Serveis Emergents d’Accessibilitat Pilar Orero Testing accessibility across Europe

Testing across Europe Belgium  Bilingual: Flemish & French Germany  Monolingual - Dubbing Italy  Monolingual - Dubbing Poland  Monolingual – Lectoring/ voice- over Spain  Bilingual – Dubbing Danmark  Monolingual - Subtitling UK  Monolingual -

Subtitles 1 Results lead to a paradox: Comprehension tests across EU tell us subtitle speed shouldn’t go beyond 150 wpm. While User associations lobby for 180 wpm or more

Subtitles 2 Subtitle speed of 150 wpm  split attention 50% time reading visual information 50% time reading subtitles Subtitle speed of 180 wpm  split attention 30% time reading visual information 70% time reading subtitles Comprehension suffers badly

Reading Patterns Hearing/Deaf

Live subtitles Display issue 1 Word by word  less delay Reading subtitles at 180 wpm means 10% reading visual information 90% reading subtitles Comprehension severely impaired

Live subtitles Display issue 2 Subtitles by blocks Easier reading More time delay in the display Comprehension severely impaired because of delay

Subtitle formats...

Users’ attitude to innovation Users are very traditional Rejection of innovation in subtitle solutions No to icons No to emoticons DHH more conservative, new subtitle users Deaf – more open to innovation, good command of subtitles

Icons and emoticons

Icons

Subtitle + sign language

Speaker identification

Live subtitling Spelling mistakes/typos, etc are less important for comprehension than time delay This applies across Europe Public opinion and user associations agree - both are very critical of live subtitling

Subtitles across EU Lack of pan-EU guideliness/standards regarding subtitle presentation and format: Colour Use of capital letters Use of italics Character identification No. of words

Subtitles across EU Major criticism regarding live subtitling due to lack of awareness as to how subtitles are produced and broadcast

Audio description Guidelines to create AD are now published in most EU countries AD can be translated, in much the same way as subtitles or poetry is translated.

Audio description Lack of awareness at all levels: Users Associations Broadcasters Social services Families

Other services tested Slow reproduction subtitles Clean audio AD over IPTV in 5 different scenarios Extra services RAI – Sign language over iphone UAB – AD, SDH, etc over android

Future Conferences 2011 June 28th –July 1st – Media for All – Imperial College, London iongroup/mediaforall4/call.html October 21st – Live Subtitling - Antwerp antwerp.be/ October 14/15 – Point of View, Unesco Chair, Krakow

Future conferences 2012 Accessible Videogames, UAB ontent/program. Languages and the Media, Berlin

Thank you Pilar Orero Centre for Accessibility and Ambient Intelligence Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona