If providing access to the deaf and hard of hearing lacks incentive, will more YouTube views persuade you? YouTube creators today are forced to look for new and exciting ways to attract viewers. Meanwhile, it’s only getting harder to stand out in the ever-growing, over competitive, viral hungry, trend hopping, video-sharing ecosystem that is YouTube (see the video-host’s latest press release for an idea—the numbers are staggering, unsurprising, and deservedly proud—boasting that over 6 billion hours of YouTube is watched monthly).
Although intended for the deaf and hard of hearing community, captions are providing lesser-known secondary benefits to an unlikely recipient: YouTubers. Content creators are using captions, and they’re doing it for more hits. With rewarding incentives from YouTube, creators are reaping the benefits of “popularizing” their content by tapping into larger audiences—albeit, in a few unlikely places.
Read
Starting September 30, all pre-recorded video that has been “substantially edited” for the Internet must be captioned if it was shown on television with captions. Jason Livingston, the project manager and developer at CPC, states: “Unlike broadcast video, where every station transmits the same ATSC spec and every consumer TV set can display the closed captions carried in ATSC video, the Web is like the ‘Wild Wild West’ of video formats.”
In late July, Livingston conducted a Webcast updating closed-captioning regulations. The organization’s SMPTE Timed Text [PDF] (SMPTE 2052) format attempts to unite the countless formats for captioning. SMPTE Timed Text can be the captioning format for all Web video delivery systems or playback devices. Livingston notes, “One of the things that makes captioning workflows difficult is that caption data is fragile and can be lost at any step in the process—content creation, editing, transcoding, distribution, hosting, and online delivery. For captioning to work end-to-end, not only do all of these tools have to support closed captioning, but they all have to be mutually compatible in terms of how they work with captioning.”
To read the whole interview, click here.
Since the implementation of FCC mandate for internet closed captioning, producers, TV stations, and video websites alike are looking for the best options. These days, HTML has evolved to be more functional with standardized guidelines for video rendering and captioning guidelines. In the past, there were no standards for playing a video on a web page. To play videos on a website almost always required plugins; such as QuickTime, Silverlight, RealPlayer, Flash Player etc. HTML5 has now improved and standardized accessible video and provides captioning to be displayed together. Companies like Aberdeen have incorporated this advancement in their day-to-day operations and provide the most up-to-date technical services to their clients.
As mentioned above, HTML5 is a major leap for standardizing video across web browsers and devices, and consequently simplifying closed captioning. The idea is that web video should be based on an open, universal standard that works everywhere. HTML5 natively supports video without the need for third party plugins.
There are two groups collaborating on HTML5 closed captioning standards: the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Each group has its own CC standard. WHATWG has developed WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) and W3C has developed TTML (Time text markup language). These two standards are of different origins. WebVTT is basically a modified SRT; and TTML is a modified XML. However, I found that the old fashion .srt and .xml files will work just perfectly fine for subtitling and/or closed captioning.
Believe it or not, the code is very simple to incorporate in all types of videos and cc files. Below is a sample of HTML5 code to show how to incorporate the videos and closed caption file:
<video width="320" height="240">
<source type="video/mp4" src="my_video.mp4" >
<track src="cc_file.srt" label="English captions" kind="captions" srclang="en-us" default >
</video>
Here are the attributes of the track elements:
src: specifies the name and location of the cc or subtitle file
label: specifies the title of the track
kind: specifies the type of time-aligned text. The options are: Captions, Subtitles, Chapters, Descriptions or Metadata
srclang: specifies the language
default: specifies that this track is enabled by default. Note that multiple track elements can be used simultaneously.
The next question that comes to mind would be if HTML5 can handle multiple languages. The short answer is YES, definitely. We just have to modify the code to include the track for different subtitle language files. If you subtitle multiple languages, just contact a company like Aberdeen and they will surely help you get your subtitle project going with files that work seamlessly for HTML5!
About the Author
Arif Kusuma is the Chief Technical Officer at Aberdeen Broadcast Services. He has his Bachelor's degrees in Chemical Engineering and Computer Information Systems, as well as a Masters of Business Administration. He has a passionate drive for technology, both hardware and software, and like many people, loves to be the first to get the latest gadgets.
Are you familiar with IP-delivered programming? This includes all videos that are distributed via the Internet (where you watch the program on your personal computer, cell phone, Xbox, etc.) The most popular sources are video on demand, iTunes, Hulu, and of course, YouTube. If you are a producer and you think your IP-delivered programming is exempt from closed captioning, think again! The FCC released new rules this year which requires all IP-delivered programming to be closed captioned, according to the following timeline:
- All prerecorded programs must have CC by August 2012.
- All live programs must have CC by February 2013.
- All new prerecorded programs must have CC by August 2013.
- All archived programs must have CC by February 2014.
Don’t wait until the last minute! Call Aberdeen today to learn more about your closed captioning options.
Though we are stuck in one location with one official language in one country, it doesn't mean the videos that we post on the Internet are limited to one's geographical location. It's time to go global since the Internet doesn't have limitations on audience, language, cultures, etc. Producers should aim to go global by adding different languages in the captioning/subtitling when they post their videos on the Web. This way they are getting exposure to billions of people in a very inexpensive way. However, this may be an obstacle when the know-how or technological skills are in the way.Read
On the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 348 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted for HR 3101, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act. This act will require closed captioning on all Internet video information and will help millions of people have access to these videos. This act will also provide up to $10 million annually for specialized communications equipment for low-income individuals who are deaf/blind. It also requires that Internet telephones be hearing aid compatible.
California Representative Henry A. Waxman states: “Today, as we mark the 20th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, the House is giving Americans with disabilities access to smart phones, other communications technology, and video programming. This bill ensures that millions of Americans with disabilities can participate in our 21st century digital society.”
Senator John Kerry said, “Technology and the Internet have broken down barriers, and no one should be or has to be excluded from modern communications and the new economy because of a disability. It’s been 20 years since the Americans With Disabilities Act knocked down barriers to employment and government services — and now it’s time to do the same thing [with regard to] blocking people with disabilities from getting online.”
So what happens next? The bill gets sent to the Senate for vote and if it passes, it will be signed into law!
YouTube and Google now index video content based on text in closed captions and subtitles, enhancing the discoverability and SEO ranking of videos that include them. This capability means that closed captions help your video appear in search results for keywords contained within the captions, potentially driving more views and engagements.
Mark Robertson authored an article on his website titled "In-Depth Look at YouTube Closed Captions, SEO, and YouTube Indexing," where his insights reveal that closed captions not only boost accessibility but also expand your video's global reach through multi-language subtitles. This broadens the appeal of your content to a global audience, including those with hearing impairments and non-native speakers of the video's language.
Beyond viewer accessibility, the strategic use of closed captions contributes significantly to SEO. Captions allow Google’s algorithms to understand better and index the video’s content, which can enhance the video’s visibility in search results. This approach to SEO is not just about improving accessibility but also about maximizing content discoverability and engagement on digital platforms. Properly implemented, closed captions can increase viewer retention, reduce bounce rates, and expand the global reach of videos by making them accessible to non-native speakers and those in sound-sensitive environments.
Furthermore, closed captions can significantly influence user engagement metrics, such as watch time and interaction rates, which are crucial for boosting SEO rankings on YouTube. By providing a text version of the video's audio, you cater to a wider range of user needs and preferences, which improves the overall user experience and could lead to higher rankings in search results and recommendations.
To implement closed captions effectively, it’s important to use recognized subtitle file formats like SRT or VTT, which are readable and indexable by search engines. Also, consider updating your captions regularly to include new keywords and to enhance SEO impact. Engaging professional transcription services can ensure the accuracy, readability, and SEO optimization of your subtitles.
In summary, adding closed captions to your YouTube videos is a straightforward yet powerful tool to enhance video accessibility, viewer engagement, and SEO performance. For more details on captioning your web or YouTube video, please visit our page on YouTube-Ready Captions.
Aberdeen Captioning has been qualified as a “YouTube Ready” vendor by DCMP. As a DCMP “Approved Captioning Service Vendor,” Aberdeen is committed to providing quality captioning in multimedia formats, now including your YouTube videos. This allows your YouTube video to be captioned according to DCMP guidelines and with a customer satisfaction guarantee. Aberdeen offers different choices for your YouTube video and will work closely to establish a package that is right for you.
Need multi-language translation for your YouTube video? No problem! Aberdeen will provide a professional and experienced translator to ensure that your message is understood globally. All you need is a YouTube account.
To learn more about DCMP's "YouTube Ready" qualification visit: http://youtubeready.dcmp.org/
Also, watch Aberdeen’s YouTube video for more information on our captioning and subtitling services for your YouTube video at: https://aberdeen.io/abercap/youtube-ready-captioning/
From the time of the Great Commission until now, Christians have been evangelizing the world through various traditional and modern methods: missionary work, preaching, tracts, music, films, television, crusades, books, street-corner preaching, door knocking, church planting, and now, through the Internet.
While traditional evangelism definitely has its place, there is no better way than the Internet to reach millions of people across the world with the least amount of effort. Many ministries are using Internet-based evangelism by setting up virtual church campuses where members in remote areas without access to a physical church can attend. These virtual churches have opened up the opportunity for millions of people who otherwise may not have been able to hear the Gospel or attend a good local Christian church.
ADDRESSING THE LANGUAGE GAP
When a cyber-church hopes to open its ‘virtual doors” to an international community they should first think of how they will communicate to a non-English-speaking community.
Providing multi-language subtitles is the most efficient and cost-effective method to localizing your webcasts in multiple languages. Subtitles can be combined with just about any player: Flash, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, YouTube, RealPlayer, etc. If you want your message to be understood by a multi-lingual audience, there is no way around localizing your programming for various languages. This article summarizes the main ways to tackle subtitling.
COST AND QUALITY CHOICES
The Automated Translator
The cheapest option to subtitle your English video is automatic translation. Google offers this as a free service for YouTube videos. The main problem, however, is inaccuracy.
Here is an actual example of one such English to Spanish translation:
The original English subtitle: “The history of the Flood is precise. The history from Abraham on is precise. Everything else is precise. There's precision in the Law and the history books. There's precision in the Psalms and the books of literature that we call poetry. And there is precision in the prophets.”
The automated translation: “La historia de la inundación es preciso. La historia de Abraham en es preciso. Todo lo demás es preciso. No hay precisión en la Ley y en los libros de historia. No hay precisión en los Salmos y los libros de la literatura que llamamos poesía. Y no hay precisión en los profetas.”
But there are two serious problems with this translation. First, it doesn’t use the proper term for the Flood. It is like calling the Flood “the inundation” in English. Second, it says that the Bible ISN’T precise in many instances, which exactly the opposite of what the speaker intended.
The main point is that automated translation will often distort, add or subtract from the Word of God, while a good human translator relies on the translations of the Bible into Spanish that have been diligently compared to the original Bible manuscripts. Therefore they do not need to do their own translation of the Bible. Finally, good Christian translators rely on the Lord to give them the proper words, something a computer could never do.
The Volunteer Translator
If you have volunteer translators in your church, this can be an excellent way to go. The translation will be free, but you will most likely have to team up with a subtitling company to create the needed subtitle file. Nevertheless your cost will be significantly lower.
One of the main advantages to using volunteers is that the translator will most likely be familiar with the speaker’s style and message as well as have a heart for what they are translating.
Nevertheless, there are two points to be aware of when dealing with volunteers. First, just because they “know” another language, doesn’t mean they will be able to properly translate into that language in a Christian context. Be sure they are native speakers of the target language, as well as having attended Christian church or listened to Christian teaching in their native language. Also, as with all volunteers, you must be sure they can meet your production deadline week after week. Be sure to have a back-up plan.
The Non-Christian/Amateur Translator
If you search for the cheapest subtitling package cost, you may end up with a “non-Christian” or “amateur” translation. With a non-Christian translator or inexperienced translator you may find a cheaper rate, but you will run into problems similar to what you find with automatic translation. The terminology used is often of secular nature, or worse yet, that of another religion when referring to Christian matters. For example, in Japan, where less than one percent are reported Christians, it is very difficult to find a Japanese-speaker able to properly translate the word “atonement,” as this concept does not exist in Japan’s main religions, Buddhism and Shinto.
Another example that had me chuckling for hours was in an interpreted church service from English to Spanish when the interpreter referred to the Holy Ghost as the “Fantasma Sagrado,” instead of the correct Spanish term, “Espíritu Santo.” For a Spanish-speaker this is like calling the Holy Ghost something similar to the Sacred Phantom. It doesn’t quite work.
The Experienced Christian Translator
Of course, this is the best option, but not always the most affordable. The experienced Christian translator is a Christian with a heart for the message and also with the training and tools to localize your message properly to the target audience. When searching for a full-package subtitling service, be sure to ask the company about the translators they use. Do they have experience translating Christian material? How many years of experience do they have? What other Christian material have they translated? Ask to see their resumes. In addition to a good Christian translator, if you are willing to pay top dollar, also be sure there is an additional proof of the translation before the subtitles go live, so that any errors are caught. If you have people available in your ministry to do a proof of the final translations, this option can bring your cost down significantly.
THE BOTTOM LINE
All and all, when translating your message for multi-language subtitles, be sure to allow feedback on the translation from the viewers. This can be a simple box below the video where the viewer can input their feedback. You never know, you may even get viewers across the world willing to translate your message for free. Are you getting the number of viewers you desired in each country? If not, it may be that the subtitles are so poor that the viewer gives up.
Although there are many service options out there at many different costs, the important thing is that you know exactly what you are getting and you evaluate what will work best for your ministry. From years of experience, the old saying still rings true: You get what you pay for.
USING THE INTERNET TO EVANGELIZE: WEBCASTS AND PODCASTS
From the time of the Great Commission until now, Christians have been evangelizing the world through various traditional and modern methods: missionary work, preaching, tracts, music, films, television, crusades, books, street-corner preaching, door knocking, church planting, and now, through the Internet.
While traditional evangelism definitely has its place, there is no better way than the Internet to reach millions of people across the world with the least amount of effort. Many ministries are using Internet-based evangelism by setting up virtual church campuses where members in remote areas without access to a physical church can attend. These virtual churches have opened up the opportunity for millions of people who otherwise may not have been able to hear the Gospel or attend a good local Christian church.
ADDRESSING THE LANGUAGE GAP
When a cyber-church hopes to open its ‘virtual doors” to an international community they should first think of how they will communicate to a non-English-speaking community.
Providing multi-language subtitles is the most efficient and cost-effective method to localizing your webcasts in multiple languages. Subtitles can be combined with just about any player: Flash, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, YouTube, RealPlayer, etc. If you want your message to be understood by a multi-lingual audience, there is no way around localizing your programming for various languages. This article summarizes the main ways to tackle subtitling.
COST AND QUALITY CHOICES
The Automated Translator
The cheapest option to subtitle your English video is automatic translation. Google offers this as a free service for YouTube videos. The main problem, however, is inaccuracy.
Here is an actual example of one such English to Spanish translation:
The original English subtitle: “The history of the Flood is precise. The history from Abraham on is precise. Everything else is precise. There's precision in the Law and the history books. There's precision in the Psalms and the books of literature that we call poetry. And there is precision in the prophets.”
The automated translation: “La historia de la inundación es preciso. La historia de Abraham en es preciso. Todo lo demás es preciso. No hay precisión en la Ley y en los libros de historia. No hay precisión en los Salmos y los libros de la literatura que llamamos poesía. Y no hay precisión en los profetas.”
But there are two serious problems with this translation. First, it doesn’t use the proper term for the Flood. It is like calling the Flood “the inundation” in English. Second, it says that the Bible ISN’T precise in many instances, which exactly the opposite of what the speaker intended.
The main point is that automated translation will often distort, add or subtract from the Word of God, while a good human translator relies on the translations of the Bible into Spanish that have been diligently compared to the original Bible manuscripts. Therefore they do not need to do their own translation of the Bible. Finally, good Christian translators rely on the Lord to give them the proper words, something a computer could never do.
The Volunteer Translator
If you have volunteer translators in your church, this can be an excellent way to go. The translation will be free, but you will most likely have to team up with a subtitling company to create the needed subtitle file. Nevertheless your cost will be significantly lower.
One of the main advantages to using volunteers is that the translator will most likely be familiar with the speaker’s style and message as well as have a heart for what they are translating.
Nevertheless, there are two points to be aware of when dealing with volunteers. First, just because they “know” another language, doesn’t mean they will be able to properly translate into that language in a Christian context. Be sure they are native speakers of the target language, as well as having attended Christian church or listened to Christian teaching in their native language. Also, as with all volunteers, you must be sure they can meet your production deadline week after week. Be sure to have a back-up plan.
The Non-Christian/Amateur Translator
If you search for the cheapest subtitling package cost, you may end up with a “non-Christian” or “amateur” translation. With a non-Christian translator or inexperienced translator you may find a cheaper rate, but you will run into problems similar to what you find with automatic translation. The terminology used is often of secular nature, or worse yet, that of another religion when referring to Christian matters. For example, in Japan, where less than one percent are reported Christians, it is very difficult to find a Japanese-speaker able to properly translate the word “atonement,” as this concept does not exist in Japan’s main religions, Buddhism and Shinto.
Another example that had me chuckling for hours was in an interpreted church service from English to Spanish when the interpreter referred to the Holy Ghost as the “Fantasma Sagrado,” instead of the correct Spanish term, “Espíritu Santo.” For a Spanish-speaker this is like calling the Holy Ghost something similar to the Sacred Phantom. It doesn’t quite work.
The Experienced Christian Translator
Of course, this is the best option, but not always the most affordable. The experienced Christian translator is a Christian with a heart for the message and also with the training and tools to localize your message properly to the target audience. When searching for a full-package subtitling service, be sure to ask the company about the translators they use. Do they have experience translating Christian material? How many years of experience do they have? What other Christian material have they translated? Ask to see their resumes. In addition to a good Christian translator, if you are willing to pay top dollar, also be sure there is an additional proof of the translation before the subtitles go live, so that any errors are caught. If you have people available in your ministry to do a proof of the final translations, this option can bring your cost down significantly.
THE BOTTOM LINE
All and all, when translating your message for multi-language subtitles, be sure to allow feedback on the translation from the viewers. This can be a simple box below the video where the viewer can input their feedback. You never know, you may even get viewers across the world willing to translate your message for free. Are you getting the number of viewers you desired in each country? If not, it may be that the subtitles are so poor that the viewer gives up.
Although there are many service options out there at many different costs, the important thing is that you know exactly what you are getting and you evaluate what will work best for your ministry. From years of experience, the old saying still rings true: You get what you pay for.
About the Author
Joanna Scavo works for Aberdeen Captioning as their multi-language translation and subtitling director. Aberdeen services hundreds of Christian ministries with their captioning, subtitling, translation, and captioning needs. Check out their booth to find more about their multi-language options for your ministry or to see what new HD workflows are available in 2010. Aberdeen—committed t
If not, you may want to encourage them to do so. The process is simple, and it provides accessibility to one of the most important ceremonies of one's life: GRADUATION. Read below for some answers to some common questions I get regarding captioning for these important life events.
What is the purpose for captioning commencements?
The purpose of closed captioning commencements is obvious: to provide access to viewers who are unable to hear the ceremony.
Who views the captioning and where do they view it?
Captions are usually present on screens at the commencement itself, on the web for live viewing, and potentially broadcast on a local station and viewed by the family or friends of graduates, graduates themselves, or perhaps the faculty members of the school. If not present at the ceremony, viewers can connect to the ceremony from a home computer or from portable devices like laptop computers, PDAs, Smart Phones, et cetera.
For the captioner, what preparation goes into captioning for a commencement ceremony?
A live captioner will usually want to get names of speakers, especially the keynote speaker and valedictorian, and whoever else may be speaking during the ceremony. The captioner should familiarize themselves with the city the commencement is located in and its adjoining cities, as these names may be mentioned during the ceremony. Depending on keynote speaker, the captioner will do some online research about the speaker's history and life so they can learn where she/he lives, works, what their "claim to fame" is. This information will need to be defined in their dictionary.
How long are commencement ceremonies?
They can vary from three to six hours, depending on the size of the school and graduating class.
Does one captioner do the entire commencement? If not, how do they transition?
Many times, one captioner will caption the entire commencement. If it is extremely long, then two captioners will work on the captioning. Usually at a predetermined point, for example, at the top of the hour, the first captioner will sign off with a [pause in captions] on the screen, until the second captioner dials in and gets linked up and they take over.
Does the captioner get a list of graduates beforehand? If not, how do they caption the names?
They usually do NOT get a list of the graduates. When the graduates are announced, they are usually instructed to not write during that time, although sometimes they may write something like [names being read].
What does a captioner do if they do not know how to spell somebody's name or they do not have it in their dictionary?
The captioner will usually phonetically spell the person's last name as opposed to the first name.
Which universities and colleges currently caption their commencement ceremonies?
Many schools caption their commencement ceremonies, but some specific school who we have captioned for or will caption for this year include:
"A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success." ~Robert Orben
For more information on closed captioning commencement ceremonies, contact us.
