Captioning & Subtitling
Services
Captioning and subtitling services are a part of multimedia and
audio/video translation services and play an important role in helping
clients reach diverse, global audience. Studios, broadcasters,
government, web casters, film and TV producers and syndicators all
require to capture and reflect content with the highest degrees of
accuracy. Captions and multi-language subtitles become important because
they reflect the quality of their brands, in which they have invested
largely. Captioning and subtitling in different languages provided by
various translation service companies have helped in bringing the global
audience closer. You can make your audio visual programs more readable
for foreign audience without replacing the original soundtrack by adding
captions or subtitles to your video & film.
What is Captioning?
The text versions of the spoken word of a video or a film is the
caption. Captioning allows the content of audio and video to be
accessible not only to those who cannot hear the audio but also to those
who may not be fluent in the language in which the audio is presented.
Types of Captioning
- Closed Captioning: Closed captioning is the process of
displaying the text only when it is needed. It is called closed
because the captions are not shown till the special decoder hardware
installed in TV sets reveals them. Closed captioning of most
pre-recorded television programs has now become a legal requirement
in the United States. Infact television closed captioning is used by
many in noisy environments-like classrooms, bars, restaurants, and
airports and also by those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Closed
captioning is displayed as white block letters on a black
background.
- Open Caption or Subtitles: Open captions imply those
captions which are visible to viewers all the time. Open captions
include the same text as closed captions, but they are a permanent
part of the clip, and cannot be turned off. Also known as subtitles,
open captions do not require a hardware decoder to see them.
Subtitles are used widely on the Internet and for foreign languages
on videos, DVDs, films. As a rule, subtitling uses proportionally
spaced fonts shown on a transparent background and most translation
service providers consider subtitling services as a part of their
portfolio. Subtitling is the translation of on-screen dialog shown
as text on the screen. Like foreign language translation, it is an
art.
Types of Captioning and Subtitling Services
- Live Captioning/Subtitling: In a live broadcast,
captioners continually connect to the broadcast without losing any
airtime, so as to make sure that the content is instantly
understandable and readable by viewers.
- Pre-recorded Captioning: Creating captions or subtitles
for pre-recorded TV programs and webcasts requires time, effort and
tremendous skill. The subtitles must be placed in the right place,
at the right time, and must correctly display the substance of the
spoken word.
- Multi-language Subtitling: Subtitles can be provided in
different languages for films, videos, TV programs depending on the
target language used by the audience.
Applications of Captioning & Subtitling Services
Captioning & subtitling services are provided for the following:
- Films
- Documentaries
- Television programs
- Television commercials
- Videos
- Corporate presentations
- DVDs
- CD-ROM
- Internet productions
- In-flight videos
Requirement of Captioning and Subtitling Services
All subtitling and captioning work follows rigorous quality guidelines
like as follows:
- Synchronized: The caption or the subtitle should appear
at exactly the same time that audio would be available.
- Equivalent: Content should be equivalent to that of the
spoken word.
- Accessible: Content should be easily available and
accessible to those who need it.
- Selection: Proper selection of the most appropriate
translator for the project.
