Abstracts and suggested readings

“If Your Eyes Could Speak: Museum Access for People Who Are Blind”

Joel Snyder 

Audio Description (AD) is a translation of images to words — the visual is made verbal and aural and oral. Using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative, audio describers convey the visual images in museum exhibits that are not fully accessible to a significant segment of the population (more than 31 million Americans experience significant vision loss - American Foundation for the Blind, 2019).

This presentation will provide an overview of the “Fundamentals of Audio Description” (developed by Dr. Snyder) specifically within the context of museum accessibility:

  • Concentration/Observation
  • Editing From What You See/Identifying Key Visual Elements
  • Language—Crafting Vivid, Succinct and Objective Words That Effectively Convey the Visual
  • Vocal Skills—Using the Spoken Word to Make Meaning

 

The presentation will involve the generous use of media and demonstration of audio description techniques designed to illustrate how vivid and succinct language can convey the images of a museum exhibit in a sense form that is accessible to people who are blind.

Dr. Snyder will emphasize the importance of accessibility for people with disabilities.  Recently, a man who is blind visited a museum with some friends and was asked by a sighted person:  “Excuse me, but what you doing in a museum?  You can’t see any of the exhibits.”  His response?  “I’m here for the same reason anyone goes to a museum.   I want to learn, I want to know and be a part of our culture.”  His inability to see shouldn’t deny him access to culture and our arts institutions must be as inclusive as possible.  There is no reason why a person with a visual disability must also be culturally disadvantaged.

In the United States the principal constituency for audio description has an unemployment rate of about 70%.  With more meaningful access to our culture and its resources, people become more informed, more engaged with society and more engaging individuals—and perhaps more employable.  

 

Suggested readings

  • “The Visual Made Verbal: A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description” - Joel Snyder, PhD; American Council of the Blind (available in Braille, as an audio book, and in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, and Chinese)
  • “Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design” - Smithsonian Institution, Accessibility Office: https://access.si.edu/museum-professionals
  • “What Museum Guides Need To Know: Access for Blind and Visually Impaired Visitors” - Gerda Groff with Laura Gardner; American Foundation for the Blind www.afb.orq
  • “The Accessible Museum” - American Alliance of Museums, Washington, DC: https://www.aam-us.org/
  • “Access To Art: A Museum Directory for Blind and Visually Impaired People” - American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.orq
  • “Talking Pictures: People Talk About the Photographs That Speak to Them” - Marvin Heiferman and Carole Kismaric; Chronicle Books, San Francisco
  • “Sight Unseen: The Art of Active Seeing” - John Schaefer; GoodYear Books/Scott Foresman, Glenview, IL 
  • “Making Visual Art Accessible to People Who Are Blind And Visually Impaired” - Art Beyond Sight, New York, NY  https://artbeyondsight.wordpress.com/
  • “Everyone’s Welcome: Universal Access in Museums” - American Association of Museums
  • American Council of the Blind/Audio Description Project website - https://adp.acb.org

 

 

Museums for ‘all’: a worthwhile endeavour?

Cláudia Martins

Long have gone the days when people would question the presence of people with disabilities in cultural venues, such as non-sighted patrons. However, the question ‘What is a non-sighted person doing in a museum if they can’t see?’ still pops up here and there. Added to this, one must not overlook the fact that communication in museums is especially multimodal, made up of a variety of ‘texts’ – written, aural, visual, verbal and non-verbal, tactile. It may even take on a multisensory dimension by involving taste and smell, two of the most neglected senses. It is common knowledge that museums can be difficult places to visit even if one is active, able-bodied and fit – they are often exhausting, and both physically and mentally demanding. Developing all the above-mentioned dimensions enhances access for all, even if ‘all’ is an abstract concept we must be aware it is impossible to achieve. According to Clifford (1997), museums are ‘metaphorical contact zones’ where translation plays an essential role in opening up museums to discussion and understanding – what Neather (2020) calls “museum translation zone”.

This highly multimodal and multisensory nature of museums opens new avenues for Audiovisual Translation (AVT) and Media Accessibility (MA) researchers and practitioners in attempting to attain this fuzzy ‘all’ (cf. universal access translator put forth by Neves, 2018). Such is the case of the project “Culture for All Bragança” (funded by the European Social Fund, reference no. NORTE-07-4230-FSE-000058), where we stand at the crossroads between AVT and MA and embrace the paradigm shifts identified by Greco (2018, 2019) – we seek to facilitate a more universalist, proactive and creative approach to accessibility in cultural contexts. As a consequence, we decided to embrace a co-creative, participatory approach to the development of resources for three main groups: people with intellectual, hearing and visual disability. This means that every action is being carried out with the participation of the intended audiences with disabilities (vd. Searle et al., 2021), overthrowing the traditional validation stage at the end.

In this typically iterative process, we followed a two-fold methodology: ethnographic research, which intends to develop “active immersion in a chosen empirical setting” (Risku et al., 2022, p. 324), particularly a microethnographic approach, as well as action research (Neves, 2016), i.e. researching and making changes as we move along, going back and forth as we try and err. In this lecture, I aim to thoroughly describe how we have conducted our approach so far, by touching upon the work methodology, the team’s reflexive diary, the profile of our consultants and observations from the co-creative sessions, as well as by reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of such an approach.

 

Suggested readings

  • Clifford, J. (1997). Routes: Travel and translation in the late twentieth century. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
  • Greco, G. M. (2018). The nature of accessibility studies. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 1(1), 205-232.
  • Greco, G. M. (2019). Towards a pedagogy of accessibility: The need for critical learning spaces in media accessibility education and training. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series: Themes in Translation Studies, 18, 23–46.
  • Martins, C., Prada, A., Mendes, E., Rocha, J. & Santos, J. (2022). Culture for All Bragança: an accessibility project in peripheral Portugal. Presentation at the 10th Congress of the European Society of Translation. University of Oslo & OsloMET.
  • Neather, R. (2022). Museums as translation zones. In B. Esperança & D. Kapsaskis (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Globalization (pp. 306-319). Taylor & Francis.
  • Neves, J. (2016). Action Research: so much to account for. Target, 28(2), 237-247.
  • Neves, J. (2018). Cultures of accessibility. Translation making cultural heritage in museums accessible to people of all abilities. In S. Harding & O. Carbonell Cortés (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Culture (pp. 415-430). Taylor & Francis.
  • Risku, H., Hirvonen, M., Rogl, R. & Milošević, J. (2022). Ethnographic research. In F. Zanettin & C. Rundle (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Methodology (pp. 324-339). Taylor & Francis.
  • Searle, J., Garcia Carrizosa, H., Rix, J., Sheehy, K & Hayhoe, S. (2021). A participatory approach to the evaluation of participatory museum research projects. International Journal of Research & Method in Eduction, 44(1), 20-40.

 

 

A creative approach to museum audio descriptions. Metaphorical tools and implications in translation training

Cinzia Spinzi

In the last few decades, media accessibility (MA) has gained momentum and contributed to providing access to audiovisual media and the arts addressed to numerous audiences. This has led to a shift of accessibility from being a topic mostly connected with disabled people to an issue relevant for all (Greco 2018). In addition to this, a move from investigating MA from a post-production perspective to integrating it in the creative process has been called for (Romero Fresco 2018; Di Giovanni 2018). Within this perspective, creativity as a tool of accessibility has become an important artistic component (Luque Colmenero and Soler Gallego 2020; Desblache 2019; Spinzi 2019; Rizzo 2020). Indeed, in the task of creating museum audio descriptions of specific works of art, it comes as no surprise  ̶ despite controversial opinions in matters of subjectivity in translation (Soler Gallego et al, 2018) ̶ that metaphorical constructions are often exploited to disseminate the knowledge of art with particular reference to compositional, spatial and aesthetic dimensions of the product being described (Spinzi 2019).  

Against the backdrop, this study sheds light on creative museum audio description practices. Starting from the assumption that the language used by audiodescribers is a special language shaped by the communicative needs of its users, this research focuses on issues of discursive representation, construction and mediation across English and Italian museum audio descriptions. By taking on board the Logical Levels/Iceberg model approach (Katan 2004; 2008), I argue that reasoning, evaluating, perceiving and emotional intelligence are crucial to audiodescribers’ training above all when working with metaphorical tools from an intercultural perspective.

I take and discuss audio description training with specific reference to metaphors in terms of three levels: cognitive, metacognitive and non-cognitive (emotional intelligence) highlighting the crucial need to equip audiodescribers with emotional abilities to intervene creatively in the source text, both when translating intersemiotically and interlingually.

After shedding light on the main reasons behind the divide between objective and subjective approaches to audio description, this research looks at traits of linguistic creativity as an integral part of translation with the purpose of reinforcing the creative role of translators, as well as of increasing cognitive and non-cognitive inclusion.

An ad-hoc comparable corpus of museum audio descriptions in English and in Italian will be relied on to illustrate, firstly, the critical role played by metaphorical language in audio description. Then, findings will be corroborated by a pedagogical experiment carried out in a translation workshop on multisensory tourist guides at the University of Bergamo. The ultimate scope is to demonstrate how translation students, when nurturing emotional traits, can produce value-added effective communication which users could benefit from. In other words, results will demonstrate that the audio descriptions for the genres taken into account will enhance users’ experiences, thus providing awareness of audiovisual accessibility in today’s society.

 

Suggested readings

  • Desblache, L. 2019. Music and Translation. New Mediations in the Digital Age. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Greco, G. 2018. Greco, G. M. 2018. The nature of accessibility studies. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 1(1), 205-232.
  • Katan, David. 1999/2004. Translating cultures: An introduction for translators, interpreters and mediators, (2nd ed.). Manchester: St. Jerome.
  • Katan, David. 2008. “University Training, Competencies and the Death of the translator: Problems in Professionalizing translation and in the Translation Profession”. In Tradurre: Formazione e Professione, (a cura di) M.T. Musacchio e G. H. Sostero, Padova, CLEUP, 113-140.
  • Soler Gallego S. and Luque Colmenero O.M. 2018. “Paintings to My Ears: A Method of Studying Subjectivity in Audio Description for Art Museum”, in Linguistica Antwerpiensia New Series, 17, 140-156.
  • Rizzo, A. 2020. “Subtitling into ELF. When accessibility becomes a counter information tool”. Lingue e Linguaggi 38, 407-423.
  • Spinzi, C. 2019. “A cross-cultural study of figurative language in museum audio descriptions. Implications for Translations”.  Lingue e Linguaggi 33 (2019), 303-316.

 

 

Audio description and what else? From objective to creative styles and beyond

María Olalla Luque Colmenero

More and more museums are using audio description to facilitate access for blind and partially sighted visitors. There are several tools to rephrase the images depicted in art and translate them into speech. Audio description is, together with multisensory tools, the most common. However, the traditional objective audio description is giving way to new typologies, where subjectivity and creativity are the main focus. Although the objective type is very useful, it can also serve as a starting point to new ways of translating art for blind and partially sighted people and other visitors.

In this presentation, we are going to focus on the accessibility programmes the organisation Kaleidoscope Access has been developing in the past few years. Kaleidoscope is a non profit organization based in Granada, Spain, founded by Luque and Soler in 2013. Together with a blind collaborator, we have been developing increasingly creative and subjective audio description for a series of audio descriptive guided tours of art exhibitions and workshops. These have been evaluated in an on-going collaborative project with blind and partially sighted consultants. This minority styles and typologies are: metaphorical, minimal, with interpretive voice, with sound effects, poetry, synaesthetic, and sensory/sensology. Thanks to the practical research in several museums both in international and Spanis museums and the developing of programmes, the presentation will start with a theoretical introduction to audio description, both from objective and creative approaches, followed by the presentation of a method to create audio descriptions and examples of these minority styles. To finish the theoretical part, we will foster a conversation about these styles. After this part, we will conduct a workshop where creative audio descriptions will be created in a collaborative and innovative way through the use of different tools and styles.

 

Suggested readings

  • Audio Description Coalition. “Standards for AD and Code of Professional Conduct for Describers.”  https://audiodescriptionsolutions.com/the-standards/ (accessed: 06/29/2022).
  • Burnham, Rika, and Kai-Kee, Elliott. 2011. “Gallery Teaching as Guided Interpretation. In Teaching in the Art Museum. Interpretation as Experience, edited by Rika Burnham and Elliott KaiKee, 59–66. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum.
  • Eardley, Alison F., Fryer, Louise, Hutchinson, Rachel, Cock, Mathew, Ride, Peter, and Neves, Joselia. 2017. “Enriched Audio Description: Working Towards an Inclusive Museum Experience.” In Inclusion, Disability and Culture, edited by Santoshi Halder and Lori Czop Assaf, 195–207. Cham: Springer.
  • Hutchinson, Rachel S., and Eardley, Alison F. 2019. “Museum Audio Description: The Problem of Textual Fidelity.” Perspectives 27, no. 1: 42–57.
  • Luque, María O. 2019. “Optionality for describing contemporary art: deliberate metaphors as a tool for conveying subjectivity in audio description for visually impaired people”, La nueva comunicación del siglo XXI, Madrid: Pirámide (Grupo Anaya).
  • Luque, María O., and Soler, Silvia. 2020. “Metaphor as Creativity in Audio Descriptive Tours for Art Museums: From Description to Practice.” Journal of Audiovisual Translation 3, no. 1, 64–78.
  • Neves, Joselia. 2016. “Enriched Descriptive Guides: A Case for Collaborative Meaning-making in Museums.” Cultus. The Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication 9, no. 2: 137–153.
  • Perego, Elisa. 2019. “Into the Language of Museum Audio Descriptions: A Corpus-based Study”. Perspectives 27, no. 3: 333–349.
  • Soler, Silvia. 2021. “The Minority AD: Creativity in Audio Descriptions of Visual Art.” In Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Access to Media, Learning and Assistive Environments, edited by Margherita Antona, and Constantine Stephanidis, 308–327. Cham: Springer.
  • Szarkowska, Agnieszka. 2013. “Auteur Description: From the Director's Creative Vision to Audio Description.” Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, September-October: 383–387.
  • Walczak, Agnieszka, and Fryer, Louise. 2017. “Creative Description: The Impact of Audio Description Style on Presence in Visually Impaired Audiences.” British Journal of Visual Impairment 35, no. 1: 6–17.