Journal of Audiovisual Translation最新文献

{"title":"Audio Description Practice in the Catalan L1 Classroom","authors":"Floriane Bardini, E. Espasa","doi":"10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.264","url":null,"abstract":"Audio description (AD) has been successfully used in educational settings, especially in foreign language learning—often in combination with other audiovisual translation modes. Most studies have focused on advanced foreign language learners, in the context of higher education. The use of AD in school settings, and in connection with L1, is a promising but arguably under researched area, which our study explores. The AD workshop conducted in a Catalan secondary school in the realm of the research presented in this article is now part of a forthcoming catalogue of activities to encourage the use of Catalan among students, which is published by the Generalitat de Catalunya and addressed to Catalan schools.\u0000The article outlines the pedagogical design of the intervention, its main results, limitations, and ways forward. We report a positive effect of practising AD on students’ lexical and syntactic abilities in Catalan and an important impact on their awareness on blindness and functional diversity, as well as the development of critical thinking and empathy. One of the challenges of the activity was to evaluate students’ productions and another was to deal with multilingualism and translanguaging in the classroom, two key aspects that are also discussed in the article.\u0000Lay summary\u0000Film audio description is an aural description of what happens on screen inserted between dialogues and important sounds. It is a mode of audiovisual accessibility for persons with blindness or low vision, but we can also use it in education. In this context, students create an audio description as a way of practising their language skills: this is called didactic audio description and it has been used with success in foreign language learning in universities.\u0000Our study explores the use of didactic audio description in secondary school and in the local language of instruction (L1). Our project took place in a secondary school in Catalonia. The project involved two researchers (the authors of this article), a professional audio describer, a teacher of Catalan, and 80 students aged 12-13. These students participated in a workshop. The workshop included a presentation of what audio description is, a first practice, and a guided final practice. This final practice consisted in the audio description of a short film where the main character is blind: The Fish and I, by Babak Habibifar (2020).\u0000In this article we inform on didactic audio description, we explain the methodology of our study, the realisation of the workshop, and our most important results. These results concern the main benefits of didactic AD in L1 in secondary school. The most important results are:\u0000\u0000The benefits of didactic AD for developing language skills in L1.\u0000The benefits of didactic AD for developing other competences, such as working in team or analysing a film.\u0000The benefits of didactic AD for making students aware of blindness and diversity.\u0000The benefits of didactic AD for the revitalization of Catalan, a","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"127 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138953594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multiphase and Multistakeholder English Translation Processes Behind Subtitling Chinese Auteur Films","authors":"Xichen Sun","doi":"10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.258","url":null,"abstract":"The professional translation processes involved in subtitling Chinese auteur films are under-reported in audiovisual translation literature. The present study investigates the translation processes employed for Chinese films destined for an international audience with a focus on fifth- and sixth-generation directors’ films. These film auteurs depict China’s diverse cultural elements and contemporary social reality, for which English subtitles provide an essential bridge to connect to an international audience. Interview data collected from ten established Chinese-to-English translators/subtitlers, whose names are credited in the selected films, identify two remarkable features of subtitling these contemporary Chinese auteur films: Multiple phases of the translation processes employed across the filmmaking lifespan and multiple stakeholders involved in the wider translation processes beyond translators/subtitlers. Actor-Network Theory is used to elicit interwoven relationships among the various human and non-human actors connected to translating/subtitling activities across different stages of filmmaking. These findings confirm that translating/subtitling is not an isolated post-production task but rather permeates all filmmaking phases. This can be a key factor in contributing to overall quality, which is critical in disseminating subtitled films by some of China’s most celebrated auteurs. Lay summary The international film market has increasingly featured Chinese films, especially the works by established Chinese directors, such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Jia Zhangke and Jia Zhangke. Their films reflect China’s cultural conventions and contemporary social reality. English subtitling is the most popular mode of translation to distribute Chinese films among the English-speaking audience. However, little is known about the agents involved in translating the Chinese high-profile films and the translation processes. To fill this knowledge gap, we interviewed ten translators or subtitlers contributing to the translation of the four aforementioned directors. The collected interview data inform us that many other stakeholders (e.g. directors, producers, screenwriters, distributors and subtitle editors) play a role in the shaping of the final English subtitles shown on the screen, and translation of Chinese films takes place throughout the whole filmmaking process (i.e. film development, pre-production, post-production, distribution and exhibition). A sociological framework is adopted to demonstrate the interwoven relationships among the various human (i.e. translators/subtitlers and other stakeholders) and non-human actors (i.e. accompanying materials and translation products) connected to translating/subtitling activities across different stages of filmmaking. It is argued that such a multiphase and multistakeholder process helps to improve the overall quality of Chinese film subtitling.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"37 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139169754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Representation in Media Accessibility","authors":"Gonzalo Iturregui Gallardo","doi":"10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.257","url":null,"abstract":"This article is a theoretical essay discussing the potential for the analysis of media accessibility contents and practices (AD, SDH, Sign Language Interpreting, etc.) through a queer feminist lens, which makes it possible to tackle the representation of diversity and non-normativity. Based on a literature review of previous works on the intersection of Queer and Feminist Studies, and Media Accessibility and Disability Studies, it shows the need for this approach based on the nature of media accessibility services, which primarily cater for people with disabilities, a historically excluded minority actively involved in the claim for socio-cultural space and representation. It then proposes a method of work and analysis that combines queer and feminist translation strategies – a method, which is subsequently applied to commercial instances of audio description of diversity. The conclusions highlight the need to bring accessibility closer to contemporary concerns in research, i.e., gender, queer, feminist, and postcolonial issues. Some future lines of research are proposed, such as the expansion of this model of analysis to other accessibility services or the call for interlinguistic studies. Lay summary This article presents theoretical essay which describes the potential of the analysis of media accessibility, those services for the visually impaired and the Deaf, such as audio description, subtitling and Sign Language Interpreting, through a queer feminist lens able to tackle the representation of non-normative characters and narratives: racialised or queer individuals, for instance. Based on a literature review that gathers previous works on Queer and Feminist Studies, and Media Accessibility and Disability Studies, it shows the need for this approach based on the nature of media accessibility services, which target people with disabilities, a minority actively involved in the claim for socio-cultural representation. It then proposes a method of work and analysis that combines queer and feminist translation strategies, which is subsequently applied to real excerpts of audio description of series. The conclusions highlight the need to bring accessibility closer to contemporary concerns in research, i.e. gender, queer, feminist, and postcolonial issues. Some future lines of research are proposed, such as the expansion of this model of analysis to other accessibility services or the call for studies combining different languages.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"24 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139168600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When Accessibility Becomes Performance","authors":"A. Tarantini","doi":"10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.241","url":null,"abstract":"Accessibility is a key concept in audiovisual translation. In recent years, the importance of equal access not only to information, services, and media, but also to the arts has been gaining more attention. Accessibility provisions for popular music, however, have not been as comprehensive as for other types of music. In order to facilitate access to music for deaf signers, a generation of interpreter-performers started to embody nonverbal elements of the “text,” such as rhythm, pitch, tempo, etc., when translating a song into sign language. This practice, which is a form of audiovisual translation, is gaining momentum and has been the object of analysis in other disciplines (e.g., Musicology or Deaf Studies), but is under-investigated within Translation and Interpreting Studies. Working from studies in signed songs, from the work of Grant, and from Marinetti’s notion of translation as “performative rewriting”, I aim to show that performativity, intended as an action related to performance, but also with transformative potential, can become an element and a carrier of accessibility, and is at the core of these interpreting practices. The distinction between accessibility and access, however, must also be taken into account, and whether these practices actually facilitate access remains to be established by the deaf community. Lay summary  Nowadays service providers pay more attention to the notion of accessibility and access, and not only to information and services, but also to the arts. More and more sign language interpreters translate songs and live concert in sign language to facilitate access for deaf people. They translate the lyrics of songs but also embody other elements of music in their interpretation, thus making music a visual form of performing art. Notions such as accessibility and access, however, are far from uncontroversial. Accessibility Studies scholar Greco has clarified the difference between the two. In this article I argue that performativity is an element and a carrier of accessibility. The idea of performativity is further elaborated working from Performance Philosophy, rather than Performance Theory. I further argue that, while sign-language-interpreted music is an accessibility provision, only deaf people can establish whether it actually facilitates access to music.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"474 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139173403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ad hoc Screen Translation in Soviet Estonian Film Clubs","authors":"Tiina Hoffmann","doi":"10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v6i1.2023.129","url":null,"abstract":"In Soviet Estonian official cinemas, foreign films were always dubbed into Russian with Estonian subtitles. Founded at the end of the Thaw, film clubs and other semi-official screening locations became popular as part of the alternative scene and unauthorised discourse. They screened uncensored original Western European and Hollywood films and thus the works of forbidden film directors and cinema movements from the West were introduced to a limited audience of film enthusiasts. Compared to other Soviet Socialist Republics, Estonia was in a privileged geographical and linguistic position to be able to access the films of the West via Finland. Film clubs looked beyond the Iron Curtain and opened up a cultural dialogue between the West and Soviet Estonia. This article analyses the repertoire of foreign films and different translation modes, social relations and the agency of the interpreters, and it looks at their interpretative act from theoretical perspectives discussed by Juri Lotman and Naoki Sakai.\u0000Lay Summary:\u0000In the era of Soviet Estonia, where foreign films were typically re-edited and dubbed into Russian, film clubs emerged as underground screening locations that offered uncensored original Western European and Hollywood films. These clubs played a crucial role in introducing the works of forbidden film directors and cinematic movements from the West to a limited audience of film enthusiasts. Soviet Estonia stood out in three significant aspects: 1) it was the only SSR to subtitle all films in the official cinema into Estonian; 2) it had a vibrant film club culture in universities with diverse repertoires from Finland, and all films had a live translation into Estonian, 3) and it had access to Finnish television broadcasting Western movies that were otherwise not shown in the Soviet Union (Estonian and Finnish are closely related languages that share many semantic and grammatical structures). Compared to other Soviet Socialist Republics, Estonia had the advantage of its geographical and linguistic position, facilitating a socio-cultural dialogue with the West. The various translation methods employed, often conducted on an ad hoc basis, social dynamics, and the role of interpreters in the film clubs, played a transformative role in dismantling the barriers of the Iron Curtain. Interpreters, by navigating the boundaries between the original films and their translations, significantly influenced the understanding of Western cinema and culture in Soviet Estonia.\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"96 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123032444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accessible Stories within Mediascapes","authors":"G. Greco, A. Rizzo, C. Spinzi","doi":"10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.234","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.234","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents the first steps in the investigation of the potential for digital storytelling and digital museums to be used as instruments for access, as enablers of epistemic and poietic agency. Digital storytelling and migration museums are used as a case study to explore in what ways digital storytelling impacts meaning-making processes performed by migrants, allowing them to become active creators and disseminators of their own experiences. Through the combination of corpus linguistics, systemic functional linguistics, and lexical semantic analysis, an ad-hoc comparable corpus of migrant narratives in English and in Italian was cross-examined in order to scrutinise the conceptual categories activated in these stories. The mixed-methods analysis led to the identification of the most common lexico-semantic features forming the knowledge frames of the experiential world of migrants. Results show that each national narrative makes use of its own grammar and lexico-semantic domains, a set of semantic and syntactic patterns associated with the production of stories of migration within the context of transmedia textual subtypes. These domains are strategic, as they give access to marginalised stories within digital museum settings.\u0000Lay summary\u0000Adopting the perspective of accessibility studies, digital storytelling is interpreted as a series of instruments for access, as an enabler of epistemic and poietic agency. That is, digital storytelling empowers people to express their voice and become active creators and disseminators of their own experiences.\u0000In order to investigate the potential of digital storytelling as a tool for access, we created a comparable corpus made of migrant narratives in English and in Italian spread across museum platforms. Then we  cross-examined the corpus through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies in order to examine the conceptual categories activated in these stories. More specifically, we analysed and identified which linguistic strategies have been employed by the storytellers to inform the audience, what knowledge frames have been adopted to tell their experiences and expectations, and what similarities or differences exist among stories told by migrants who have settled down in different parts of the world.\u0000Showing that each national narrative makes use of its own semantic and syntactic patterns, our results support the idea of digital storytelling as an access enabler and digital museums as novel environments which jointly empower people with the tools and conditions to take a proactive role.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130233945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sketching Tomorrow’s Mediascape – And Beyond","authors":"Mary Carroll, A. Remael","doi":"10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.256","url":null,"abstract":"Dear Readers, \u0000As the guest editors of this special issue of JAT, we hope that you will enjoy reading the selected articles and that they will inspire you to explore new research avenues. It has been a pleasure for us to edit this issue and to acquaint ourselves with the research presented in it. We hope that our introduction will also provide food for thought. \u0000We have always enjoyed working in audiovisual translation and media accessibility and trust that it will continue to be a thriving, expanding and creative field of practice and research. \u0000Mary Carroll and Aline Remael \u0000 ","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122276738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"(Main)streaming English Dubs","authors":"L. Hayes, A. Bolaños-García-Escribano","doi":"10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.211","url":null,"abstract":"With ‘original’ content from a growing diversity of languages, Netflix has become a playground for audiovisual translation. Given that Netflix outsources its localisation, it has been able to rely on practitioners in consolidated industries to create revoiced and subtitled versions that adhere to industry conventions. Although subtitling has long been the consolidated mode for localising mainstream audiovisual products (films and series) into English, Netflix has initiated new trends in an Anglophone dubbing industry traditionally reserved for niche products, by bringing the dubbing of foreign-language mainstream products into the distribution mainstream. The illusory novelty of English dubs, debuted at the turn of 2017 on Netflix, has facilitated experimentation in dubbing strategies. In the burgeoning English-dubbing industries, located mainly in Los Angeles and London, standardisation, domestication and foreignisation strategies are being used (Hayes 2021; 2022). In order to elucidate emerging norms in English-dubbing strategies, in this article we present a corpus of Netflix’s English dubs of 82 Castilian-Spanish films and TV series and analyse the main dubbing strategies adopted by the studios involved.\u0000Lay summary\u0000Netflix has original series and films in many languages and the need to translate these into other languages has led to Netflix experimenting with different ways of translating content, such as by creating subtitles or dubbed versions (replacing the original dialogues with voices speaking another language). For importing “foreign” content (e.g. Spanish productions) into the English language, subtitling has traditionally been the mode of translation used for films and series, but dubbing has also been used for products such as cartoons and videogames. As Netflix outsources translation, they have been able to rely on professionals in well-established translation industries; however, in the case of translating into English, dubbing live-action has generally presented a new challenge for English-language translation professionals. Furthermore, most viewers of English dubs were previously unfamiliar with dubbing. Therefore, experimentation in English-dubbing strategies has been possible. Netflix’s English dubs utilise different accents (e.g. standard, regional or foreign) depending on different variables, such as the country where the dubbed version was created or the dubbing director. In this article, we have analysed 82 Spanish films and series on Netflix and their English dubs, in order to determine the presence different accent strategies and developing trends. The films and series studied were released on Netflix between 2017 and 2021 and were available on the platform in Ireland and UK throughout 2021. We ultimately draw conclusions that reveal our observations on current practices in English-language dubbing.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130791001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Audio Description as a Pedagogical Tool in the Foreign Language Classroom","authors":"Adriana Bausells-Espín","doi":"10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.208","url":null,"abstract":"Audio description (AD) is an intersemiotic mode of audiovisual translation where images are translated into words to facilitate access to visual content for visually-impaired audiences. Over the last decade, it has gained prominence in foreign language research, as its formal particularities and condition as a communication-oriented and process-based activity present a fertile ground for designing innovative classroom tasks. This research was conducted with students of Spanish at the University of Manchester, and it investigates participants’ perceptions about a classroom AD project. The exploratory analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from participants’ responses to end-of-project questionnaires leads to the formulation of a ‘triple-connection hypothesis’: a direct relationship between perceptions of difficulty of the main challenges of AD, perceptions of usefulness of AD for developing the skills required to overcome those challenges, and perceptions of own learning progress thanks to AD. The findings show that AD is perceived by students as especially useful for developing integrated skills, communicative skills and lexical skills, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the difficulty perceived.\u0000Lay Summary\u0000Audio description (AD) is an additional voice that describes what happens in a TV show, a movie or a theatre play when characters are not speaking. This helps people with visual problems to follow the plot. AD describes characters’ expressions or movements, places or objects, or reads text that appears on screen. It is a special type of translation: instead of translating from words to words, it translates from images to words.\u0000Recently, AD has become more available and popular, catching the attention of foreign language teachers. They have started using it in class, creating activities where students write audio descriptions to improve language skills, such as vocabulary, or record them to practice speaking. Creating an AD requires students to use clear and direct language, use summarising skills, and make a lot of careful choices. It also helps them learn about the needs of people with visual difficulties. So far, teachers have reported positive results.\u0000To continue exploring how useful AD activities are for language learning, we did an AD classroom project with students of Spanish, and we collected their opinions about it. This information can help teachers design truly beneficial AD activities. Our students completed a survey at the end of the project to tell us how difficult AD had been for them, how useful they found it for language learning, and how much it helped them improve. We discovered that when students found AD difficult, they also found it more useful, and they learned more. We also discovered the opposite: when they found it less difficult, they also found it less useful, and they learned less. Finally, we discovered that AD especially helped them to improve communication and speaking abilities, to build vocabu","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"53 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126930231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Audio Describing Sound – What Sounds are Described and How?","authors":"Gert Vercauteren, Nina Reviers","doi":"10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.47476/jat.v5i2.2022.232","url":null,"abstract":"Given that the aural meaning-making channels are the main channels that people with sight loss have access to when processing audiovisual products, it is striking that hardly any research has been done on how dialogues, music, and sound effects are integrated in audio description (AD). A possible explanation is the lack of conceptual, theoretical, and methodological frameworks to systematically analyse sound. In the present article we study whether insights from film studies, multimodality research and audionarratology can be used to study sound in AD. After an overview of the state of the art, we present a case study that was carried out within the context of two master’s dissertations and for which an analytical framework for sound descriptions was designed and tested on different scenes from the Flemish film Loft (Van Looy, 2008). In addition to testing the validity of the framework, we wanted to obtain some concrete insights into what types of sounds were described and what narrative position and functions they occupied. On the one hand, the analysis shows AD usually renders the sounds that are the most prominent and most easily recognized. On the other hand, the analysis also shows that although the framework for the analysis clearly has its merits and can provide valuable insights, determining the narrative functions of sounds remains difficult. Therefore, the article ends with various new research questions and a clear plea for more research in this uncharted territory.\u0000Lay Summary\u0000When people with sight loss listen to an audiovisual product like a film or series, they mainly follow the story based on the sounds, such as dialogues, music, sound effects and the audio description track. It is, therefore, surprising that researchers have not paid a lot of attention to understanding how sounds complement the audio description in telling the story. One reason may be that researchers lack the necessary methods and theory to study sounds scientifically. In this paper, we try to develop this knowledge, by combining insights from different disciplines, such as film studies, multimodality research and audionarratology to create a framework for sound analysis in AD. Together with two Master students, we applied the framework to a case study, namely the analysis of the Flemish film Loft, directed by Erik Van Looy in 2008. The aim of this project was to test the methods we propose for this analysis. But we also wanted to find out what types of sounds are usually audio described and what their narrative contribution is - how they help build the story that is told in the film. Our analysis shows that AD usually renders the sounds that are the most prominent and most easily recognized. The analysis also shows that it is difficult to understand the narrative contribution of sounds, though, with the current scientific frameworks that we have. Therefore, the article ends with various new research questions and a clear plea for more research in this domain.","PeriodicalId":203332,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Audiovisual Translation","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127029555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}