ISSN: 1579-9794

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TAYLOR, CHRISTOPHER AND PEREGO, ELISA. THE ROUTLEDGE

HANDBOOK OF AUDIO DESCRIPTION. LONDON AND NEW YORK,

ROUTLEDGE, 2022, 666 PP., ISBN 978-0367434199

Over the past thirty years, there has been a notable increase in

literature and research focused on audio description (AD) for the blind and

visually impaired (BVI) audience, with a primary goal of establishing

standardised approaches. As stated in the dedication, The Routledge

Handbook of Audio Description (2022), edited by Christopher Taylor and Elisa

Perego, is the culmination of years of collaborative scholarly effort and interest

in this intriguing practice of media accessibility. Due to space constraints, it is

impractical to delve into each of the 38 chapters of this handbook. Therefore,

in my review I provide a summary and critical discussion of the key topics it

addresses.

The volume is intentionally organised into eight sections. In Part I, the

chapters provide a broad overview of AD, addressing questions of

accessibility and proposing a social and legal framework to advocate for

increased use of AD (illustrated in contributions by Greco and Bestard-Bou,

and Arias-Badia, respectively). Additionally, this section offers a practical

understanding of AD’s end-users and their requirements, such as the use of

easily understandable or non-discriminatory language (examined in Chapter

3 by Perego and Taylor). Unfortunately, like other audiovisual translation

(AVT) modes, AD is often viewed as demanding but lacking prestige, probably

because the general public is mostly unaware of this practice, its value and

importance (p. 49).

Part II delves into theoretical discussions surrounding AD. For instance,

Holsanova’s contribution offers an interesting exploration of methodologies

used to track the cognitive processes involved in audio describers’ work when

analysing audiovisual content in order to produce and deliver AD scripts, along

with how these audio-described products are received by end-users.

Reception studies, frequently advocated for in AVT (e.g. Orrego-Carmona

2018; Orero et al. 2018) can indeed address such demands. It is also possible

to find in this handbook contributions by esteemed scholars in AD who offer

their perspectives on narratology, textual elements, and culture-specific

references in AD (explored, respectively, by Vercauteren, Mazur, and

Jankowska). For example, Jankowska’s chapter raises a pressing matter (for

both academia and the industry) regarding the translation of AD scripts,

complemented by Oncins’s discussion in this volume, and Liu and Tor-

Carroggio’s pilot study on the translation of Spanish ADs into Chinese.

Despite initial reservations, as Jankowska notes, script translation has proven

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to be an economical and effective means of producing quality ADs (p. 315).

In the same section, Secchi’s chapter concentrates on what can be seen as

niche in AD practice and research, meriting special mention. She debates how

AD can convey aesthetic aspects of artworks on display in museums. Her

insightful exploration of how philosophical, psychological, and cognitive

concepts can enhance the visitor experience at tactile museums finds

practical application in the Anteros museum in Ancona. This study may help

bridge the gap in art perception between visually impaired and sighted

individuals.

The chapters in Part III centre on specific types of AD for productions

such as plays (explored by Remael and Reviers), opera and dance

performances (discussed by Snyder), film and series (presented by Valero

Gisbert), and museums (examined by Taylor and Perego, Fineman and Cock,

and Hutchinson and Eardley). As a novelty, Pacinotti’s contribution addresses

AD in churches as examples of craftsmanship and works of art. Given the

particularity of churches as cultural heritage sites and architectural spaces,

the author aims to provide guidelines or templates to inform practice,

considering factors such as the interior and exterior of churches, whether

traditional or modern (pp. 250–253).

In Part IV, contributors’ attention shifts to the variety of stakeholders

that are commonly involved in AD practices. Discussions include the profiling

of audio describers across three continents (discussed by Perego) as well as

that of businesses offering AVT and/or media accessibility services (explored

by Hermosa-Ramírez). The contribution by Saerens et al. is noteworthy not

only for offering an inside view of AD business operations, such as costs and

time pressures, but also for shedding light on the (oftentimes) challenging

interactions with clients (p. 279). This further underscores the misconceptions

surrounding AD, AVT, and translation as professional practices. The section

concludes with insights into research in AD (presented by Perego), which seek

to bridge the gap between theory and praxis.

Part VI focuses on analysing and discussing specific AD practices. A

captivating discussion focuses on audio introductions, which offer general

information about the audiovisual products that often accompany AD or are

sometimes offered independently (explored by Romero Fresco, p. 423). Audio

subtitling, which consists of orally rendering written subtitles, is discussed by

Matamala (p. 433), who explains how written text can be made accessible to

BVI audiences when, for example, a film is only subtitled (and not voiced over

or dubbed), or in multilingual films (e.g. scenes are subtitled, as they are not

in the main language of the film). Interestingly, when multilingualism is used

for comedic purposes and audio subtitling is absent, the BVI audience may

miss out on an essential element of the audiovisual product itself (Dore 2019,

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p. 275–276). Audio subtitling can also extend to banners and on-screen text

messages displayed on mobile phones. While artificial intelligence (AI) may

generate audio subtitling, its combination with AD is typically performed by

humans (Matamala, this volume, p. 440), which underscores the need for

human input. This section concludes with a discussion of AD for non-blind

individuals (explored by Starr), including those with atypical cognitive

frameworks such as autism or learning difficulties. As Starr explains, though,

some non-blind audiences may choose AD to access audiovisual content

while multitasking (e.g., during domestic chores) or for language learning

purposes (p. 478). Regarding the latter, significant literature has been

produced over the last three decades (see Lertola 2019 for a book-length

overview of the use of AVT, including AD, in language learning contexts (p.

47-60), and more recently, Talaván et al. 2024).

Part VII consists of only two contributions, resulting in a slight

imbalance. Nonetheless, both chapters concentrate on important practical

aspects. The first chapter emphasises the significance and effectiveness of

university training in AD, drawing on results gathered by the author (Chmiel)

through a survey. The second chapter examines two courses offered by the

German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich, Germany. The

author highlights the distinctions between the course designed for beginners

and the one for experienced audio describers. The former ensures that

participants grasp the theoretical foundations of AD, supplemented with

examples, while the latter focuses on training describers to handle various

genres (Benecke). It is worth noting that AD professional training is often

neglected, even in publications of this calibre. More attention to it would be

beneficial and will hopefully feature in future editions of this volume or in other

future studies.

Part VIII brings this handbook to a close by assembling contributions

that examine AD in several countries, namely, the USA (Snyder), Canada

(Singh), Australia (Seeleyen), Russia (Borshchevsky and Kozulyaev), Brazil

(Franco and Santiago Araújo), and Slovenia (Vodeb and Rot). Given that

many chapters in the previous sections primarily focus on the European

context, acknowledging AD in these diverse and distant contexts enhances

the value of this volume. Nonetheless, apart from Brazil, the Global South

appears regrettably underrepresented and is deserving of exposure to

become better known and understood.

As a whole, The Routledge Handbook of Audio Description proves to

be a valuable resource, offering insights into various aspects of the

multifaceted AD profession. However, it is worth noting that the editors claim

in their introduction that this handbook covers “virtually everything one needs

to know about the world of audio description” (p. 1). Yet, it is surprising to find

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that certain areas remain unexplored. For instance, a quick search for the term

“humour” (or “humor”) or related terms (e.g. comic, comedic, etc.) in this

Handbook yields no results, despite Benecke (p. 522) mentioning the

intricacies connected to audio describing slapstick comedy. This seems to

confirm the general lack of attention to the AD of humour thus far (remarked

upon by Martínez-Sierra, 2009, 2010, 2020; Dore, 2019, Chapter 6). Similarly,

taboo subjects have largely been overlooked in AD, with discussions about

the description of sex scenes only briefly touched upon by Franco and

Santiago Araújo (p. 603) and Fresno (p. 312), despite being of significant

interest to the BVI audience (Fryer, 2016, pp. 146–148; Dore, 2019, p. 267;

Rojo Lopez et al., 2021). Also, topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion

values and outreach with younger audience members are worth investigating

in the future.

In terms of my own access to the book, I used a digital version provided

through the publisher’s cloud-based reading platform, VitalSource Bookshelf,

which occasionally does not function properly, causing sections in the index

to overlap or appear blurry. However, it is important to mention that

VitalSource Bookshelf offers a read-aloud feature that works for both the main

body text and content within tables. Yet, it is surprising to note that a handbook

of this kind does not have supplementary material such as an audio

introduction by the editors. Finally, while acknowledging the high production

costs associated with handbooks, it is disappointing that the publisher did not

offer a physical copy of the book, especially when specifically requested on

multiple occasions.

REFERENCES

Dore, M. (2019). Humour in Audiovisual Translation. Theories and

Applications. Routledge.

Fryer, L. (2016). Audio Description and censorship. In An Introduction to Audio

Description: A Practical Guide (pp. 141–154). Routledge.

Lertola, J. (2019). Audiovisual Translation in the Foreign Language

Classroom: Applications in the Teaching of English and Other Foreign

Languages. Voillans: Research-Publishing.net.

Martínez-Sierra, J. J. (2009). The Relevance of Humour in Audio Description.

InTRAlinea 11. www.intralinea.org/archive/article/The_

Relevance_of_Humour_in_Audio_Description (accessed: 25/05/2024).

Martínez-Sierra, J. J. (2010). Approaching the Audio Description of Humour.

Entreculturas 2, 87–103.

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Martínez-Sierra, J. J. (2020). Audio describing humour. Seeking laughter

when images do not suffice. In M. Dore (Ed.) Humour Translation in the

Age of Multimedia (pp. 17795) Routledge.

Orero, P., Doherty, S., Kruger, J-L., Matamala, A., Pedersen, J., Perego,

E., Romero-Fresco, P., Rovira-Esteva, S., Soler-Vilageliu, O.

& Szarkowska, A. (2018). Conducting experimental research in

audiovisual translation (AVT): A position paper. JoSTrans: The Journal

of Specialised Translation, 30, 105–126.

Orrego-Carmona, D. (2018). Audiovisual translation and audience reception.

In L. Pérez-González (Ed.) The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual

Translation (first edition, pp. 367–382) Routledge.

Rojo López, A. M., Ramos Caro M., & Espín López, L. (2021). Audio described

vs. audiovisual porn: Cortisol, heart rate and engagement in visually

impaired vs. sighted participants. Front. Psychol., 12: 661452. doi:

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661452

Talaván, N., Lertola J. & Fernández-Costales, A. (2024). Didactic Audiovisual

Translation and Foreign Language Education. Routledge.

[MARGHERITA DORE]