Audio description for the screen

Our surrounding world is increasingly dominated by images. It is a visual communication that is not accessed by everyone in the same way, through sight, as a group of visually impaired people are deprived of this iconic information. Audio description can be defined as the linguistic expression of a multimodal content made up of various codes (iconic, acoustic, linguistic). In this chapter we will deal with AD applied to screen products. In our digitalized world, screens occupy a privileged place. From domestic videophones to the screens used in our free time or screens on our computers or mobiles to smartwatches; we have advertising screens in malls and shops in general, public streets and public places like airports, train or subway stations, city council offices, etc. Displays on cash machines and, on a higher level such as the art world, artists who include screens in their works (installation art), or screens in theatrical performances and, of course, in filmic products. We will examine the state of the art on the subject, its development and deal with problems or outstanding issues. Finally, we will propose possible future directions for research and practice.