Title
To interpret or not to interpret. Audience reception of different voicing styles
Conference name
Arsad 2019
City
Country
Spain
Modalities
Date
19/04/2019
Abstract
Over the last years research on audio description (AD) has been gaining its momentum. While some aspects of AD seem to attract a lot of interest, others are under researched. Researchers concentrate mainly on the textual aspect of AD. The issue of voice in AD is only beginning to attract some interest. Scholars have been looking into audience reception of synthetic voices (e.g. Szarkowska, 2011; Fernández-Torné and Matamala, 2015), and more recently also reading speed and intonation (Cabeza-Cáceres, 2013; Jankowska et al., 2017, Matamala, 2018). The focus of some of these studies has been emotional engagement (Fryer and Freeman, 2014; Walczak, 2017).
In our presentation we would like to present results of an experimental study carried out within the NEA project. The study aimed at observing how different AD reading styles (interpreted vs. non-interpreted) affect emotional arousal and sense of presence. Twenty blind and partially sighted participants were asked to individually watch twenty audio described clips that represented both negative and positive emotions. Clips were voiced either with or without interpretation. In the experimental design we used a mixedmethods approach. On the one hand we have collected psychophysiological data (heart rate, galvanic skin response and facial muscles contraction) and on the other the participants were asked to self-evaluate their emotional state (SAM questionnaire) and sense of presence (presence questionnaire). They were also asked to express their opinion about the two reading styles. The results of the study show a stronger preference for the non-interpreted audio description which also scored higher in terms of emotional elicitation.
In our presentation we would like to present results of an experimental study carried out within the NEA project. The study aimed at observing how different AD reading styles (interpreted vs. non-interpreted) affect emotional arousal and sense of presence. Twenty blind and partially sighted participants were asked to individually watch twenty audio described clips that represented both negative and positive emotions. Clips were voiced either with or without interpretation. In the experimental design we used a mixedmethods approach. On the one hand we have collected psychophysiological data (heart rate, galvanic skin response and facial muscles contraction) and on the other the participants were asked to self-evaluate their emotional state (SAM questionnaire) and sense of presence (presence questionnaire). They were also asked to express their opinion about the two reading styles. The results of the study show a stronger preference for the non-interpreted audio description which also scored higher in terms of emotional elicitation.