Audio Description in Iran: The Status Quo

مطالعات زبان و ترجمه

Article 1, Volume 54, Issue 2, July 2021, Pages 1-30   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/lts.v54i2.2101-1006(R2)

Authors

Masood Khoshsaligheh¹; Shilan Shafiei^{* 2}

¹Department of English. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

²Department of English, University of Isfahan. Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

A survey of recent studies in audiovisual translation reveals that audio description (AD), as a service of empowerment and accessibility to media for blind or partially sighted audiences, has been increasingly investigated and researched internationally mostly in European counties and the United State, however. This service is newly developing and rarely offered in Iran. This article aims to initially introduce developments and advancements in AD globally and discuss its production process in the world. The article then explores the current status of AD in Iran and reviews the preliminary measures which have recently been taken in this regard. Within an exploratory approach, the required data were obtained through document analysis and semi-structured interviews with AD practitioners in Iran. The findings are classified and presented in six categories. The findings show that the highest proportion of AD production goes to radio and a non-governmental group, Sevina, respectively, and television as a national mass media has not taken any measure in this regard. Besides, the production of AD on the radio has been limited to Iranian feature films, while the products of Sevina group are more diverse. A number of suggestions for future investigations are also presented.

Keywords

Audio Description; Audiovisual Translation; Accessibility; Blind and Partially Sighted Audiences

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