Closed Captioning Services |
Know The Difference
Subtitles and captions are somehow similar but are different in means of enhancing communication in a visual media. By better understanding the differences between subtitling and captioning, you can make the right choice as to which option will best serve your communication needs.
Subtitling is most frequently used as a way of translating an original audio language into another language so that listeners of other languages can understand and enjoy it. Foreign films are an obvious example to this, without the subtitles, English-speaking audiences would be unable to easily follow the plot of the foreign movie, for instance. Subtitles are best-suited and most often used for pre-recorded videos, such as movies and TV shows.
Closed captioning on the other hand is more commonly used to aid deaf and hearing-impaired audiences. Closed captioning is more adaptable to live broadcasts, such as news broadcasts, sports events, and television shows broadcasted live. Usually, closed captions appear as white text within a black box, appearing a second or two after being spoken. Unlike subtitling that only displays what is spoken by the characters, closed captioning provide a way for those who may not be able to hear the sounds at all to fully enjoy what he or she is watching. It includes sounds such as “machinery starting up” to allow people with hearing disabilities and those who can't clearly hear the audio to exactly know what is happening.