-096566-B-I00, MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE).

Este artículo investiga la audiodescripción en Televisión Española (TVE) en su emisión en TDT y online. Esta modalidad de traducción intersemiótica está recogida en la normativa europea y española como un servicio de accesibilidad para personas con discapacidad visual orientado al cumplimiento de derechos fundamentales como la igualdad en el acceso a los contenidos mediáticos. Mediante un análisis de contenido y un estudio de recepción basado en encuestas a usuarios, el estudio describe los niveles de audiodescripción de la televisión pública y mide la satisfacción que los receptores tienen de este servicio. This article studies the audio description of Television Española (TVE) in its broadcast on DTT and online. This modality of inter-semiotic translation is included in the European and Spanish regulations as an accessibility service for people with sight loss aimed at complying with fundamental rights such as equal access to media content. Through a content analysis and a reception study based on user surveys, the study describes the levels of audio description of public television and measures the satisfaction of receivers with this service.

El estudio que presentamos pretende describir el panorama actual de la formación en accesibilidad en España. A los cursos de posgrado universitarios sobre audiodescripción y subtitulado para sordos que se vienen ofreciendo hasta el momento, se suma el curso de especialización en accesibilidad recientemente aprobado por el Real decreto 94/2019. Una vez analizada la oferta formativa, analizamos las competencias que se pretende que adquiera el alumnado atendiendo a la clasificación de competencias que debe adquirir el “accesibilitador” (Díaz Cintas, 2007a). Los resultados indican que la accesibilidad se encuentra presente en numerosos cursos de posgrado, aunque se aborda de manera muy heterogénea. No obstante, existe cierto consenso en cuanto a las competencias que se exige al futuro experto en accesibilidad

Este artigo objetiva analisar os desafios encontrados na aplicação prática das diretrizes de audiodescrição brasileira (Minc, 2010) e norte-americanas (2007/2008) no contexto de formação de tradutores. A partir de um estudo de caso, refletimos acerca do processo didático de audiodescrição do curta-metragem “Mariza”. A partir do relato dos aprendizes, observamos como desafios centrais a seleção de informação prioritária, a impossibilidade de neutralidade nas escolhas e a subjetividade de algumas diretrizes.

In a previous corpus-based descriptive study, we concluded that a linguistic metaphor is a frequently used technique in audio description (AD) for art museums and proposed a set of categories to describe this resource. These results led us to compose increasingly creative and subjective ADs for a series of audio descriptive guided tours of art exhibitions carried out within the Words to See accessibility project. In the present study, the same categories are applied to the analysis of the ADs created for these guided tours. In these ADs, metaphors are used to describe both representational and abstract art, while some categories of deliberate metaphor are more frequently used to describe abstract works. These results are discussed in relation to our and other authors’ studies in this field, as well as to theories of art education and gallery teaching.

This empirical study focuses on the use of Spanish clitic pronouns when they function as accusative or as dative clitics in the translation tasks performed by university students of Spanish as a foreign language (SFL). The participants were 35 Belgian Dutch-speaking students of SFL (Level B2) from the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication of Ghent University (Belgium), who are enrolled in the Translation course. They were asked to perform two tasks: (1) to create an audio description script in Spanish, and (2) to translate the English dialogues into Spanish from a sequence taken from the film The Help (Taylor 2011). The written texts they produced were compared to those written by 39 Erasmus Spanish native students, who carried out the same tasks. The results showed that the Belgian students produced significantly fewer clitic pronouns, especially in the case of dative clitic doubling, than those produced by the Spanish natives. As for the differences between the two modes of audiovisual translation, the findings revealed that the Belgians produced more accurate results in the interlingual than in the intersemiotic task. The results of our study also made it clear that more attention should be paid to the use of redundant clitic pronouns in the SFL classroom.

The question of neutrality in audio description (AD) has been discussed by professionals and researchers. Following several studies started by Praxedes Filho and Magalhães (2013, 2015), this article analyzes if evaluative stances identified via the Appraisal System (AS) in the AD script of the play Miralu and the Magic Telescope (Miralu e a Luneta Encantada) can be related to narratological elements. For this purpose, we have adopted a corpus-based methodology, using categories of AS, up to the second level of delicacy, as well as narratological ones based on Jiménez Hurtado (2010) and Pavis (2011, 2015). As a result, we have found 166 co-occurrences of evaluative stances and narratological elements, among which there are 73 (43,98%) associated to gesture, 42 (25,30%) to costume and 40 (24,10%) to lighting descriptions. These findings suggest that these co-occurrences are probably not coincidental, taking into consideration that other studies have already pointed out the importance of subjective description in the AD scripts.

In classic communication, emotion is transferred via three channels: verbal, nonverbal and paraverbal. With the audio description, which should enable blind and visually impaired people to perceive visual processes, the visual channel is omitted. Emotions are objectified using the available linguistic and para-linguistic means. On the basis of the corpora of the German-language audio films, relevant forms and forms of emotion transfer in the audio description are analyzed.

Introduction: Audio description (AD) in museums is crucial for making them accessible for people with visual impairments. Nevertheless, there are limited museum-specific AD guidelines currently available. This research examines current varied international practitioner perspectives on museum AD, focusing on imagery, meaning, emotion and degrees of objectivity, and the regional differences (Europe and United States) in AD traditions, in order to better understand how AD can be used to enhance access to museums. Methods: Forty-two museum describers from 12 countries responded to a questionnaire requiring fixed-choice and free-text responses about the purpose and construction of museum AD. Results: Inference tests showed that European describers agreed more strongly than American describers that AD should “explore meaning” ( U = 91.00 , N1 = 24, N2 = 14, p = .03), and “create an emotional experience” ( U = 89.50, N1 = 24, N2 = 14, p = .03), rating the use of cognitive prompts as more important ( U = 85.50, N1 = 21, N2 = 14, p = .04). Qualitative data enriched this understanding by exploring participant responses on the themes of mental imagery, objectivity and interpretation and cognitive prompts. This highlighted broader agreement between regions on mental imagery, but more acceptance of interpretation in AD from the European respondents. Discussion: American and European describers’ opinions differ regarding the purpose of AD: whether it is about conveying visual information or whether broader interpretations should be incorporated into descriptions for audiences with visual impairments. Implications for practitioners: These findings indicate that further discussion is needed regarding the purpose of museum AD and, in particular, the way in which objectivity is contextualized. They raise questions about AD providing visual information and/or seeking to address a wider museum experience, including the stimulation of curiosity or emotion.

Accessibility is a key requirement for any multimedia tool and application. With the current trend towards immersive experiences, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360o video, it becomes key that these environments are adapted to be fully accessible. However, until recently the focus has been mostly on adapting the existing techniques to fit immersive displays, rather than considering new approaches for accessibility designed specifically for these increasingly relevant media experiences.This paper surveys a wide range of 360o video players and examines the features they include for dealing with accessibility, such as Subtitles, Audio Description, Sign Language, User Interfaces and other interaction features, like voice control and support for multi-screen scenarios. These features have been chosen based on guidelines from standardization contributions, like in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the International Communication Union (ITU), and from research contributions for making 360° video consumption experiences accessible. The in-depth analysis has been part of a research effort towards the development of a fully inclusive and accessible 360° video player. The paper concludes by discussing how the newly developed player has gone above and beyond the existing solutions and guidelines, by providing accessibility features that meet the expectations for a widely used immersive medium, like 360° video.

Since 2010 the provision of audio description is legally required on TV in Spain. The objective of this study was threefold: to investigate the current state of the media accessibility services of Catalan-language broadcasters for viewers with sight loss in relation to current legislation; to assess user satisfaction with these services; and to gather feedback from users on non-professional services. According to our results broadcasters fail to comply with the law in terms of quantity, although users are fairly satisfied with the quality offered and are willing to explore new approaches for AD provision.

Adding audio and/or touch components to library exhibits has been reported to improve accessibility. Audio description replaces important visual content with equivalent spoken information. While in...

Today’s scientific texts are complex and multimodal. Due to new technology, the number of images is increasing, as is their diversity and complexity. Interaction with complex texts and visualisations becomes a challenge. How can we help readers and learners achieve multimodal literacy? We use data from the audio description of a popular scientific journal and think-aloud protocols to uncover knowledge and competences necessary for reading and understanding multimodal scientific texts. Four issues of the printed journal were analysed. The aural version of the journal was compared with the printed version to show how the semiotic interplay has been presented for the users. Additional meaning-making activities have been identified from the think-aloud protocol. As a result, we could reveal how the audio describer combined the contents of the available resources, made judgements about relevant information, determined ways of verbalising visual information, used conceptual knowledge, filled in the gaps missing in the interplay of the resources, and reordered information for optimal flow and understanding. We argue that the meaning-making activities identified through audio description and think-aloud protocols can be incorporated into instruction in educational contexts and can thereby improve readers’ competencies for reading and understanding multimodal scientific texts.

Multimodal textual analysis is a method that will be examined and analysed from the perspective of translating audiovisual products. Modality plays an important role in the aggregation of various rhythms that form audiovisual products. In any given narrative modality has the same creative potential as any other verbal signs, such as components like imagery, symbols, movement, stance of characters or body language, type of shot, colour, and music. The coexistence of all the above elements along with the interactive partnership of the modality, ensures the integration of all components. The analysis of modality in audiovisual translation training, in terms of transcription, and a comprehension of the semantic components, aids translation students and translators in adopting a holistic and functional perspective. An analysis of modality in audiovisual translation, is not only important because it assists those interested in the issue and translation students in adopting a holistic and functional perspective. Modality also provides different data on types of audiovisual translation particularly audio description such as subtitling, dubbing and voice-overs, and thus ensures that the translation goes beyond the linguistic dimension. Working with multimodal transcription to analyse audiovisual texts not only adds to the fundamental skills of translation students, but also improves their proficiency in audiovisual translation training. This study demonstrates how the method of multimodal trascription is used on audiovisual texts. A number of scenes from the German Netflix Series “Dark” were analysed using this method, and the concept of an audiovisual text including all of its components was discussed on the basis. As a result, it was seen that this method can be applied in audio-visual translation training.

Enhancing Audio Description is a research project that explores how sound design, first-person narration and binaural audio could be utilised to provide accessible versions of films for visually impaired audiences, presenting an alternative to current Audio Description practices. The present article explores such techniques in the context of the redesign of the short film 'Pearl', by discussing the creative process as well as evaluating the feedback supplied by visually impaired audiences. The research presented in this article demonstrates that the methods proposed by the Enhancing Audio Description project were as successful as traditional Audio Description in terms of providing information, enjoyment and accessibility to audiences, demonstrating that both practices can coexist and as a result cater for the different stylistic preferences of end users.

Este trabalho tem origem em pesquisa desenvolvida pelo MULTI no âmbito do Núcleo de Estudos em Políticas de Inclusão Escolar (NEPIE/UFRGS). O referido grupo dedica-se, principalmente, ao desenvolvimento e à produção de livros ilustrados táteis para crianças e, de modo especial, àquelas com deficiência visual em fase de letramento, sendo esse o principal objetivo da investigação. O presente texto tem origem a partir da conclusão da primeira fase de uma pesquisa em andamento, cujo objetivo principal é o de desenvolver livros ilustrados táteis para crianças com deficiência visual em processo de letramento. A temática fundamental insere-se na proposta de ampliação e de qualificação da inclusão através da acessibilidade a livros infantis para todas as crianças. O referencial teórico sustenta-se em estudiosos como Polato (2010, 2013), Piccardi (2011) e Nuernberg (2010), entre outros. A pesquisa conta com financiamento de projeto da CAPES Chamada Universal-2016. O grupo MULTI é composto por profissionais: professores de educação especial, consultores em deficiência visual, especialistas em design e estudantes de graduação de diferentes áreas. A pesquisa, hoje, conta com algumas dezenas de protótipos desenvolvidos junto ao grupo de pesquisa. Como resultado inicial, apresenta a publicação de uma história em versão impressa em braille e tinta em fonte ampliada, com imagens táteis ilustradas, com versão digital em audiolivro com audiodescrição. Dois outros livros estão em fase final de produção. A alegria das crianças que tiveram acesso aos livros define a direção e o andamento da pesquisa. Ainda se enfrentam alguns desafios, entre os quais, o custo para a produção dos livros. This paper comes from a research developed by the MULTI group in the Study Group on School Inclusion Policies (NEPIE/UFRGS). This group is also dedicated to the development and production of tactile illustrated books for children especially for those with visual impairment, in the literacy phase, which is the main objective of this research. This article is based on the conclusion of the first phase of a research, whose main objective is to develop tactile illustrated books for children with visual impairment. The fundamental topic is part of the proposal to expand and qualify inclusion through accessible books for all children. Polato (2010, 2013), Piccardi (2011) and Nuernberg (2010) support the theoretical contribution, among others. The research is financing by CAPES Universal Call -2016. Professionals like special education teachers, visually impaired consultants, design specialists and undergraduate students from different fields compose the group MULTI. The research group has developed a few dozen prototypes until now. As an initial result of the research, there is the publication of a tactile illustrated book printed in Braille and large font too with digital audiobook and audio description. Two other books are in the final stages of production. The happiness of the children who had access to the books defines the direction and progress of the research. Some challenges came across as the cost of producing the books. Este trabajo se origina de una investigación desarrollada por el grupo MULTI, en el ámbito de Grupo de estudio sobre políticas de inclusión escolar (NEPIE/UFRGS). El referido grupo se dedica principalmente al desarrollo y a la producción de libros ilustrados táctiles para niños y, de manera especial, a aquellos con discapacidad visual, en fase de alfabetización, siendo este el principal objetivo de la investigación. El presente texto se originó a partir de la conclusión de la primera fase de un estudio en curso, cuya principal función es el desarrollo de libros ilustrados táctiles para niños con discapacidad visual en proceso de alfabetización. La temática fundamental se insiere en la propuesta de amplificación y calificación de la inclusión a través del acceso a libros infantiles para todos los niños. El referencial teórico se sostiene en estudiosos como Polato (2010.2013), Piccardi (2011) y Nuernberg (2010), entre otros. La investigación cuenta con la financiación del proyecto de la CAPES llamada universal -2016. El grupo MULTI es compuesto por profesionales: profesores de educación especial, consultores en discapacidad visual, especialistas en design y estudiantes de graduación de diferentes áreas. La investigación posee algunas decenas de prototipos desarrollados junto al grupo de pesquisa. Como resultado inicial del estudio hay una publicación de una historia impresa en braille y tinta en fuente ampliada, con imágenes táctiles ilustradas, con versión digital en audiolibro con audiodescripción. Otros dos libros están en fase final de producción. La alegría de los niños que tuvieron acceso a los libros define la dirección y el curso de la pesquisa. Todavía se enfrentan algunos desafíos, entre ellos, el costo de la producción de los libros.

Tourism scholars propose that lack of knowledge is a major barrier for people with a disability. This article makes links between accessible tourism and quality in media accessibility provision. It explores the importance for people with sight loss of access to x once x has been made accessible. It reports data from a survey relating to the use of and appetite for access information (termed here pre-visit information) provided as part of an audio introduction by the UK charity VocalEyes (VE) for users of audio description services at live events. The majority of participants found the access information useful or very useful. 40% reported using the access information for some shows, 13% for most and 26% for every show. The prospect of VE withdrawing access information left 71% of respondents feeling unhappy to some degree. The study suggests that barriers to access can be overcome through the provision of appropriate verbal information. This needs to be rich, reliable and reflect an understanding of the needs of its target users. This research supports theoretical overlaps between accessible tourism and media accessibility (MA) as well as calls to expand the domain of MA beyond the boundaries of translation studies where it currently resides.

Audio description is an intersemiotic translation modality used to make art museums accessible to visually impaired visitors. Existing audio description guidelines in various countries recommend describing only that which is seen, in other words, to avoid subjective interpretations of the visual message. However, there is evidence that some visually impaired people prefer more subjective audio descriptions. The controversy around this issue has generated reception- and product-oriented studies of audio description which demonstrate that not only is subjectivity present in existing audio descriptions, but also that it may benefit the construction of a more meaningful experience. A methodology which combines corpus and contextual analysis and draws on cognitive linguistics as well as art theories has been followed in this study to examine audio descriptive guides in art museums in four different countries. Results show considerable levels of subjectivity and offer a categorization of this element. Additionally, the level and type of subjectivity appear to be influenced by contextual factors, including the level of abstraction of the artwork and the audio describer’s degree of compliance with existing guidelines., L’audiodescription est une modalité de traduction intersémiotique utilisée pour rendre les musées d’art accessibles aux personnes handicapées visuelles. Les directives existantes dans différents pays recommandent de décrire uniquement ce que l’on voit, en évitant les interprétations subjectives du message visuel. Cependant, il apparaît que certaines personnes en situation de handicap visuel préfèrent les audiodescriptions plus subjectives. La polémique liée à cette question a donné lieu à études de l’audiodescription, centrées à la fois sur la réception et sur le produit. Celles-ci montrent que la subjectivité est non seulement présente dans les audiodescriptions existantes, mais aussi qu’elle pourrait contribuer à l’élaboration d’une expérience plus significative. Une méthodologie associant analyse de corpus et analyse contextuelle, s’appuyant sur la linguistique cognitive ainsi que sur les théories de l’art, a été utilisée ici afin d’étudier les guides audiodescriptifs disponibles dans certains musées d’art de quatre différents pays. Les résultats font état de niveaux considérables de subjectivité et proposent une catégorisation de cet élément. De plus, le niveau et type de subjectivité semblent influencés par des facteurs contextuels, dont le degré d’abstraction de l’oeuvre d’art et la mesure dans laquelle l’audiodescripteur s’est conformé aux directives existantes., La audiodescripción es una modalidad de traducción intersemiótica utilizada para hacer los museos de arte accesibles para visitantes con una discapacidad visual. Las directrices de audiodescripción existentes en varios países recomiendan describir únicamente aquello que se ve, es decir, evitar las interpretaciones subjetivas del mensaje visual. Sin embargo, existen pruebas de que algunas personas con discapacidad visual prefieren audiodescripciones más subjetivas. La controversia en torno a esta cuestión ha llevado a la realización de estudios de recepción y estudios del producto en audiodescripción. Estos estudios demuestran no solo la presencia de subjetividad en audiodescripciones existentes, sino también que esta podría ayudar a la construcción de una experiencia más significativa. En el estudio que aquí se presenta se ha seguido una metodología que combina el análisis de corpus y del contexto comunicativo y se apoya en la lingüística cognitiva y teorías artísticas para estudiar guías audiodescriptivas en museos de arte en cuatro países diferentes. Los resultados muestran considerables niveles de subjetividad y ofrecen una categorización de este elemento. Asimismo, hay factores contextuales que parecen influir en el tipo y el nivel de subjetividad, como son el nivel de abstracción de la obra de arte y la medida en que el audiodescriptor siguió las directrices existentes.

The article provides an overview of audio description landscape in Russia and Greece. It dwells upon the legal issues of providing audio description, comparing national legislation on media accessibility and Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, and their impact on the development of media accessibility services in these countries. Special attention is focused on describers’ training both as degree training and further education courses. It also highlights insufficient financial support of accessibility services as one of the reasons for the slow development of Audio Description in Russia and Greece. The article analyzes the new opportunities for providing media accessibility, such as mobile applications and voluntary projects. It also presents an example of a service which can be viewed as a best practice to be shared and spread across other countries – an application Искусство.Вслух (Art.Vocally) with audio descriptions of theatre plays voiced by prominent actors and actresses, that was funded by one of the biggest banks of Russia. The article concludes by listing the possible solutions which might spur the development of Russian and Greek audio description.

Aunque China es el país con más personas con diversidad funcional del mundo, tanto la oferta como el estudio académico de los servicios de accesibilidad sensorial que permiten acceder a los medios en igualdad de condiciones se encuentran todavía en un estado muy incipiente. El presente estudio parte de dos objetivos: presentar una muestra inédita de tres guías de buenas prácticas de audiodescripción chinas cuya función es, sobre todo, formar a audiodescriptores; y compararlas grosso modo con documentos equivalentes europeos para ver si existen diferencias o similitudes relevantes y lecciones de las que ambas partes se puedan nutrir. Nuestros resultados muestran que existen muchos puntos en común y que la principal diferencia es cómo se aborda la cuestión de la objetividad. Más concretamente, Europa se aleja de la dicotomía entre la objetividad y la subjetividad, mientras que China todavía defiende que la primera es característica indispensable de cualquier buena audiodescripción. Despite China being the country with most disabled people in the world, the provision of media accessibility services and their academic study are still in their infancy. The present study set out with two objectives: to present a sample of three Chinese audio description guidelines that are mainly employed for training purposes, and to compare the Chinese situation in terms of guidelines with that of Europe, to see if there are any relevant differences to point out and any mutual lessons to be learnt. Our results show there are a number of general similarities between the different Chinese and European guidelines and that the main difference is the different approach to objective vs. subjective description. While Europe is moving away from the dichotomy between objectivity and subjectivity, China still advocates objectivity as being a necessary characteristic of quality audio description.

Audio description is an accessibility service used by blind or visually impaired individuals. Often accompanying movies, television shows, and other visual art forms, the service provides spoken descriptions of visual content, allowing people with vision loss the ability to access information that sighted people obtain visually. At live theatrical events, audio description provides spoken descriptions of scenes, characters, props, and other visual elements that those with vision loss may otherwise find inaccessible. This paper explores a novel approach to automate the creation and deployment of audio description for repeatable live theatrical events, both musical and non-musical. Using readily available tools and established sound-processing techniques, we describe a framework to automate several aspects of audio description for theater. The method uses a reference audio recording and an online time warping algorithm to align audio description with live performances, including a process for handling unexpected interruptions. We also show how a reference audio recording and descriptive tracks can be generated automatically from a show’s script and used to facilitate the deployment of audio description without sufficient resources for multiple performances or a live audio describer. Finally, a software implementation that is integrated into an existing theatrical workflow is also described. This system is used in three evaluation experiments that show the method successfully aligns multiple recordings of works of musical theater and non-musical plays in order to automatically trigger pre-recorded, descriptive audio in real time.

Drafting an audio description script for a short excerpt from a film is often presented as an early didactic task to students. It is presumed to be a simpler exercise than describing a film in its ...

Purpose: Audio description (AD) is the systematic method of describing images and visual events to people who are blind or visually impaired (B/VI). AD facilitates access to cultural events such as movies, theater, and professional conferences, and it is aimed at enhancing the partaker’s experience. The current study investigates the impact of AD on the quality of the theater experience during the initial stages of implementation of AD service in theaters in Israel. Specifically, the study analyzes the satisfaction of B/VI theater patrons from AD service as well as the quality of the AD theater experience in relation to the complete three-pronged “AD package”: auditory narration, a touch tour, and preshow notes. Methods: In all, 83 legally B/VI participants were recruited through social networks. Mean age 54 (±14); 58% women. Quantitative questionnaires were developed to assess the satisfaction, quality of the experience, and aspects of accessibility. Five theater productions were available with and without AD. Each participant attended two different plays, one which was audio described and one which was not. Half of the participants saw the AD play first and half saw the non-AD play first. Results: 87% of the participants reported high overall satisfaction from the AD narration service. In addition, high satisfaction was reported concerning the AD device (67%), pre-show notes (85%), and touch tour (77%). A comparison of the quality of the experience between plays with AD versus without revealed a significantly enhanced experience ( p

Media accessibility has been an important issue on the international agenda since the early 21st century. Many countries have achieved major developments in media accessibility, while others like Turkey are currently embarking on the journey. The following article discusses developments in media accessibility in Turkey with emphasis on disability and the implication of coaccessibility which may be defined broadly as appealing to audiences with differing accessibility needs, through the translation(s) inputted on a single product. The research so far seems to indicate that coaccessibility has potential political, social, educational and other implications. Turkish end-users embrace the current coaccessibility model, but the ultimate goal in accessibility for Turkey is to have optional sign language interpreting, audio description and subtitling for the D/deaf and hard of hearing and the actors need to strive to achieve this. Currently, it also falls to academics to research this phenomenon of coaccessibility, learn from it, both in terms of the practice itself and its possible implications for universal design, and design for all, and to ensure that end-users and others benefit from it until the day it can be replaced with a better option.

In this paper, we approach audio description (AD) from a Translation Studies point of view. The two first parts are of theoretical interest: AD is defined as a part of the audiovisual text and as a form of intersemiotic translation. Once this is set up, we concentrate on the concept of translation techniques (Molina and Hurtado, 2002) and adapt them to audio description to provide scholars and students with a functional classification of AD techniques (ADT), which can be used for descriptive studies of audio descriptions as well as in training, and is based on a functional classification of translation techniques. The paper ends with detailed examples from a comparative study of several audio descriptions of the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) using ADTs to illustrate the benefits of the established taxonomy. Este artigo aborda a descrição de áudio (DA) do ponto de vista dos Estudos de Tradução. As duas primeiras partes são de interesse teórico: AD é definido como uma parte do texto audiovisual e como uma forma de tradução intersemiótica. Uma vez configurado, o artigo concentra-se no conceito de técnicas de tradução (Molina e Hurtado, 2002) e as adapta à descrição em áudio para fornecer aos acadêmicos e estudantes uma classificação funcional das técnicas de AD (ADT), que pode ser usada para fins descritivos. estudos de descrições em áudio, bem como em treinamento, e se baseia em uma classificação funcional das técnicas de tradução. O artigo termina com exemplos detalhados de um estudo comparativo de várias descrições em áudio do filme Slumdog Millionaire (2008) usando ADTs para ilustrar os benefícios da taxonomia estabelecida.

The aim of this study is to analyse the prosodic features of a corpus of audio descriptions in Spanish to determine the user preferences, both sighted and persons with sight loss. The analysis is contextualised by a thorough review of the guidelines and recommendations on voicing audio description. The corpus analysis is based on 10 audio descriptions produced by Spanish professionals. The audio descriptions are analysed in terms of duration, pitch and amplitude. Then a perception test involving 60 participants (31 persons with sight loss and 29 sighted persons) is carried out, using both male and female voices. This research has provided new knowledge in this field and has shown how preferences correlate with certain prosodic values. The results provide food for thought for service providers when selecting the most suitable voices for audio description. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar los rasgos prosódicos en un corpus de audiodescripciones en español para determinar las preferencias de usuarios con y sin pérdida de visión. El análisis supone una revisión de las recomendaciones sobre la locución que aparece en las guías. El corpus de análisis está constituido por 10 audiodescripciones de locutores profesionales masculinos y femeninos. Se ha analizado la duración, el tono y la amplitud que se emplean en los enunciados emitidos. Posteriormente, se ha llevado a cabo un test de percepción en el que han participado 60 sujetos (31 personas con pérdida de visión y 29 sin pérdida de visión). Esta investigación ha servido para establecer las preferencias de los hablantes relacionadas con los valores prosódicos Los resultados pueden contribuir a una mejor selección de las voces de los audiodescriptores. This research is part of the NEA project, funded by MINECO/FEDER UE, reference code FFI2015-64038-P and RAD (Researching Audio Description: Translation, Delivery and New Scenarios), reference code PGC2018-096566-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE). The authors are members of TransMedia Catalonia, a research group funded by the Catalan Government under the SGR funding scheme (2017SGR113).

En este estudio se ofrecen algunos resultados de un proyecto de investigación centrado en el museo como lugar de acceso al ocio y la cultura para usuarios con discapacidad sensorial y cognitiva, describiendo algunos de los principales problemas terminológicos asociados a las cuestiones relativas a dos modalidades de traducción accesible museística: Audiodescripción y Lectura fácil. Nuestra interpretación de los resultados permitirá avanzar en la búsqueda de indicadores de calidad para los recursos accesibles museísticos, que representan el producto de un complejo proceso de traducción intersemiótica, intralingüística y/o interlingüística de la obra artística. In this paper we present the results of a research work centered on the museum as a place of access to leisure and culture for everyone, describing some of the main terminological problems associated with the questions dealing with two modalities of accessible translation in museums: audio description and easy reading. Our interpretation of the results will allow us to advance in the search for quality indicators for accessible museum resources, which are the product of a complex process of translation – at once intersemiotic, intralinguistic and/or interlinguistic – of the work of art. Esta investigación se ha llevado a cabo en el marco del Proyecto I+D+i OPERA [Acceso al ocio y a la cultura. Plataforma de difusión y evaluación de recursos audiovisuales accesibles (FFI2015-65934-R)], financiado por el Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad.

Não recebi financiamento This doctoral thesis has as its research object the specialized audio descriptions of still images (ADE) produced for a blind student of the Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems, at the Federal University of São Carlos (BSI-UFSCar), offered in the distance modality. For the development of the research, we followed two hypotheses. The first is that the ADE, in educational contexts, activates four semantic Categories – under subjective principles inherent to the audio description and in varying degrees and occurrences – namely, Structural, Directional, Terminological and Lexical. The second is related to the fact that the most representative linguistic signs of these four Categories have a high frequency in the corpus. In this sense, our objective was to build the ADE Linguistic Corpus, according to the methodological assumptions of Corpus Linguistics, and to analyze it in the lights of the Bakhtinian Theory of Language and the Communicative Theory of Terminology (TCT), seeking to identify the four Semantic Categories in question and to classify them according to the conceptual traits concerning their use. As for the justification, we can find support in the originality of the research, that is, in the fact that no works that deal with the theme have been found in the queries we made in the following databases: Eric (Institute of Education Sciences); Scopus; Google Scholar; Capes Theses and Dissertations Catalog; SciELO (The Scientific Electronic Library Online). In addition to this research, we surveyed 18 definitions of audio description, and only in 4 of them did we find some kind of reference to the educational context, none of which had an emphasis on such context. In methodological terms, we first chose the most appropriate linguistic corpus construction methodology, followed by the choice of the corpus analysis linguistic tool. With the ADE Linguistic Corpus built for manipulation, we defined the theoretical basis, essentially divided into the theories of the Bakhtinian circle and the TCT. Next, we proposed a selection of linguistic signs for analysis, based on the frequency of use. Finally, we analyzed the selection of linguistic signs from the ADE Linguistic Corpus, extracting a series of data about each Category, which led to the conclusion that the Categories can be considered universal because they are intrinsic characteristics of the images themselves and of the discursive role they perform within areas of expertise. Describing them, however, is another matter, related to the enunciative place of the audio describer. And to become an enunciator of this genre of discourse called ADE, whether in a context of face-to-face or distance higher education, of AEE, or in an editorial context (in the production of accessible resources), the audio describer must take into account seven discursive elements, extracted from the analyses of the four Categories, which are: the Terminological Facet of the image, the Pedagogical Intentions, the Recipient, the Theoretical Affiliation, the Prototypicality of the Structure, the Structural Directionality and the Style. It is understood, therefore, that we should move away from a systematization of the audio description practice, because new contours are demanded in each context, as well as other voices, and certain language activations to the detriment of others. Esta tese de doutorado tem como objeto de pesquisa as audiodescrições especializadas de imagens estáticas (ADE) produzidas para um estudante cego do curso Bacharelado em Sistemas de Informação, da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BSI-UFSCar), oferecido na modalidade a distância. Para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa, seguimos duas hipóteses. A primeira é a de que a ADE, em contextos educacionais, aciona, sob princípios subjetivos inerentes do fazer audiodescrição e em graus e ocorrências variáveis, quatro Categorias semânticas, quais sejam - Estrutural, Direcional, Terminológica e Léxica. A segunda versa para o fato dos signos linguísticos mais representativos dessas quatro Categorias terem frequência alta no corpus. Nesse sentido, nosso objetivo foi construir o Corpus Linguístico ADE, segundo os pressupostos metodológicos da Linguística de Corpus, e analisá-lo a partir da Teoria bakhtiniana da linguagem e da Teoria Comunicativa da Terminologia (TCT), buscando identificar as quatro Categorias semânticas em contexto e classificá-las segundo os traços conceituais concernentes ao seu uso. Em se tratando de justificativa, podemos encontrar respaldo no ineditismo da pesquisa, isto é, no fato de não haver trabalhos que versem sobre o tema nas consultas que fizemos nas seguintes bases de dados: Eric (Institute of Education Sciences); Scopus; Google Scholar; Catálogo de Teses e Dissertações da Capes; SciELO (The Scientific Electronic Library Online). Além dessa pesquisa, fizemos um levantamento de 18 definições sobre audiodescrição e, em apenas 4, encontramos algum tipo de referência ao contexto educacional. E, mesmo assim, sem ênfase a essa acepção. Em termos metodológicos, primeiro escolhemos a metodologia de construção de corpus linguístico mais adequada, seguida da escolha pela ferramenta linguística de análise de corpus. Com o Corpus Linguístico ADE construído para manipulação, definimos o embasamento teórico, dividido, essencialmente, nas teorias do círculo bakhtiniano e na TCT. Na sequência, propusemos um recorte de signos linguísticos para análise, baseado na frequência de uso. Por fim, analisamos o recorte de signos linguísticos do Corpus Linguístico ADE, extraindo uma série de dados a respeito de cada Categoria, o que gerou a conclusão de que as Categorias podem ser consideradas universais porque são características intrínsecas das próprias imagens e do papel discursivo que desempenham dentro de áreas de especialidade. Descrevê-las, porém, já é uma outra questão, relacionada ao lugar enunciativo do audiodescritor. E para se fazer enunciador desse gênero do discurso denominado ADE, seja num contexto de ensino superior presencial, a distância, AEE ou editorial (na produção de recursos acessíveis), o audiodescritor deve levar em conta sete elementos discursivos, extraídos das análises das quatro Categorias, que são - a Faceta terminológica da imagem, as Intenções pedagógicas, o Destinatário, a Filiação teórica, a Prototipicidade da estrutura, a Direcionalidade estrutural e o Estilo. Entende-se, portanto, que se deve afastar qualquer forma de sistematização do fazer audiodescrição, porque a cada contexto reclama-se novos contornos, outras vozes, determinados acionamentos de linguagem em detrimento de outros.