Importance of Captioning

OVERVIEW OF CAPTIONING

What is captioning?

According to the National Association of the Deaf website:  Captioning is the process of converting the audio content of a television broadcast, webcast, film, video, CD-ROM, DVD, live event, or other productions into text and displaying the text on a screen, monitor, or other visual display system. Captions not only display words as the textual equivalent of spoken dialogue or narration, but they also include speaker identification, sound effects, and music description. It is important that the captions are (1) synchronized and appear at approximately the same time as the audio is delivered; (2) equivalent and equal in content to that of the audio, including speaker identification and sound effects; and (3) accessible and readily available to those who need or want them. Captions must have sufficient size and contrast to ensure readability, and be timely, accurate, complete, and efficient. When displayed, captions must be in the same line of sight as any corresponding visual information, such as a video, speaker, field of play, activity, or exhibition.

ImportanCE OF CAPTIONS & What Makes SOLID CAPTIONS

This page focuses on the “why” of captioned and described media, including their role in ensuring equal participation as a civil right, their benefit for learning and literacy, and their ability to expand the reach of a message and engage audiences. 

Learn how Accuracy, Synchronicity, Completeness, and Placement are factors in accessibility.

RESOURCES FOR CAPTIONING

Rev.com ($) 

Pros: Very accurate, intuitive interface to make any edits, fast turn around time, your videos are archived, You can burn captions into the video, upload to YouTube

Limits: Cost (about $.25 to $1.25 per minute depending on if it is AI generated or Human Captioned)

Otter.AI (Free + $...the $ version is better!)

Otter.ai is a very effective captioning option. While it is more work on the user's part to edit and synch timing, it provides options for captioning.

Pros: Free options (note: this could change), very accurate, immediate access to captioned material to create an SRT file to upload

Limits: My free accounts had limits on captioning minutes per month (still a lot of minutes), More work for you to figure out how to use than Rev.com services.

Plan pricing options (Free to Paid): https://otter.ai/pricing