Iris Schrijver associate professor

Research Iris Schrijver

Research team

Expertise

- Writing competence as a component of translation competence - Cognitive writing and translation processes - The link between translation processes and translation quality

Audio Description Expertise & Quality: Unraveling A Conceptual Yardstick (ADEQUACY). 01/11/2024 - 31/10/2026

Abstract

Ever close your eyes and listen to a movie? Millions of blind people experience this daily reality relying on audio description (AD). As a media accessibility service, AD translates visuals into an auditory experience for non-sighted audiences. But amidst the surge in audio-described content, a fundamental question persists: what defines expertise and quality in AD? While research on AD has flourished over the past 20 years within Translation Studies, the concepts of AD expertise and quality remain elusive. Alongside these knowledge gaps, what happens during the AD process is unknown. This project aims to conceptualize AD expertise and quality through a comprehensive mixed-methods study. On the qualitative front, we map perceptions of expertise and quality among sighted and non-sighted audio description professionals through DELPHI surveys and focus groups. By involving individuals with visual impairments, the project embraces a participatory approach to bridge the maker-user gap within media accessibility, where the perspectives of disabled users are often disregarded by industry figures and policymakers. On the quantitative front, the project follows the experimental approach of Cognitive Translation Studies to study the AD process and to explore whether specific behaviors of audio describers correlate with expertise and quality. In this phase, the activities of 12 audio describers will be monitored through keylogging, eye-tracking, as well as screen and voice recording.

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  • Research Project

TAP: tapping the audio description process. 01/10/2024 - 30/09/2028

Abstract

Audio description (AD) is an accessibility service for people with vision loss. In films, it is an additional audio track which describes the visual cues necessary to understand and enjoy the film. It is a translation of images into words, also known as intersemiotic translation. There are two workflows to produce AD scripts: (1) writing - choosing the relevant visual elements and turning them into text that fits in the limited space between the dialogues and the important elements of the original soundtrack; (2) translation of existing AD scripts (e.g., English>Dutch). These workflows exist in professional practice, but research into AD processes is non-existent. The project has three aims: (1) to conceptualize the AD process model(s): (2) to conceptualize intersemiotic translation as a process; (3) to test the reactivity of think-aloud protocols (TAP) in AD process research. We conduct four experiments, two on AD-writing and two on AD-translation. We monitor the participants' work with keylogging, eye tracking, screen, voice and face recording, and interviews. Participants will be asked to think aloud in half of the tasks. This project is urgent to avoid a one-sided view of audiovisual translation and media accessibility practices as a product. It is also relevant since it elicits essential questions that product-oriented approaches cannot answer and complements existing methodological approaches in AD research.

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  • Research Project

The effect of professional experience on audio description process. 01/10/2023 - 30/09/2027

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Audiovisual content prevails in many modern societies. However, not all audiences can access the audiovisual content in its original form due to language barriers or sensory impairments (Greco, 2016). This is where audiovisual translation (AVT) and media accessibility (MA) come into play, providing access services such as e.g., subtitling, dubbing, captioning and audio description (AD). AVT&MA is the most dynamically developing area of TS (Remael, Reviers, & Vandekerckhove, 2016). While it produced a large quantity of research in less than 30 years, the majority of current AVT&MA studies are descriptive and prescriptive. Calls for more varied and in particular empirical research methods to support the AD field's development into a mature discipline (PerezGonzalez, 2014) have led to a spiked interest in experimental research. However, two crucial research gaps remain in this respect: (1) Experimental research in AVT&MA, is a fledgling area that experiences growing pains (Di Giovanni & Gambier, 2018). The predominant AVT&MA experimental research paradigm still uses offline measurement methods (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, focus groups etc.) (for a detailed overview see (Cintas & Szarkowska, 2020; Orero et al., 2018). (2) Process research approaches are almost inexistent in AVT&MA research. The field of AVT&MA remains largely focused on the product. Only a handful of studies employed the translation process research framework within AVT&MA (Gary Massey & Jud, 2020; Orrego-Carmona, 2018). AD process research, in particular, is the least explored area. AIM: We will address the two research gaps described above by conducting an empirical study of the audio description scripting process focusing on how it might be affected by experience of describers. URGENCY: This initiative is not only highly relevant to complement existing approaches in AD research, but it is also urgent. The development of process-oriented studies in AVT&MA is a crucial consideration to avoid a one sided view on AVT&MA practices as a product and elicit essential questions that product oriented approaches cannot answer (such as the motivation behind translation choices or the impact of contextual features on translation choices, to name but a few). The field of AD is currently at a pivotal point in its development, in need of solid, empirical evidence to underpin its theoretical claims and evolve into a mature discipline and the development of empirical process research is a crucial step in this development. Against this background, this project is not only a fundamental and logical next step in developing new knowledge in the field, but it will also contribute to establishing the University of Antwerp as a reference center in AVT and MA research. APPROACH: Our project is situated in an empirical paradigm and within the realm of Cognitive Translation and Inerpreting Studies. Building on methodological standards and measures of Translation Process Research this project is the first one to combine a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative tools to study the AD production process. INNOVATION AND IMPACT: (1) Research into a new, unclaimed research avenue within AVT&MA. (2) A multimethod experimental-design, linking methodologies rarely or never used within AVT&MA. (3) Interdisciplinary approach establishing collaboration within the University of Antwerp (TriCS, Antwerp Social Lab and Antwerp Human Lab). (4) tackling of the replication and reproducibility crisis through open science approach.

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  • Research Project

When accessibility meets multimedia learning: Effect of intralingual live subtitling on perception, performance and cognitive load in an EMI university lecture. 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2024

Abstract

One of the main challenges in higher education in the 21st century is providing educational access to an increasingly multilingual and multicultural student population. Many universities are therefore considering using English as language of instruction (EMI), but students' limited proficiency in English can be a serious drawback. Live subtitling might help to overcome this language barrier, by removing physical (auditory) and linguistic barriers at the same time. The aim of this research project is therefore to investigate (1) how university students in Flanders perceive EMI lectures with intralingual live subtitles, i.e. lectures for which the words of the lecturer are subtitled in real time in the same language (English), (2) whether these subtitles influence their performance, and (3) what impact these subtitles have on their cognitive load. We will compare two different production methods of subtitling: (1) respeaking and (2) trained automatic speech recognition. We will also compare two different projection methods: (1) subtitles in a block of 2 lines underneath the PowerPoint of the lecturer, and (2) scrolling subtitles on a separate screen. We will investigate the impact of subtitling on perception, performance and cognitive load among two student groups: (1) students who study English as a major, and (2) students who do not study English. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected during real lectures using online questionnaires and eye tracking glasses.

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  • Research Project

Self-perceptions of Audio Describers: Does How You See Yourself Affect How You Describe? 01/11/2022 - 31/10/2024

Abstract

Audio description (AD) is a media accessibility service for non-sighted viewers, in which visual information is converted into an audio commentary. While this task is considered a form of intersemiotic translation (translating images into words), no knowledge of a foreign language is required to perform the task. In most countries audio describers come from a variety of backgrounds, not necessarily translation related. Therefore, the question arises: how do AD practitioners conceptualise what they do? This project looks to both translation and writing process research to gain insight into the process of drafting an AD script and the impact of the describer's self-perceived professional identity on both the process and the final product. This will be the first project of its kind, as process research in AD is extremely limited, despite calls for such studies (Jankowska 2021; Ramos and Rojo 2020; Braun 2007). Understanding the underlying processes of AD scripting will create new knowledge for both translation process research and writing studies and can be applied to design future AD training courses. Moreover, no previous study has considered the self-identity of AD practitioners. While attempts have been made to understand the skills and competencies of describers (ADLAB PRO 2017), this project will add a new, socio-psychological dimension to our understanding of the profession.

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  • Research Project

Knowledge construction in Translation: The case of the Autonomous University of Queretaro. 16/02/2022 - 15/08/2022

Abstract

To date, translation didactics has mainly been conceptualized from theorists' and researchers' perspectives and not focused extensively on the voices of the translation teachers or students. This research project aims to help this knowledge gap, analyzing the translation knowledge construction by 39 English language students and two translation professors from the School of Languages and Literatures of the Autonomous University of Queretaro, Mexico following a constructivist approach. In constructivism, students play an active role and have a central position in the educational process since they do not acquire knowledge from the professor but construct it. This educational perspective is related to responsibility, learning autonomy, and student empowerment (Kiraly, 2001; Kiraly, 2014; Serrano & Pons, 2011). It appears to have gained particular relevance during the COVID 19 pandemic due to the different changes implemented by institutions. To analyze translation knowledge construction an extensive literature review was carried out as well as online field work. Data was collected during the August-December 2020 online semester employing online semi-structured interviews, virtual classroom observations, students' translation exercises, and homework uploaded to Google Classroom. Data was classified into a set of emic and etic categories and examined with the qualitative software Atlas. ti. Preliminary findings regarding the impact on knowledge construction in an online environment show that participants faced various changes during online translation teaching and learning, and they have developed positive and negative educational experiences during online classes' implementation. In the following stage of data analysis, the ways that students identify, recall, and apply knowledge related to translation and linguistics will be identified. Moreover, special attention will be paid to students' comprehension in the virtual classroom, the similarities and differences between the source and target languages, and the relevance of errors (both in terms of making errors and error feedback) during the educational process.

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  • Research Project

Subtitles for access to education: Exploring the impact of intralingual and interlingual subtitling of L2 English university lectures on cognitive load and comprehension. 01/10/2019 - 30/09/2023

Abstract

This research project focuses on the subtitling of lectures taught in L2 English, more specifically on how subtitling influences student comprehension of lectures and on what mental effort that subtitling requires from students. This topic is inspired by one of the greatest challenges in higher education in the 21st century: providing educational access to an increasingly multilingual and multicultural student population. To face this challenge, many European universities are considering the possibility of using English as the language of instruction. Yet, a serious drawback to the use of English is many students' limited proficiency in English as a foreign language (L2 English). Subtitling might help to overcome the language barriers posed by L2 English, since it has shown to facilitate comprehension and knowledge acquisition. However, there are currently several knowledge gaps regarding the effects of subtitles on the processing and comprehension of lectures taught in L2 English. We will address the four most relevant knowledge gaps here. First, the potential benefits of subtitles have been studied mainly in the context of foreign language training, with very little research into benefits of using subtitling in other learning contexts. Second, very few studies on the processing of subtitles have measured to what extent subtitles are actually read, which is vital to understanding how subtitled lectures are processed. Third, it is crucial to know - for learning purposes - to what extent subtitles influence the mental effort (i.e., cognitive load) it takes to process subtitling. However, very few studies have measured the cognitive load that subtitling imposes on learners. Fourth, the effects of subtitled English lectures have been examined in students with a high command of English and who have had English as their main language of instruction in primary and secondary education. However, the effects on other types of students remain unknown. In this research project, we aim to address these four knowledge gaps in a controlled setting by conducting an experimental study among Flemish undergraduate students with different levels of proficiency in English. All students will watch three lectures taught in English: one lecture without subtitling, one lecture with English subtitles (intralingual subtitling) and one lecture with Dutch subtitles (interlingual subtitling). Students' eye-movements will be registered using eyetracking. As part of the experiment, the students will fill out post hoc comprehension tests and questionnaires about the cognitive load they experienced. We will conduct statistical analyses to explore if student comprehension and cognitive load of English lectures are influenced by subtitling (present vs. not present), subtitle language (English vs. Dutch) and the students' level of English proficiency (intermediate vs. advanced).

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  • Research Project

Live subtitling for access to education: a pilot study of university students' reception of intralingual live subtitles. 01/07/2019 - 31/12/2020

Abstract

In the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, accessibility to education is mentioned as one of the areas where access has to be ensured. At the University of Antwerp, accessibility services are offered to individual students with a functional impairment; however, the offer does not include the use of new technologies yet, which hold a real potential for breaking down linguistic, physical as well as cultural barriers for a large and diverse student body. One such innovative technology is live subtitling, which can make lectures in large lecture rooms more accessible to all students who attend the class: not only deaf and hard of hearing students, but also students whose mother tongue is not the language of the lecture. The aim of this study is therefore to initiate research into the reception of intralingual live subtitles in an educational setting in Flanders, and in particular, to focus on the reception of intralingual live subtitles by first-year students attending a theoretical lecture in Dutch in a large lecture room. As far as the methodology is concerned, we will opt for a mixed-methods approach: an experiment and focus group discussions. The experiment will consist of two lectures in Translation Studies in Dutch, with and without intralingual live subtitles, attended by 150-200 1st-year students in Applied Linguistics. Student reception of the subtitles (perception and performance) will be investigated through an online questionnaire. Two focus group discussions will allow for the collection of additional qualitative data over perception.

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Project website

Project type(s)

  • Research Project

Stylistic appropriateness in English as a foreign language: The acquisition of grammatical formality by translation trainees. 01/07/2018 - 31/12/2019

Abstract

An important component of communicative competence is sociolinguistic competence, which is the ability to use language appropriately in communication. Despite an increasing body of research into sociolinguistic features of foreign language (L2) learning, a feature that has received relatively little and/or one-sided treatment to date is the acquisition of sensitivity to (in)formal language use in L2 learners. This project addresses that gap by investigating sensitivity to grammatical formality in L2 learners of English. By using both quantitative and qualitative data, we will map – cross-sectionally and longitudinally – the acquisition of sensitivity to grammatical formality.Quantitative data from an online revision task and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews will be integrated to acquire a more nuanced understanding of how sensitivity to grammatical formality is acquired in L2 learners of English. The results will contribute to a better understanding of how sociolinguistic competence develops in L2 learners and to facilitating sociolinguistically responsive foreign language instruction.

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  • Research Project

Interlingual Live Subtitling for Access (ILSA). 01/09/2017 - 31/08/2020

Abstract

Internet, audiovisual media and digital technology are transforming our world. However, their potential will not be realised until they become fully accessible and enable the participation of all citizens in everyday life. Audiovisual translation and media accessibility have become drivers of social inclusion and integration and have lately received full recognition in the literature (Remael, Orero and Carroll 2012) and in EU-funded projects (DTV4ALL, ADLAB, HBB4ALL). In the area of subtitling for the deaf, a key priority for the users has always been to access live content such as news and public events (AOHL 2013). The preferred technique for this is respeaking, where subtitlers listen to the original soundtrack of a programme or public event and simultaneously repeat or rephrase what they hear to a speech recognition software that turns these words into intralingual subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and for all people who support their viewing with subtitles. When respeaking was first introduced in Europe in 2001, subtitling companies needed professionals who could produce intralingual live subtitles but did not know how to go about it, since there was no academic training or research in this area. As a result, respeaking practices differ greatly across countries and quality has suffered (Romero-Fresco, 2011). Since then, the work carried out, amongst others, by the partners in this application as part of EU-funded projects such as DTV4ALL and SAVAS, has helped to advance research and training in this area, and the industry is now employing respeakers trained at our institutions. However, a new challenge has now emerged, as migration streams and the increased multilingual and multicultural composition of societies worldwide have led to a growing demand for accessibility to live audiovisual content and events conducted in a foreign language. Broadcasters such as the BBC and VRT and political institutions such as the UK and the Spanish Parliament have highlighted the need to find professionals who can produce interlingual live subtitles (ILS) through respeaking, a new discipline that will require translating, subtitling and simultaneous interpreting skills. Although the partners in this project are the only scholars in the world who have so far produced research on this new discipline (Szarkowska et. al 2016, Romero-Fresco and Pochhacker 2017, Remael and Robert, fc.), there is still no training available. The main objective of ILSA is to design (IO3), develop (IO4 and IO5), test (IO6) and validate (IO7) the first training course for ILS and to provide a protocol for the implementation of this discipline in three real-life scenarios, namely TV, the classroom and the Parliament (IO7). The curriculum and training materials will be flexible so that they can be integrated in different learning environments for the users and initial target group of the course: translation and interpreting graduate and postgraduate students, and professionals already working as respeakers, interpreters or more generally in translation and accessibility.

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  • Research Project
  • Education Project

Text production: the translator's writing competence unveiled 01/07/2015 - 31/12/2016

Abstract

Translation and writing are increasingly converging in the professional and educational fields, but it is unclear which competencies translators and writers actually share. This project examines how translation competence and writing competence are related, what writing competence of translators entails and how it is different from the writing competence of writers. The results can inspire a larger study on text-productive competence.

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Project type(s)

  • Research Project