Book Review: Audio Description for the Arts: A Linguistic Perspective

Abstract

In the 21st century, the mediums of cinema, television, and short videos have played a pivotal role in facilitating cultural exchange, giving rise to the field of Audiovisual Translation (AVT), which has attracted significant attention within translation studies. Audio Description (AD), then, serves as a crucial component, offering language services tailored for the visually impaired and enriching the breadth and depth of research in AVT. Associate Professor, Elisa Perego, from the University of Pavia in Italy, specializes in English Language and Translation, and has co-directed numerous audiovisual projects as a trailblazer in the field. Her seminal work, Audio Description of Artworks: A Linguistic Perspective, delves into the linguistic representation and translation of AD in static artworks such as paintings and sculptures. Perego’s exploration encompasses three distinct methods of AD for presenting artworks in museum and gallery settings: live narration, pre-recorded AD, and tactile guided tours. The primary objective is to offer a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis based on a corpus of descriptive data, unveiling prevalent linguistic patterns in specific types of art texts found in museums or art galleries. Furthermore, Perego’s aim is to assess guidelines for oral scripts, propose viable solutions and innovative methods for static art tailored for visually impaired individuals.