Abstract
The audiodescription (AD) of humour has been overlooked as a subject of study until recently, although it is a practice that has been carried out since audiovisual works began to be audio described for blind and visually impaired audiences in different genres, including comedy. One of the most remarkable works in Spanish film comedy is the Torrente saga by Santiago Segura. This contribution examines the AD of the first film of the saga, Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley (Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law) (Santiago Segura, 1998Segura, S. (1998). Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley. España.), which was produced prior to the publication of the Spanish standard UNE 153020 (AENOR, 2005) on the elaboration and delivery of audio-written scripts. Our aim is to analyse to what extent the AD of this comedy film transgresses current Spanish recommendations and to reflect on how non-conventional AD may enhance the intended impact on the audiences. The results of this paper show that the AD in the first film of the Torrente saga largely transgresses the current regulations and intentionally contributes to the humorous nature of the text.
Keywords
audiovisual translation; media accessibility; audio description; non-conventional AD; Torrente film saga