An Introduction to Audio Description is the first comprehensive, user-friendly student guide to the theory and practice of audio description, or media narration, providing readers with the skills needed for the effective translation of images into words for the blind and partially-sighted.
A wide range of examples – from film to multimedia events and touch tours in theatre, along with comments throughout from audio description users, serve to illustrate the following key themes:
- the history of audio description
- the audience
- the legal background
- how to write, prepare and deliver a script.
Covering the key genres of audio description and supplemented with exercises and discussion points throughout, this is the essential textbook for all students and translators involved in the practice of audio description. Accompanying film clips are also available at: https://www.routledge.com/products/9781138848177 and on the Routledge Translation Studies Portal: http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/translationstudies/.
Contents
List of Tables
How to Use This Book
Acknowledgements
Glossary and List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1.Introducing Audio Description?
Chapter 2. A Brief history, Legislation and Guidelines
Chapter 3. Putting the Audio into Audio Description
Chapter 4. The Audience for Audio Description
Chapter 5. Audio Description Skills: Writing
Chapter 6 Audio Description Skills: Script preparation
Chapter 7 Audio Description Skills: Delivery
Chapter 8 Beyond the Basics: AD by genre
Chapter 9 Beyond the Basics: Text on Screen
Chapter 10. Beyond the Basics: Accessible film-making and Describing Camerawork
Chapter 11 AD and Censorship
Chapter 12 Audio introductions
Chapter 13 Contentious Issues and Future Directions in AD
Chapter 14 Afterword
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Biography
Louise Fryer is a teaching fellow at University College London and describes for the National Theatre of Great Britain and VocalEyes. For many years, she presented Afternoon on 3, Live in Concert and Proms for BBC Radio 3.
'This book provides an extraordinary resource for researchers and practitioners of audio description. It not only surveys international research, and evaluates existing standards , but also offers practical, common sense advice that still allows for innovation.' Georgina Kleege, University of California, Berkeley, USA
'For anybody who knows a little about AD and wishes to conduct more research, or wishes to audio describe, this book is indispensable. (...) Beautifully written, clear, practical and thought-provoking, this book is an AVT-study gem.' Kristijan Nikolić, University College London, London, UK
'[I]t is an essential reading for anyone interested and involved in audio description practice and/or research.' Anna Jankowska, Jagiellonian University in Kraków/Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Poland
