WORDS FOR VISUAL: ELIMINATING BARRIERS FOR COMMUNICATION

In this research, we focus on audio description (AD) as a form of audiovisual translation designed to eliminate barriers in visual communication for people who, for various reasons, lack access to visual content. To achieve this, it is essential to reflect on visual literacy to understand a world increasingly dominated by image-based communication. This becomes especially relevant when considering the description of images in general. Secondly, we analyse a multimodal text, specifically a film text. Using audio description as a starting point, we aim to reflect on the application of this modality in cinema. The methodology includes an introduction to AD, its objectives, and the outcomes that result in an accessible version of audiovisual content. For this process, it is necessary to have a foundational understanding of translation, image grammar, and film language, as well as a minimum level of visual literacy. This foundation enables the analysis of the text with the objective of translating it, producing an accessible version, or creating an audio-written script. Building on these considerations, this research proposes a reflection on existing description practices to evaluate their comprehensibility and the mental images they evoke. Specifically, we investigate what is conveyed through words and what images are constructed in the minds of the audience based on these descriptions. A representative sample or selection of proposed descriptions will be analyzed by comparing different versions of the same film. This comparison will address: 1) The cognitive load (focusing on syntax and lexis); 2) The creation of mental images through words. Regarding the second point, we explore: 2a) Whether the mental images differ for a sighted person, someone born blind, or someone who has lost their sight. 2b) Whether the descriptions can produce the same mental images for audiences from different cultural backgrounds.