Learning what and how to describe: longitudinal development of content selection and strategy application in audio...

Audio description (AD) is an accessibility service that conveys visual information through verbal language for visually impaired audiences. This study examines the competence development of student audio describers by tracking their progress across two critical dimensions: content selection and translation strategy application. Drawing on data from a one-semester Audiovisual Translation course, the research analyzes the performance of 26 students through diachronic and phased comparisons, complemented by questionnaire and interview data. The findings reveal distinct developmental patterns in each competence area. Content selection competence demonstrated generally linear improvement, with a notable acceleration occurring after the fourth phase, followed by divergent trajectories among different student groups. In contrast, the application of translation strategies evolved in a more fluctuating and intuitive manner, developing independently rather than in parallel with content selection competence. This study provides empirical insights into AD training and contributes to pedagogical understanding of competence development in audiovisual translation education.