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Article published In: Audiovisual translation and media accessibility in language learning contexts: Multiple modes, innovative practices and further explorations
Edited by Marina Manfredi, Catia Nannoni and Rosa Pugliese
[Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts 9:2] 2023
► pp. 216–238

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Training the trainer

The art of audio describing in language lessons

 | University College London
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University College London.

Published online: 14 July 2023
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.00109.nav
Abstract
Audio description (AD) is a mode of audiovisual translation (AVT) used for making video content accessible to blind and visually impaired viewers. Didactic AD refers to an active practice where the language learner inserts a narration into the original soundtrack of a clip to describe information transmitted visually, thus converting images into words. AD is often portrayed as an artistic practice due to the creative nature of translating visual elements into a linguistic code whilst the learner becomes a social agent that mediates between the clip and others, using aural discourse to interpret what can be seen including semiotic signs and images. This article will explore key professional guidelines for audio describing, the type of language used, and what areas need to be considered when planning an AD lesson. Taking into consideration the new descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and how communicative approaches have evolved over the last couple of decades, this article will also discuss methodological approaches for an AD effective usage. A sample AD lesson taken from the TRADILEX project will be commented on whilst providing practical recommendations to new users of this AVT mode.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The art of audio describing
    • 2.1AD as a creative practice
    • 2.2AD as an intersemiotic practice
    • 2.3AD as a mediation practice
  • 3.Empirical studies on didactic AD
  • 4.General professional AD guidelines
  • 5.Methodological considerations for AD practice
    • 5.1Typology of AD tasks and practical recommendations
    • 5.2A TRADILEX lesson plan sample: The Right Way
  • 6.Practical and operational aspects aimed at language trainers
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • Filmography
References (29)
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Filmography
Zobak Alekperov, Elena and Flavia Groba Bandeira, dir. 2016. The Right Way. The New York Film Academy.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Bru García, Vicente & Cristina Álvarez de Morales Mercado
2025. “Tale as Old as Time”: Animation as a Medium in Teaching Audiovisual Language and Audio Description . redit - Revista Electrónica de Didáctica de la Traducción y la Interpretación :19 ► pp. 26 ff. DOI logo

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