Audiovisual translation for the blind and partially sighted. Audio description, an indispensable access mode

Audio description turns the visual into verbal to make audiovisual products accessible to blind and visually impaired patrons. Since its beginnings some thirty years ago, AD has been gaining importance in the audiovisual landscape as well as in cultural venues and events. In this paper, I will examine what is at stake in this form of intersemiotic translation and how it fits in the theoretical framework of Translation Studies. I will then look at practice: how is AD done and offered. The last part of the paper will regard a crucial aspect of AD research: AD strategies and user experience.