Doctoral Dissertation | University of Hildesheim, Germany | 2026
My doctoral dissertation investigates how photography can be made more accessible to people with visual impairments through the application of intersemiotic translation. Bringing together translation studies, semiotics, and visual culture, the research examines how the complex meanings embedded in photographs can be rearticulated through extended textual image descriptions without reducing them to mere inventories of visible objects. Particular attention is given to the symbolic, emotional, cultural, and historical dimensions that shape the interpretation of photographic imagery.
The study adopts an interdisciplinary methodology combining semiotic analysis, theories of intersemiotic translation, and qualitative case-study analysis. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Roman Jakobson, Roland Barthes, Umberto Eco, and Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen, it investigates how photographs generate meaning through composition, symbolism, cultural codes, and historical context. The practical component focuses on a corpus of nine iconic war photographs, examining how extended textual descriptions can communicate their visual and contextual complexity to audiences who cannot access the images through sight.
The dissertation conceptualises accessible image description as a form of intersemiotic translation rather than a purely technical exercise in visual description. It explores how translation between visual and verbal sign systems can facilitate access to photographic meaning while acknowledging the interpretative decisions and ethical considerations involved in such mediation. The findings highlight the importance of context-sensitive, inclusive, and human-centred approaches to visual accessibility, with implications for museums, archives, educational institutions, and digital platforms. The study also considers how artificial intelligence might complement human interpretative expertise in the development of more accessible visual media.
Master’s Research | Translation Studies | Published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2013
My master’s research examined the interpretation of photographic images through the theoretical framework developed by Terry Barrett. Subsequently published as Photo Interpretation Assessment: Based on Terry Barrett’s Model for Interpreting Photographs, the study explored the interpretative processes through which photographs are understood, evaluated, and assigned meaning. It also engaged with the relationship between visual representation and interpretation, establishing a foundation for my subsequent research into intersemiotic translation and visual communication.
Drawing on the interpretative framework of photographic criticism, the study investigated how viewers approach photographic meaning and how interpretative practices can be assessed systematically. The research contributed to my broader interest in the relationship between images, signs, and meaning-making, particularly in the context of translation studies. By examining photographic interpretation as an analytical practice, it provided an early foundation for my continuing engagement with visual semiotics and the translation of meaning across different representational systems.
The research was published in English by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing in 2013 under the author´s previous name, Mohammad Hassan Yahya Jowzi, also known as Mehrab Jowzi. The book is available under ISBN 9783659153174.