Speaker diarization and speech recognition in the semi-automatization of audio description : an exploratory study on future possibilities?

This article presents an overview of the technological components used in the process of audio description, and suggests a new scenario in which speech recognition, machine translation, and text-to-speech, with the corresponding human revision, could be used to increase audio description provision. The article focuses on a process in which both speaker diarization and speech recognition are used in order to obtain a semi-automatic transcription of the audio description track. The technical process is presented and experimental results are summarizedEste artículo presenta una visión panorámica de los componentes tecnológicos usados en el proceso de audiodescripción y propone un nuevo escenario en el que se aplicarían el reconocimiento de habla, la traducción automática y la síntesis de habla, con su correspondiente revisión humana, para incrementar la cantidad de audiodescripciones disponibles. El artículo describe un proceso en el que la diarización y el reconocimiento de habla permiten obtener una transcripción semiautomática de la audiodescripción. El artículo presenta detalladamente el proceso técnico así como un resumen de los resultados experimentales.- In a second languag

Audiodeskrypcja tradycyjna a audiodeskrypcja artystyczna: o wpływie języka i formy audiodeskrypcji na komfort jej odbioru przez osoby niewidome i niedowidzące

Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00

Audio Description as a Collaborative and Reflexive Tool (Practice Brief)

With approximately six million people who are blind, between the ages of 16-75+ years of age in the U.S., audio description (AD) is one way to increase people with disabilities\u27 access when visual images are involved (American Council of the Blind, 2019). Snyder (2014) described AD as a verbal description of a program (i.e., performing arts, films, cultural events). Furthermore, AD is distinct from an art label, photo caption, or an audio tour offering more than context, but actual description of the situation (Thomson, 2017). In some cases, AD is available at art and cultural museums. This paper imagines AD as a collaborative and reflexive tool for college artists, AD practitioners, blind communities, and gallery curators. This collaborative practice is important because the outcomes can increase shared access accountability, offer participating artists reflexivity, and increase the level of AD accuracy for people with visual impairments

Watching TV through your ears : an overview of Catalan-language broadcasters accessibility services

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

Mapping audiovisual translation investigations : research approaches and the role of technology

This article maps audiovisual translation research by analysing in a contrastive way the abstracts presented at three audiovisual translation conferences ten years ago and nowadays. The comparison deals with the audiovisual transfer modes and topics under discussion, and the approach taken by the authors in their abstracts. The article then shifts the focus to the role of technology in audiovisual translation research, as it is considered an element that is impacting and will continue to impact both research and practice in this field. Relevant research in audio-related, text-related and image-related technologies applied to audiovisual translation is summarised. The last section briefly discusses how technological tools can also help audiovisual translation professionals, users and researcher

Da dove viene e dove va l’audiodescrizione filmica per i ciechi e gli ipovedenti

*** IT: Dopo aver tracciato le origini accademiche dell'audiodescrizione (AD) filmica per i ciechi e gli ipovedenti se ne mettono in rilievo i temi di maggiore interesse scientifico e si offre una bibliografia ragionata su ognuno dei temi esposti. Si illustrano la natura, le propriet\ue0 e i limiti dell'AD e si presta particolare attenzione al suo ruolo di traduzione intersemiotica. Attraverso esempi tratti da film originali e doppiati si commentano le quattro facce dell'AD che \ue8 definita in base a cosa, come, quanto e quando descrivere per offrire un prodotto completo ed efficace. I temi dell'oggettivit\ue0 della descrizione e quelli relativi alla lingua e dello stile del testo descrittivo sono affrontati a partire dalla posizione delle linee guida oggi presenti sul mercato, e sono illustrati, di nuovo, da una serie di esempi reali. Il contributo si conclude con una rassegna dei risultati ottenuti grazie all'applicazione del tracciamento oculare nella ricerca sull'AD. ***EN: After tracing the academic origins of audio description (AD ) for the blind and the visually impaired, the paper focuses on the most relevant themes regarding AD and provides a critical bibliography on each of the topics under discussion. In particular, the paper discusses the nature, properties and limitations of AD and it pays special attention to its role as a form of intersemiotic translation. Drawing from examples taken from original and dubbed films, the paper comments on the four defining features of AD: what, how, how much and when to describe in order to offer a comprehensive and effective AD. Further aspects that are addressed in the paper are the objectivity of AD as well as its language and style, which are defined based on the existing guidelines and on authentic examples taken from several audio described films. The contribution closes with a review of the results achieved through empirical studies and the application of eye-tracking research

Estado de la cuestión de la automatización en el flujo de trabajo de la audiodescripción

L'audiodescripció (AD) és el servei que garanteix l'accés de les persones cegues o amb baixa visió a continguts audiovisuals com a cinemes, teatres, museus, etc. i que, d'una altra manera, no podrien accedir a aquesta classe de contingut. Malgrat el paper tan determinant i inclusiu que ocupa l'audiodescripció en la societat i que l'accessibilitat es tracta d'un dret fonamental, els continguts que disposen d'aquest servei són escassos a causa de la falta de mitjans o al desconeixement. Avui dia vivim en un món ple de tecnologies i moltes d'elles ja s'utilitzen per a fer els continguts més accessibles. Per aquesta raó, en aquest treball volem enquadrar l'audiodescripció dins del marc de les noves tecnologies amb la finalitat d'analitzar l'impacte que eines com la traducció automàtica, les veus sintètiques, els corpus, la descripció automàtica d'imatges i vídeo, el eye-tracking i les audiodescripcions personalitzades poden tenir en l'avanç de l'audiodescripció.La audiodescripción (AD) es el servicio que garantiza el acceso de las personas ciegas o con baja visión a contenidos audiovisuales como cines, teatros, museos, etc. y que de otra manera no podrían acceder a esta clase de contenido. A pesar del papel tan determinante e inclusivo que ocupa la audiodescripción en la sociedad y que la accesibilidad se trata de un derecho fundamental, los contenidos que disponen de este servicio son escasos debido a la falta de medios o al desconocimiento. Hoy en día vivimos en un mundo lleno de tecnologías y muchas de ellas ya se utilizan para hacer los contenidos más accesibles. Por esta razón, en este trabajo queremos encuadrar la audiodescripción dentro del marco de las nuevas tecnologías con el fin de analizar el impacto que herramientas como la traducción automática, las voces sintéticas, los corpus, la descripción automática de imágenes y vídeo, el eye-tracking y las audiodescripciones personalizadas pueden tener en el avance de la audiodescripción.Audio Description (AD) is the service that guarantees access to audiovisual content such as cinemas, theaters, museums, etc. for blind or visually impaired people, who otherwise would not be able to access this kind of content. Despite the decisive and inclusive role that audio description plays in society and the fact that accessibility is a fundamental right, the contents that have this service are scarce due to lack of means or lack of knowledge. Today we live in a world full of technologies and many of them are already used to make content more accessible. Therefore, in this study we want to frame audio description within the framework of new technologies in order to analyze the impact that tools such as machine translation, synthetic voices, corpora, automatic description of images and video, eye-tracking and personalized audio descriptions can have on the advancement of AD