Beyond Objectivity in Audio Description

New Practices and Perspectives

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i2.2023.309

Keywords:

audio description, objectivity, media accessibility, aesthetics of access, creative media accessibility

Abstract

For many years, objectivity was considered a key norm of quality in audio description (AD), and it still features prominently in many AD guidelines. The primary motivation behind the concept is a recognition of users' autonomy in forming a mental image of the audiovisual content independently. Research has offered many alternative views on the issue that conceptualise the idea of objectivity/subjectivity as a continuum, emphasizing that different approaches can be appropriate depending on the given context of situation, giving rise to different AD styles that cater for a range of aesthetic preferences. Against this background, various cultural domains are experimenting with alternative approaches, challenging established AD practices and the assumptions it is built on. The articles included in this special issue all explore the various ways in which AD user needs can be met and illustrate the dynamic views that exist on objectivity, addressing key questions related to the operationalisation of objectivity, the challenge of interpretation for AD, the exploration of emerging subjective styles, and the concept of aesthetics of or in access.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Eva Schaeffer-Lacroix, Sorbonne University

Eva Schaeffer-Lacroix is a full professor at the Department of Education of Sorbonne Université (Paris, France), where she teaches applied linguistics, ICT (Information and Communications Technology), German as a foreign language, introduction into research, and inclusive teaching matters. Her main research interests are corpus linguistics, writing in a foreign language, and audio description.

Professional website: http://didaktik.hautetfort.com/

Nina Reviers, University of Antwerp

Nina Reviers (University of Antwerp) is an assistant professor in Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility at the  Department of Applied Linguistics, Translation and Interpreting Studies of the University of Antwerp. She holds a PhD in Translation Studies  (University of Antwerp, 2018) in the field of Audio Description, for which she was awarded the EST Young Scholar Prize in 2019. Her research addresses linguistic and multimodal aspects of audio description, computer-aided translation of audio description, integrated access for the (scenic) arts and technology for access. As manager of the OPEN Expertise Centre for Accessible Media and Culture, Nina fosters a close collaboration with stakeholders as a key factor in her research and teaching activities.

Elena Di Giovanni , University of Macerata

Elena Di Giovanni is Full Professor of English Translation at the University of Macerata where she directs the international MA programme in Accessibility to Media, Arts and Culture.

From 2016 to 2021, she was President of ESIST, the European Association for Studies in Screen Translation. In 2019, she was Fulbright Distinguished Chair at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she taught media accessibility. Since 2013, she has been giving workshops on audiovisual translation and accessibility at the Venice International Film Festival.

Her research interests lie in translation studies, more specifically audiovisual translation and accessibility, with a focus on audio description, collaborative access and reception studies. Since 2008, she is coordinator of accessibility projects for international institutions and theatres such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Arena di Verona, Teatro Grande in Brescia, Macerata Opera Festival. In 2023, her projects brought over 1,600 people with disabilities to Italian theatres and festivals. Her scientific publications are here: https://docenti.unimc.it/elena.digiovanni#content=publications.

Downloads

Published

2023-12-27

How to Cite

Schaeffer-Lacroix, E., Reviers, N., & Di Giovanni , E. (2023). Beyond Objectivity in Audio Description: New Practices and Perspectives. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 6(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i2.2023.309

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2023): Special Issue guest-edited by Eva Schaeffer-Lacroix, Nina Reviers and Elena Di Giovanni: Beyond Objectivity in Audio Description

Section

Introduction