Audio describing the exposition phase of films. Teaching students what to choose

La audiodescripción se está introduciendo progresivamente en los productos audiovisuales y esto tiene como resultado por una parte la necesidad de formar a los futuros audiodescriptores y, por otra parte, formar a los formadores con unas herramientas adecuadas para enseñar cómo audiodescribir. No cabe la menor que como documento de partida para la formación las guías y normas de audiodescripción existentes son de una gran utilidad, sin embargo, éstas no son perfectas ya que no ofrecen respuestas a algunas cuestiones esenciales como qué es lo que se debe describir cuando no se cuenta con el tiempo suficiente para describir todo lo que sucede. El presente artículo analiza una de las cuestiones que normalmente no responden las guías o normas: qué se debe priorizar. Se demostrará cómo una profundización en la narrativa de películas y una mejor percepción de las pistas visuales que ofrece el director puede ayudar a decidir la información que se recoge. Los fundamentos teóricos expuestos en la primera parte del artículo se aplicarán a la secuencia expositiva de la película Ransom

From translators to accessibility managers: How did we get there and how do we train them?

Translation continues to reinvent itself. Different human actors and non-human actants drive this change, generating new forms of translation and diverse professional profiles. Audiovisual Translation (AVT) and Audiovisual Translation Studies (AVTS) have always been at the centre of these developments: AVT has been technology and industry-driven from the start and AVTS has incorporated technological and societal change as well as the forces that propel it from its inception. Meanwhile, AVT has incorporated media accessibility and has moved beyond the domain of audiovisual media in the strict sense into the provision of access to live cultural events. The present article offers some conceptual tools for understanding these developments as well as the actant-driven processes that underlie them. It traces recent developments in AVT and explains how they have given rise to the aforementioned new professional practices and profiles. It ends on an extensive case study, centring on the ACT European Erasmus+ project, which has identified and defined the emerging profile of the accessibility manager, and developed a tailor-made MOOC training course for it

Introduction : the landscapes of audiovisual translation

The purpose of this paper is to describe the so-called fansubs, a different type of subtitling carried out by amateur translators. The first part of this study covers both the people and phases involved in the fansubbing process from beginning to end. The second section focuses on the legality and ethics of fansubs. The third part pays attention to the actual translation of fansubs and their unique features, such as the use of translator's notes or special karaoke effects. The paper concludes with a reflection on the work done by fansubbers and the possibilities opened by this mainly Internet phenomenon

Closing round table

Moderated by Mary Carrol

Is subtitling equally effective everywhere? A first cross-national study on the reception of interlingually subtitled messages

Recent research on the reception of interlingual subtitling revealed that it is cognitively effective: watching a subtitled film results in a good understanding of the film content, it does not require a significant tradeoff between image processing and text processing, and it leads to a good performance in the recognition of the words and expressions contained in the subtitles. To date, the studies that revealed the effectiveness of subtitle processing have been conducted mono-nationally - e.g. d'Ydewalle and De Bruycker (2007) in Belgium; Wissmath et al. (2009) in Switzerland; Perego et al. (2010, 2015) in Italy; Hinkin et al. (2014) in the US. However, it has not yet been demonstrated empirically whether subtitle effectiveness varies depending on the familiarity of viewers with subtitles. The crossnational study described in this paper aims to fill this gap and appraise the cognitive performance and overall appreciation of a moderately complex subtitled film by viewers with different degrees of familiarity with subtitles, i.e., viewers living in countries (Italy, Spain, Poland and Dutch-speaking Belgium) with different audiovisual translation traditions. The main findings reveal that subtitling is effective irrespective of users' familiarity with it, although it is not enjoyed equally among the tested populations

Audio-description reloaded : an analysis of visual scenes in 2012 and Hero

This article explores whether the so-called new "cinema of attractions", with its supposed focus on visual effects to the detriment of storytelling, requires a specific approach to audio-description (AD). After some thoughts on film narrative in this type of cinema and the way in which it incorporates special effects, selected scenes with AD from two feature films, 2012 (directed by Emmerich) and Hero (directed by Zhang Yimou), are analysed. 2012 is a disaster movie aiming to thrill the audience with action. Hero is an equally visual movie but its imagery has an aesthetic purpose. The analysis investigates how space, time and action are treated in the films and the ADs, and how the information is presented in terms of focalization, timing and phrasing. The results suggest that effect-driven narratives require carefully timed and phrased ADs that devote much attention to the prosody of the AD script, its interaction with sounds and the use of metapho

For the use of sound. Film sound analysis for audio-description: some key issues

This article aims to outline the issues involved in the production and reception of film sound with a view to identifying its challenges for audio-description (AD). It thereby hopes to provide insights into the way in which a careful analysis and integration of film sound and sound effects are required for the production of coherence in AD, if it is to function as part of a new filmic text. However, the article also points to the limits of analysis and interpretation, and to the need for reception research as well as collaboration with visually impaired users. A detailed analysis of a scene from Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg 1998), a film that won an Oscar for best sound effect editing, demonstrates how complex and narratively charged the soundscape of a film can be, thereby exposing the challenges for the audio-describer and, again, demonstrating the need for further research involving the target audience.Cet article concerne la production et la réception de la bande sonore et cherche à dégager quelques défis dans le domaine de l’audiodescription (AD). Il vise à démontrer comment une analyse et une intégration minutieuses de la bande et des effets sonores peuvent contribuer à la cohérence dans l’AD qui doit les incorporer pour créer une nouvelle version cinématographique. Il convient cependant également de souligner les limites de telles analyses et explications. Une étude de la réception ainsi que l’apport de malvoyants viendront avantageusement compléter les méthodes proposées. Une analyse détaillée d’une scène de Il faut sauver le soldat Ryan (Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg 1998), qui a obtenu l‘Oscar du meilleur mixage, mettra en évidence la complexité et l’importance narrative du paysage sonore d’un film et dégagera les défis des audiodescripteurs et la nécessité de recherches ultérieures prenant en compte le public cible.Part of this article is based on a lecture given in June 2007, part of it has been funded by the European Project AD LAB: Audio-description. Lifelong Access for the Blind with reference no. 517992-LLP-1-2011-1-IT-ERASMUS-ECUE