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The need for audio-described audiovisual content is mainly growing due to statutory accessibility required in many countries. Regrettably, despite the popular and legal demand for audio description, broadcasters and producers perceive audio description (AD) as an expensive service with little profit potential. Audio Description Translation (ADT) is an alternative production model that can reduce the time and costs involved in AD production while maintaining quality and increasing the availability of audio-described content in multiple languages. Drawing on a widespread practice of using (pivot) templates in modern subtitling workflows, this article investigates the use of pivot templates in audio description, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of this production model as perceived by audio description translators. Data was collected in an experiment where six participants, five subtitlers, and an audio describer were asked to translate audio descriptions for Spanish films into Polish via an English pivot template. Results based on the thematic analysis of post-task interviews identify two main advantages: (1) personal advantages for the professionals performing the task and (2) external advantages that can benefit, for example, the production workflow, product, and target audience. The personal advantages are reduced time, effort, and responsibility. The external advantages are enhanced script quality and consistency.

Empowering novice describers can reduce costs and expand access to high-quality audio descriptions (ADs). This study explored differences between novice and professional practices by analysing their ADs for a 3:42-minute scene from a Japanese fictional film. A film producer rated both the overall quality and volume quality of ADs. The perceived AD volume quality reflects the comprehensive volume experience within ADs beyond loudness. The assessment revealed that ADs created by ten novices using speech synthesis reached approximately 60% of both the overall quality and volume quality of published ADs with human voice. Kernel density estimation showed significantly lower mean loudness in published ADs than in novice ADs. Additionally, a significant negative correlation existed between perceived AD volume quality and mean film loudness during AD presentation across all AD sets. However, published ADs had longer durations compared to novice ADs. Contrasting cueing strategies were observed. Published ADs relied on film sounds, whereas novice ADs leaned on visual cues. Consequently, we developed a professional technique: carefully curating the film information to be heard and balancing AD placement to ensure the audio experience of both ADs and film sound without abrupt AD loudness increases. This sonic approach empowers novices to craft impactful ADs.

“Dancing with Dharma”: making wise choices in audiovisual translation in the first Students’ Symposium “Wise Choices in AVT”. During the First Student Symposium on Audiovisual Translation, organised by the West University of Timișoara, five universities, including the University of Turin, were asked to work on the 2022 British short film “Dancing with Dharma” (Sukanya- Devika.K. Jhala). In February 2023, the students involved were asked to produce subtitles, SDH (subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing) and audio description (for the blind and visually impaired) in their mother tongue. The team decided to use the subtitling software Ooona Tools, the AD software ADauthor, and the Netflix guidelines. The final aim of the project was to promote the teaching of audiovisual translation in Universities and to evaluate the different results in various languages: Chinese, English, Hungarian, Italian and Romanian. After 5 months, the results were discussed at a conference held in Timișoara, Romania, on June 13th, 2023. In this paper, two of the Italian students involved in the project discuss the translation challenges encountered (the problem of textual fidelity and loss of information, and the translation of humour, wordplay and cultural references) and comment on the final result.

Despite the existence of audio description (AD) in China from 2005, little is known about how AD is conducted in China due to the scarcity of studies on this subject. This article, based on semi-structured interviews with six Chinese AD providers from Shanghai, Wuxi, and Guangzhou, aims to narrow this knowledge gap and present how AD is performed in Mainland China, as seen by some of the key agents involved. The interviews were conducted between April 30 and July 13, 2020, through voice calls on WeChat. Results can be grouped under the following three topics: the current state of AD in China, how AD is conducted in China, and the feasibility of AD translation from Spanish into Chinese. This study has reached two main conclusions. First, AD in China is, now, full of opportunities and challenges, with the copyright issue as its main problem and the objectivity versus subjectivity dichotomy as one of the most debatable concerns in the scriptwriting process. Second, almost all the interviewees showed a positive attitude towards the proposal of AD translation to promote this service in China, in our particular case from Spanish into Chinese.

Media accessibility is becoming mainstream. While it cannot compete for popularity with the two original fields –architecture and design accessibility– it is slowly gaining acknowledgment. Subtitling was and still is the most popular media access service. In recent years, more services have been joining the alternative possibilities to access information. New technologies have also increased the number of services, and Easy to Read is proposed in this article as a new candidate to join the list of services. This article will start by describing Easy to Read, and understand its approach as: a translation modality, a linguistic variation or as a service. The second part of the article presents many accessibility services and Easy to Read features. In the third part, new hybrid services are proposed. These are the result of adding to existing access services a layer of Easy to Read creating a higher degree of accessibility. Any accessibility service aiming to facilitate comprehension will improve and optimize its function by leaning on Easy to Read. The article finishes offering many examples to secure a rapid uptake of the service across the different accessibility fields, from design to web accessibility or transport.

This contribution contains some reflections on two accessible translating modalities, subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and audio description. It aims to reflect on some open challenges by commenting on examples drawn from The Kings' Speech (2010) and The Two Popes (2019). More specifically, on the one hand it deals with the difficulties of conveying information related to the acoustic code, by means of the texture and nuances of the voice, paralinguistic traits and background music. On the other it discusses how to transpose meaning from the visual code for a visually impaired audience, focusing especially on information connected with compositional and editing strategies. Finally, it briefly hints at accommodating the translation of multiple languages within audio description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay discusses an audience reception study carried out in the framework of media accessibility in order to evaluate the experience of blind/partially sighted patrons and their (sighted) accompanying persons in the context of Macerata Opera Festival (MOF), 2018 edition. Adopting a qualitative analytical approach, in which the main interest is on individuals (i.e. the samples under investigation), and relying on post-hoc self-report questionnaires, three interdependent variables were measured: (1) comprehension and recall, (2) cognitive load, and (3) psychological immersion. This analytical approach was then combined with a descriptive approach including the collection of attitudinal data for the evaluation of appreciation and preferences. Results reveal that there was no substantial divergence in the levels of the variables under investigation between the two samples: blind/partially sighted and sighted (accompanying) patrons. Additionally, audio description and tactile tours did not provoke cognitive overloading and they even increased psychological immersion. Furthermore, it is possible to find a correspondence between the high levels of appreciation and preferences and the results related to comprehension and recall, cognitive load, and psychological immersion. This confirms the effectiveness of audio descriptions and tactile tours in enhancing audience's experience and increasing blind/partially sighted users' empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents quantitative and qualitative research aims to evaluate the didactic functionality, listening comprehension in film narrative and promoting inclusion, of audio description: is a support service whose main goal is to reduce the visual deficit by making accessible any audiovisual content with appropriate substitute information. In primary classes, according to three different phases and modes of reception, it has been proposed audiovisual Kirikou and the Sorceress: animation feature film written and directed in 1998 by Michel Ocelot and audio described by the CNTHI, University of Salento in 2012 (Fiorucci, 2012; Pinnelli, 2012). Data analysis shows that the different modes of audiovisual enjoyment have allowed the classroom setting to live an unusual learning experience aimed at promoting, through the empathy and multisensoriality, inclusion at school. Audio descrizione e didattica inclusiva. Una ricerca sulla comprensione da ascolto e la capacità di immedesimazione. Il contributo presenta una ricerca quali-quantitativa finalizzata a valutare la funzionalità didattica, comprensione da ascolto del linguaggio narrativo-filmico e promozione dell’inclusione, dell’audio descrizione: un servizio di supporto il cui obiettivo principale è ridurre il deficit visivo, rendendo accessibile qualsiasi contenuto audiovisivo con appropriate descrizioni sostitutive. In nove classi primarie, secondo tre diverse fasi e modalità di fruizione, è stato proposto l’audiovisivo Kirikù e la strega Karabà: lungometraggio per bambini scritto e diretto nel 1998 da Michel Ocelot e audio descritto dal gruppo di ricerca del CNTHI dell’Università del Salento nel 2012 (Fiorucci, 2012; Pinnelli, 2012). L’analisi dei dati conferma che le diverse modalità di fruizione dell’audiovisivo hanno permesso al contesto classe di vivere una insolita esperienza di apprendimento orientata a promuovere, attraverso l’immedesimazione e la multisensorialità, l’inclusione a scuola.

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