Soundscape assessment: Towards a validated translation of perceptual attributes in different languages

The recently published ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 standard aims to provide researchers and practitioners around the world with a reliable questionnaire for soundscape characterization. The ISO Technical Specifications report protocols and attributes grounded in the soundscape literature, but only includes an English version. The applicability and reliability of these attributes in non-English speaking regions remains an open question, as research investigating translations of soundscape attributes is limited. To address this gap, an international collaboration was initiated with soundscape researchers from all over the world. Translation into 15 different languages, obtained through focus groups and panels of experts in soundscape studies, are proposed. The main challenges and outcomes of this preliminary exercise are discussed. The long-term objective is to validate the proposed translations using standardized listening experiments in different languages and geographical regions as a way to promote a widespread use of the soundscape attributes, both in academia and practice, across locations, populations and languages

Towards a soundscape surround index

Sound sources are being spread in public spaces during urban design and planning processes, yet little is known about the effect their spatial pattern can have on soundscape. The aim is to investigate if associations can be made between the dynamic relation between static sound sources and listener in public space and the perceived soundscape dimensions. An index for measuring spatial variability of sound sources in an urban acoustic environment is proposed to describe physical features of the investigated phenomena and help to predict its influence on the perceptual outcomes