Uncovering scientific and multimodal literacy through audio description

The paper focuses on skills and competences applied in audio description (AD) of a Swedish multimodal popular scientific journal. The journal is made accessible for blind and visually impaired audiences by producing an audio version of its verbal and visual contents. The task of the sighted audio describer is to create a verbal description of the contents that activates internal images of the blind audiences and enhances their understanding and enjoyment (Holsanova 2008, 2015, 2016). When interpreting the printed version and transforming it into an audio version, reception and production processes coincide (Braun 2007). The activities, skills and competences involved in AD are revealed through the analysis of a think aloud protocol recorded during the task and through a comparison of the printed and audio version of the journal.