Accessible Communication

Front matter

EASY = PLAIN - ACCESSIBLE

Accessible Communication: A Cross-country Journey

Elisa Perego

Contents

ORC WOEC IET E E T E E E E O E 15 Introduction... nn E RS 17 1.1 The case of Plain English... 22

1.3 Plain Language or Easy Language... 30 1.3.1 Target aúdietices suiii iaiia 32

1:3.2.. ‘Fields of application: u... sen 33

Foreword

Audiovisual content is all around us. We communicate, learn, derive pleasure and find information thanks to a combination of audio and visual elements with both verbal and non-verbal components. However, this audiovisual content is not always accessible to all of us. For a wide variety of reasons, we may not be able to see an image or we may not be able to hear a sound. Audiovisual accessibility services have long provided solutions in the form of audio description, subtitling for the deaf and hard-of-hearing or sign language interpreting, to name three of the most well-known. However, accessing audiovisual content does not only mean that we can see or hear it, it also means being able to understand it. When the content is in an unknown language, dubbing, subtitling and voice-over are useful solutions. But this lack of understanding can also occur in our own language. The way content is phrased or presented, the situation in which the communicative situation takes place or our individual capabilities can turn understanding into a real challenge. Easy-to-Read Language and Plain Language have been proposed as solutions, but the focus so far has been mainly on written texts. It remains to be seen how the concepts behind Easy-to-Read Language or Plain Language could be transferred to the audiovisual world.

This was the starting point of the EASIT project, which frames the research presented by Elisa Perego in this book. Partners from various countries and environments have collaborated since September 2018 in order to gain a better understanding of what we call “easy-to-understand language” and how this language could be used in the audiovisual realm. Elisa Perego captures this shared learning process in a unique monograph in which she thoroughly explains the EASIT project and addresses the issue of accessible communication. The core of the book is the result of the first part of the project, led by Elisa Perego herself and with contributions from all partners, in which a survey was used to map current easy-to-understand language training and practice in Europe. The results of the survey became the basis for further project work, led by other project partners, in which new professional profiles - and their skills - have been identified, a curriculum has been designed and open access educational materials have been developed.

This book is an innovative outcome of the EASIT project and a necessary contribution to audiovisual translation and accessibility. It is a good example of how we can go beyond existing access services and research new ways to cater for the needs of diverse users. It is also a perfect example of how international and interdisciplinary collaboration yields relevant results.

Anna Matamala, EASIT project leader