AD Conventions (Principles)
While drafting your audio descriptions, please keep the principles of objectivity, clarity, and brevity in mind. These recommendations reflect current research and practices in the field of audio description. Please note that the field itself continues to evolve and such recommendations will be updated over time based on user feedback and additional research. Your feedback is also appreciated to help us improve the quality and clarity of these recommendations. There is no magic formula for the perfect audio description, but hopefully, these guiding principles will help get you started.
Objectivity
- Use third-person narration
- Use neutral language (especially adjectives, adverbs)
- Describe only what you see (avoid assumptions and interpretations)
- Describe all relevant content (avoid censorship due to personal motivations or discomfort with the topic)
Clarity
- Move from a general overview to specific details
- Provide directional information from observer’s perspective
- Use simple, direct phrases and sentences (avoid passive voice, complex sentences)
- If using metaphors and similes, ensure comparisons are easy to relate to and do not reference another visual
Brevity
- Consider the user experience and be judicious about length
- Prioritize information, describing what is most essential to a meaningful experience
- Provide greater level of detail according to significance of the topic and as time permits
Currently, there are no national standards or certification processes for audio description in the United States. Most of the existing guidance on verbal description comes from the field of audiovisual translation and is primarily centered around verbal descriptions for television, film, and theater. Additional limited research can be found in the emerging trend of audio-described tours and exhibits. There seems to be limited empirical research supporting specific recommendations, and most of the research that does exist assessed the needs of visually blind and impaired through surveys and focus groups. However, a comparison of guidelines from the United States, Spain, Germany, France, Greece, and the United Kingdom indicated that most guidelines converged on a similar set of general principles, with few minor differences (Rai, Greening, & Petre, 2010). The guidelines generally agreed as to what needed to be described (who/what/when/where), but not all guidelines addressed more contentious topics like inclusion of race/ethnicity and censorship.
The guidelines all seem to agree on the language style recommended for audio description, suggesting the six following:
- Use of simple phrases
- Appropriateness for audience
- Use of a variety of words, especially verbs
- Adjectives can be helpful, but must be objective; avoid imprecise meanings
- Use of technical jargon discouraged
- Avoid terms “we see”