Audio Description of Audiovisual Programmes for the Visually Impaired in Hong Kong
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University College London Audio Description of Audiovisual Programmes for the Visually Impaired in Hong Kong by Hoi Ching Dawning LEUNG Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2018 Supervisors: Prof. Jorge Díaz-Cintas Dr Rocío Baños-Piñero 2 Declaration ‘I, [Hoi Ching Dawning LEUNG], confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis.’ Signed: Date: ...... 8th June 2018........ 3 Abstract Audio description (AD) is a means of translating visual and sound elements in audiovisual programmes, as well as in the performing and visual arts, into verbal elements, thus making these materials accessible to viewers with visual impairments. It has been a major area of interest within the field of audiovisual translation studies in recent years and a considerable amount of literature has been published on end users’ reception in Western countries. When it comes to the Chinese speaking world, little literature is available on AD reception studies and no previous works have investigated the media uses and gratifications of the blind and the partially sighted in Hong Kong. The main purpose of this research is to examine the media use behaviour and motivations as well as the reception and preferences of the visually impaired audiences when consuming AD. After examining the main characteristics of AD and its history in Hong Kong, the study focuses on a media accessibility survey under the uses and gratifications framework, and an AD reception study. The views of 44 blind and partially sighted participants are elicited through individual face-to-face interviews. During the reception study, a pre-questionnaire, a questionnaire proper, experimental clips with different versions of AD, and a post- questionnaire were used to identify their AD preferences. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The results reveal that the participants are not satisfied with the current provision of AD services, they demand higher volumes of materials with AD, and have certain AD preferences that if taken properly into account by the industry could help improve their comprehension of audiovisual programmes. The findings offer important insights into the situation of AD in Hong Kong and recommendations are put forward for future developments to serve the community, especially in terms of training audio describers. Keywords: audio description; reception studies; media uses and gratifications; visual impairments; blindness; low vision; sight loss; the blind and partially sighted; media accessibility; media access; audiovisual translation; media uses; media use behaviours; media use motivations; film/movie viewing motivations; television viewing motivations; mass communication 4 Impact Statement Although the provision of audio description (AD) in Hong Kong is still far less developed than in other parts of the world, where AD has a longer tradition and is subject to legislation – some European countries, the USA, Australia and Canada –, it is also true that Hong Kong has been playing a pioneering role in the Chinese speaking world as far as AD is concerned. This thesis, the first study to be ever conducted on Cantonese AD, investigates AD from the users’ perspectives, focusing on awareness, needs, preferences and gratification of the blind and partially sighted in Hong Kong. Substantial field work has been done among this hard-to-reach social group and practical insights and advice for AD provision in Hong Kong are provided. Extensive research has shown that very few studies have been conducted on the uses and gratifications framework applied to the reception of AD in a Chinese context and, to date, none can be found with Hong Kong as the main case study. In this respect, it can be argued that this project is the first of its kind and therefore original. The research focuses on the media uses and gratifications of the blind and partially sighted people in Hong Kong as well as on the practice of AD in the same city and the results can be of interest to other Chinese and Asian communities and to stakeholders in Western countries wishing to gain some insights into the situation of AD in other continents. In particular, the methodology applied in this investigation offers the potential of being easily extrapolated and replicated in other local contexts. New results could be contrasted with those of this research as such an analysis may provide us with further insights into the cultural similarities and differences that characterise the AD preferences of people with visual impairments around the globe, when it comes to consuming audiovisual productions. The empirical results yielded by this research have also opened up potential avenues for further investigation into topics such as the production of AD for the Hong Kong and Chinese markets and the role of audio describers in the process. This research can also serve as a point of reference for the drafting of a set of AD guidelines that could be used professionally in the Chinese world, both to inform the current AD practice in Hong Kong and in other Chinese-speaking areas as well as to train future professionals. Finally, the findings may prove of interest to the Hong Kong 5 government for the provision of AD at an institutional level and for the potential issuing of related legislation. In fact, while writing this thesis, AD has been growing significantly in Hong Kong, with the creation of the Audio Description Association (Hong Kong) and the funding by the Hong Kong government of some of the first social innovation projects focused on AD. 6 Acknowledgements To begin with, I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my principal supervisor, Prof. Jorge Díaz-Cintas, for his unconditional support, illuminating insights and precise guidance throughout my PhD journey. His advice has always been most inspirational and has allowed me to better develop my skills as an academic. My profound gratefulness is also extended to my secondary supervisor, Dr Rocío Baños-Piñero, who has given me unrelenting support, valuable guidance and considerable encouragement, which has facilitated and strengthened my research skills. Both my supervisors gave me close attention and even though I had to be on study leave to collect data in my home town, Hong Kong, for long periods, I never found myself fighting alone because my supervisors always gave me prompt responses. The last year of my studies was the toughest as I had been through many ups and downs. When I was experiencing hardship, my supervisors were very considerate and reliable; they told me that everything would be under control. They have been the best supervisors I could have ever hoped for, and I could not thank them enough. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the visually impaired participants that took part in my research. Thank you very much for their time and patience and for answering countless questions without any complaint. Special thanks are due to Victor Kwan and the staff from the Information Accessibility Centre of the Hong Kong Society for the Blind: Emily Chan, Siu-man Chow and Boyi Wu for helping me to reach out to the participants. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my parents. Dear mother and father, thank you so much for not being a tiger mom or a tiger dad in a Chinese world, and let me choose whichever subject I love to study. You have never forced me to be someone that you want me to be, but have allowed me to be myself. Thank you so much for your effort and love to raise me to whom I am now. To my dearest father, you have always been my inspiration. Your amazing breadth and depth of knowledge is what I admire most. You have taught me so much, and I don't know how long it will take me to learn from you. To my dearest mother, you have always been someone that I look up to. You could never have imagined how much of a positive 7 impact your seriousness to language learning would have on me. It has laid a very good foundation for my attitude towards language acquisition, and got me into the field of language and communication studies. The scenes of you teaching me English when I was little pop into my mind from time to time. Without you, I could not have gone this far in academia. One of the reasons that I decided to pursue a PhD is because of you. This thesis is especially dedicated to you, my beloved mother. I will always bear your words in mind, and be humble no matter how high my education level is because as the Chinese proverb goes 'there is no shore to the sea of learning'. My warmest thanks go to my younger sister for supporting me throughout this PhD. Thank you so much for your encouragement and for sending me jokes just to make me laugh for a while and forget about stress. I would also like to thank my relatives and friends, especially Wendy Ng, Hauman Ng, Angel Lo and Hattie Tsoi, who sent their regards and gave support to me from time to time. Last but not least, a very special thanks to my husband Brian, who has given me the greatest of support and love in the past few years. I know that you have been working very hard for our family. You know me very well, and have given me solid support to complete my PhD. Being distant from each other during my studies in the UK wasn’t certainly easy, but it wasn’t a problem for us at all. Thank you very much for standing by me all the time, and for letting me achieve my goals.