Noor Taha Darwish

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Research

Research Title : VIEWS OF VISUALLY-IMPAIRED JORDANIANS ON THE NETFLIX ARABIC AUDIO DESCRIPTION SERVICE

Authors :Noor T. Darwish, Ahmad S. Haider, Hadeel Saed

Abstract :Abstract: Studies on the reception of blind and visually impaired people to the audio description of audiovisual products in the Arab world context are relatively scarce. This study quantitatively explores how the Jordanian audience with visual impairment reacted to the Jordanian Netflix drama series 'Madrast Al-Rawabi LilBanat' (AlRawabi School for Girls) with audio description. The data were collected from one hundred fifty-two participants using a 16-Likert scale item questionnaire that consists of five constructs, namely, Watching Series Habits, Technical Issues, Comprehension and Understanding, Attitude and Future Actions & Recommendations. The findings showed that the technical aspects, and the participants' comprehension and understanding of the audio description significantly affected their attitudes. The findings of this study can be useful for translation training and streaming platforms. The researchers recommend further audio description research in the Arab world.

Keywords :Accessibility, Audio Description, Visually-Impaired People, Blind People

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Research Title : Aspects of Visual Content Covered in the Audio Description of Arabic Series: A Corpus-assisted Study

Authors : Noor T. Darwish, Ahmad S Haider, Hadeel Saed

Abstract :People with visual impairment need a special form of audio-visual translation (AVT) to have access to multimedia products such as series and movies. Audio description (AD) is an audio-visual translation (AVT) mode that tells what is happening in images through words. It is a necessary accessibility tool that allows the blind and visually impaired to visualize scenes through spoken material. This study examines the types of information covered in the audio description (AD) of the Jordanian Netflix drama series 'Madrast Al-Rawabi LilBanat' (AlRawabi School for Girls) following a corpus-assisted approach. Subsequent to watching the series and transcribing the verbal audio description content, the researchers conducted frequency and concordance (KWIC) analyses using Wordsmith software package to identify the categories of information covered in the audio description. The findings showed six categories, namely description of characters, description of actions, interpersonal interactions, description of settings, emotional states, and on-screen texts. This study recommends conducting further research on audio description (AD) in the Arab world to expand the accessibility services provided by official TV channels and streaming platforms.

Keywords :accessibility, visual impairment, audio-visual translation, audio description, Arabic series, corpus linguistics

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Research Title : Dubbing English Edutainment: Localizing Educational Content for Arab Children

Authors :Hadeel Saed, Ahmad S. Haider, Sausan Abu Tair, & Noor Darwish

Abstract :The translation process of any piece of media is affected by the genre and target audience. Edutainment is a genre that combines education and entertainment for young viewers. The educational materials could include mathematics, science, zoology, language, and life skills and manners. The three investigated shows in this study are Ready Jet Go and its Arabic dubbed version aired on MBC3; Wild Kratts and its Arabic dubbed version aired on Al-Jazeera Kids and Zaatar; and Martha Speaks and its Arabic dubbed version aired on Al-Jazeera Kids. This study examined whether the translations captured the different elements of children's edutainment programs, including educational and entertainment value, by comparing the original and translated versions. The analysis showed that the nature of edutainment programs posed a challenge to the translators, as not all of their content was conveyed fully or accurately. The issues in translation include translation loss through oversimplification, substitution, untranslatability, and linguistic and cultural differences. The study concludes that since this genre combines teaching with fun for young audiences, it may pose challenges to the translator, who must balance and maintain all the shows' different aspects while managing cultural and linguistic differences.