The Different Types of Closed Captioning

There are several different types of closed captioning, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we’ll take a look at the three most popular types of closed captioning: traditional Closed Captioning, Real-Time Captioning, and Offline Captioning.

First, What is closed captioning?

Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a screen that translates or transcribes the audio content of a television program, movie, video, game, or other forms of media. The text is usually displayed at the bottom of the screen and typically includes dialogues, sound effects, and other important information.

Closed captioning can be used for live or pre-recorded programs, and it is often used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. It can also be used by people who want to improve their comprehension of a foreign language or by those who simply prefer to read rather than listen to audio.

Ultimately, closed captioning provides an essential service for many different types of viewers. In order to use closed captioning, you need a television or other device that is capable of displaying text on the screen and using a captioning service.

There are three main types of closed captioning: traditional Closed Captioning, Real-Time Captioning, and Offline Captioning. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

1. Traditional Closed Captioning

As mentioned, traditional Closed Captioning is the process of displaying text on a screen that translates or transcribes the audio content of a television program, movie, video, or other forms of media. The text is usually displayed at the bottom of the screen and typically includes dialogues, sound effects, and other important information.

The old technology for closed captioning was to use a teleprompter-like machine in the studio that would scroll the text for the captions. This method is no longer used because it is too expensive and time-consuming. Instead, most programs are now captioned using one of the other two methods described below.

2. Real-Time Captioning

Real-Time Captioning, also known as Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART), is a live captioning service that provides captions for live events. It is typically used in educational settings, such as lectures and conferences, but can also be used for any live event, such as a television program or newscast.

Real-Time Captioning is performed by a trained captioner who types out what is being said in real-time using a stenotype machine. This machine is a specialized keyboard that allows the captioner to type up to 225 words per minute. The captioner then uses a computer to translate the stenotype machine’s output into English text, which is then displayed on a screen for the viewer.

3. Offline Captioning

Offline captioning is the process of creating captions for a recorded video. It is typically used for television programs, movies, and other pre-recorded videos. The captions are created before the video is aired or distributed and are typically burned into the video itself. This means the captions will be visible even if the viewer does not have a caption-enabled device.

Offline captioning is usually done by transcribing the video’s audio and then adding the captions to the video file. This can be a time-consuming process, so it is often outsourced to captioning services. Once the captions are added to the video, they cannot be changed without re-encoding the entire video file, so getting them right the first time is essential.

Closed Captioning Methods

Closed captions are considered the highest form of captioning because of their high quality. Even the most minor transcription errors may disqualify a caption.

Audio Recognition

With recent technological advancements, people can now send and read text messages using audio recognition on their phones. The only issue is that there’s no perfect algorithm to understand all accents and dialects.

Depending on the conditions, speech recognition turnovers between five and ten percent. The computer simply utilizes the words supplied by the programmed dictionary. If terms not in the dictionary are utilized, they will be classified as close to the voice.

Skilled Transcribers

Transcribers who are skilled perform the most accurate and reliable transcription out of all available captioning techniques. Voice samples may contain strong accents that might be difficult to translate, but these experts can interpret up to 99 percent of the audio. Human transcription is slower than other transcription technologies, however, in the end, it’s worthwhile since mistakes are rare.

Conclusion

Various captioning methods are available, each with its own set of pros and cons. The best method for captioning a video will depend on the type of video, the budget, and the time constraints. Ultimately, the goal is to provide accurate and easy-to-read captions so that viewers can enjoy the video without missing any vital information.