

Adding subtitle options in multiple languages, like Spanish, will allow your content to be understood in many different countries.Ĭlosed Captions vs. In terms of daily use, subtitles are ideal if you want your content to spread internationally or if you operate in several markets. They also have proven benefits for those trying to learn another language, with research showing that as long as videos with subtitles match the proficiency of the language learners, they are a useful tool for improving comprehension. They can therefore be a great addition if you’re trying to boost engagement or get your message across through short, viral clips.īut again, subtitles aren’t only for aiding a viewer’s understanding of content in a foreign language. Captions also allow viewers to understand videos that show up on social media news feeds where the audio may automatically be silenced. They can help viewers follow the story or dialogue in a video when they can’t hear the sound, either because they’re in a noisy environment, such as at the gym or on the train, or because of a sound-sensitive environment, such as a hospital waiting room. However, alongside making your content more accessible, captions have a few other uses. This means that if you’re publishing any kind of video content online, you may need to add closed captions to comply with these regulations. In fact, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all public multimedia, whether shown in the classroom or on late-night television, must be captioned by law in order to prevent discrimination.

Why use Closed Captions?Īs mentioned, captions were designed with accessibility in mind, providing all the audio information for a piece of video content in text form. Additionally, the accuracy and quality of your captions/subtitles depends on how you create them – but we’ll talk about that later. Since both convey different information, they are accurate in different ways close captions will more closely convey what is going on on-screen, while subtitles will provide a more useful translation of dialogue in another language. You may also be wondering if closed captions or subtitles are more accurate. for a French film screened in an English-speaking country.

Include background noises, speaker differentiation, and other relevant information, making content more accessible for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.Apart from how they’re used, there are some other key differences between captions and subtitles ? Let’s take a look at each of their core characteristics:
