[Athen] correct terminology -- audio description or video description

[Sheryl E. Burgstahler]

Good point, Doug. The W3C glossary only includes:

audio description
narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone 

Note 1: Audio descriptions of video provide information about actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text.

Note 2: In standard audio description, narration is added during existing pauses in dialogue. (See also Extended audio descriptions.)

I personally prefer "audio description" because it refers to what “it” is - it is audio that is used to describe video. On the other hand "video description" refers to what you might be translating - the video.

On May 3, 2017, at 4:49 AM, Doug Hayman <dhayman at uw.edu> wrote:


> I could see "video description" being more universal in that if you made a video and only had audio describing what was on the screen then a person who was Deaf and blind using refreshable Braille display might only get the closed caption content and NOT the audio description.  

> 

> If on the other hand the video description was both text and audio, say text-to-speech audio output and a text file that could be accessed, it'd be different and more universal.

> 

> On Tue, May 2, 2017 at 7:14 PM, Jennifer Sutton <jsuttondc at gmail.com> wrote:

> Greetings, ATHEN list folks (along with a few others I've bcc-ed):

> 

> 

> I'm sorting through my resources, and I'm confused about what the correct term is for adding audio to videos to help explain visual elements for blind people.

> 

> 

> I know that we initially called it "audio description," but I had in mind that the term was shifting to "video description" since that describes better what it is, at least to a degree.

> 

> 

> At the same time, I still see current articles and sites calling it "audio description."

> 

> 

> Does anyone have the definitive "scoop?"

> 

> 

> I'd welcome links/citations in support of responses.

> 

> 

> Is this, perhaps, one of these situations where we might *like* the term to change, but the term "audio description" is so prevalent that progress is slow?

> 

> 

> Are there legal ramifications, i.e. maybe some state laws refer to it in different ways?

> 

> 

> Thanks in advance. I'm updating some things, and I'd like to get it right.

> 

> 

> If it doesn't matter/they're now considered simply synonymous, I'd like to know that, too.

> 

> 

> Best,

> 

> Jennifer

> 

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> -- 

> Doug Hayman <dhayman at u.washington.edu>

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