The ADLAB Project and Functionalism in Translation: Towards Audio Description
Strategies
The article presents a proposal for developing audio description (AD) guidelines in the form of strategies. The author refers to results of a study conducted as part of a European project ADLAB: Lifelong Access for the Blind. Following a qualitative ADprocess and -product analysis, the so-called “Audio Description Crisis Points” and the corresponding solutions were determined, which may form the basis for developing audio description strategies. In the second part of the article, the author proposes the application of the functional approach to AD, which has been used in both translation practice and theory. The adoption of such an approach would also be an argument for applying different audio description strategies, depending on the purpose of the AD, the text type and the target audience. It should be noted that such strategies would in no way contradict the existing AD standards, but would only supplement them.

The article presents a proposal for developing audio description (AD) guidelines in the form of strategies. The author refers to results of a study conducted as part of a European project ADLAB: Lifelong Access for the Blind. Following a qualitative ADprocess and -product analysis, the so-called “Audio Description Crisis Points” and the corresponding solutions were determined, which may form the basis for developing audio description strategies. In the second part of the article, the author proposes the application of the functional approach to AD, which has been used in both translation practice and theory. The adoption of such an approach would also be an argument for applying different audio description strategies, depending on the purpose of the AD, the text type and the target audience. It should be noted that such strategies would in no way contradict the existing AD standards, but would only supplement them.