ACCESSIBILITY OF COMMUNICATION IN THE MEDIA, AUDIO DESCRIPTION, AND INTRALINGUISTIC SUBTITLING MOD.2

In line with the learning objectives of the Master's Degree Programme in Specialised, Multimedia and Accessible Translation, aimed at training professionals with advanced skills in several areas of translation, the course is designed to provide students with the methodological and practical tools required to develop and produce audiovisual content in accordance with inclusion and accessibility principles.

Module 2 is thus aimed at developing practical skils related to the design, creation and critical evaluation of accessible audiovisual content.

The course aims to consolidate and further develop the competences acquired in Module 1, with a focus on practice and the application of the main audiovisual accessibility techniques.
The expected learning outcomes are as follows:

1. Knowledge and understanding
Identify the specific features of the multimedia texts under analysis and assess potential challenges associated with intersemiotic and/or intralingual transfer processes;

Understand the principles, conventions and procedures governing the creation of audio descriptions and intralingual subtitles for audiovisual accessibility.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding

Detect and apply solutions consistent with the communicative functions of the source text and the needs of the target audience;

Create short audio description and intralingual subtitling projects in accordance with relevant guidelines and best practices;

Use dedicated software and tools for the production of audio descriptions and subtitles with an appropriate level of proficiency.

3. Making judgements

Critically analyse audiovisual texts and identify potential accessibility-related issues;

Examine and choose among different transfer strategies;

Manage to detect the solutions that best comply with the main features of the text, the technical constraints imposed by the medium and the needs of the target audience.

4. Communication skills

Ability to present and justify the choices made resorting to appropriate specialist terminology;

Ability to interact with peers in order to explain the choices made during the development of audio description and/or intralingual subtitling projects and evaluate possible alternatives.

5. Learning skills

Ability to integrate the knowledge acquired during classes with the contents of the reference texts and the bibliographical materials provided by the lecturer;

Ability to critically use manuals, guidelines and other relevant resources for the development of accessible audiovisual contents.

The course will be taught in Italian. Attendance of Module 1 (Prof. De Bonis) is particularly useful for understanding and applying the contents covered in Module 2.

The course programme is divided into four thematic units, as outlined below:

1. Audio description
Target audiences, conventions, styles and technical constraints; linguistic adaptation; rules of segmentation and synchronization; rendering of sounds, music and paralinguistic signs; readability and cognitive load; production and revision.

2. Intralingual Subtitling for Accessibility
Target audiences, conventions, styles and technical constraints; linguistic adaptation; segmentation and synchronization; rendering of sounds, music and paralinguistic elements; readability and cognitive load; production and revision.

3. Quality Assessment, Technologies and Revision of Accessible Products
Quality criteria and assessment of audio descriptions and intralingual subtitles; analysis of critical issues and recurring errors; digital tools for the development of audio description and subtitling activities; AI: strengths and limitations; revision of the contents created; discussion and analysis of the choices made.

The reference texts include contributions from the following books and articles:

- Di Giovanni, Elena (2024), “Audiovisual translation and media accessibility: new languages, new forms of transfer”, Status Quaestionis, 27, 357–373.
- Rodríguez Abella, Rosa María, Chierichetti, Luisa, Rica Peromingo, Juan Pedro, and Secci, Maria Cristina (eds.) (2025), Accessibilità audiovisiva e inclusione: prospettive socioculturali, Lingue dei segni e sordità, Edizioni Ca’ Foscari, available at: https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/media/pdf/books/978-88-6969-938-2/978-88-6969-938-2_fNHbIcl.pdf
- Taylor, Christopher and Perego, Elisa (eds.) (2022), The Routledge Handbook of Audio Description, Routledge.
- Zárate, Soledad (2021), Captioning and Subtitling for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Audiences. London: UCL Press.

The selected contributions and additinoal teaching materials will be made available by the lecturer during the classes and through the course Moodle platform.

Learning outcomes will be assessed through a practical project and an oral examination.
The practical project consists of the development of a short audio description and/or intralingual subtitling task, accompanied by a critical commentary in which the solutions adopted will be illustrated and justified.
During the oral assessment, students will be asked to present their work and critically discuss the choices made, in light of the content covered throughout the course.
The final grade will be determined by the average of the results obtained in Module 1 and Module 2.

written and oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

The final grade will be expressed on a 30-point scale and will be based on the following criteria:

- Accuracy and effectiveness of the final product (up to15 points)
- Ability to apply the content and technical guidelines covered during the course and to justify the choices made (up to 10 points)
- Clarity of presentation and command of specialised terminology (up to 5 points).

The course, consisting of a total of 30 hours, will include lectures, practical exercises and laboratory activities.
The practical exercises, aimed at the design, production and revision of accessible audiovisual content, will be based on a range of multimedia materials belonging to different genres and characterised by different linguistic registers, communicative modes and levels of complexity.
Laboratory activities will include the use of dedicated software for the production of audio descriptions and intralingual subtitles, as well as the development of individual and/or group projects. The products created will be presented and discussed in class in order to compare the solutions adopted, assess their effectiveness, and critically reflect on the advantages, limitations and possible alternatives associated with the transfer process.