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.
One of the number-one questions I get from prospective clients or even friends is the question: What is the difference between roll-up captioning, pop-on captioning, and subtitling? Also, people often think that captioning is the same thing as subtitling, which it isn't. To take this question even further, I will explain in what cases each one is ideally used.*
Captioning VS. Subtitling
Captioning was created so deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers could read along to TV shows. A technology needed to be created that was accessible to the deaf viewer, but not obligatory for hearing viewers. So today, closed captioning is decoded by a decoder chip in the television and it must be activated to view. Captions are white letters with a black background. The font looks similar to Courier New.
Subtitling, on the other hand, was originally created so viewers of programming in a language other than their own could read along in their own language. Unlike captions, subtitles cannot be turned on or off through a TV decoder chip. They are burned on the video. If you are watching subtitles on a DVD or Blu-ray Disc, they can be turned on or off through the menu. Subtitles can be different fonts or colors and usually do not have a black or transparent background.
Roll-up Captioning
What is it?
Roll-up captions scroll up the screen line by line usually two to three lines at a time. It is the most basic form of captioning, as it usually does not include extensive sound effect description nor speaker identification.
When is it used?
Roll-up captioning is mainly used for ALL live programming and for post-production broadcast programming that only has one speaker (not very common).
For an example of roll-up captioning, view the video on this page: roll-up video
Pop-On Captioning
What is it?
Pop-on captions pop on and off the screen one caption at a time. They typically look like a square box and each caption usually consists of two to three lines. Pop-on captions should include sound effect descriptions as well as movement for speaker identification.
When is it used?
Pop-on captions should be used for pre-recorded broadcast programming with multiple speakers.
For an example of pop-on captioning view the video on this page: pop-on video
Subtitling
What is it?
Subtitles pop on and off the screen just like pop-on captions but they typically do not have a black background and can be any font and color.
When is it used?
Subtitles should always be used for DVD and Blu-ray Discs as they can be turned on and off through the menu. They should also be used for broadcasts in countries where the programming is of a language other than the country's primary language.
For an example of subtitles view the video on this page: subtitling video
*Please note that this article's aim is to be a general explanation for the person that has no prior knowledge of the topic. It does not go into depth on the technical differences between captioning and subtitling. I specifically talk about captions for broadcasting and not other purposes like online video, et cetera. When I speak about captioning, I am referring to Line 21 (analog) captioning, not captioning for HD.
No peer pressure, but producers and broadcasters alike are seeing the importance of Spanish captioning to reach a broader audience.
Why all the hype?
Think of the statistics in the U.S.: Spanish is the second most common language in the United States after English, and the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S. is growing each year. As of 2007, according to the United States Census Bureau, Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 34 million people. An unbelievable fact is that the United States, with 45 million Hispanics, is the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the entire world! Mexico is the first, but the U.S. has more Spanish-speaking people than Spain, Argentina, and Colombia! Why would you want to miss out on such a huge market? No matter what the content of your programming is, I can assume one of your main goals is to reach as many viewers as possible, and with Spanish captioning, your viewership will automatically be on the rise.
English Programming with Spanish Captions
If you are broadcasting in English, you already must broadcast your content with English captions. So you are probably wondering how you can also broadcast with Spanish captions. English captions are usually decoded through CC1 and Spanish captions are typically decoded on CC2. On your TV menu, you can select CC1 or CC2. If the viewer is used to watching TV with Spanish captions, they probably always have CC2 selected. With this option, you are reaching the Spanish-speaking community in your broadcast area. If you are debating if captioning your English programming in Spanish is worth it, do an online search for the number of Spanish speakers there are in the area that you broadcast.
Spanish-language Programming with Spanish Captions
Broadcasting your Spanish-language programming with Spanish captions is now being mandated by the FCC: In the United States, all Spanish-language programming that was first shown after January 1, 1998, must be captioned by 2010. I know it may seem like another burden, but the good thing is, by captioning your Spanish-language programming, you will reach the Hispanic deaf and hard of hearing community, and once again, broadening your viewership. As you can imagine, the deaf and hard of hearing community is not limited to the English language--there is a considerable number of deaf and hard of hearing in the U.S. Hispanic community that want access to your programming.
Spanish Subtitles for DVD and Blu-ray
If you are putting out a DVD or Blu-ray Disc for distribution, you can reach your target audience with Spanish subtitles, as opposed to captions. Subtitles are burned on the video and can be turned on and off through the viewer's DVD menu, so they don't need to be decoded through a decoder chip in their TV. You should choose subtitles instead of captioning when authoring your disc because they look much nicer and are easier to read.
Jeremy, one of the video editors for "Travel the Road" who I had the pleasure of working with to coordinate the program's closed captioning, is on an amazing journey that is worth mentioning here on our blog. In the closed captioning world, you have the privilege of working with a myriad of clients who are all on different missions in life--whether it be to build a hospital in Senegal or spread the gospel by providing drinking water and education to the children of Mozambique, so many of them have a story.
Today I wanted to direct you to Jeremy's mission--to create the first Christian television broadcast in Papua New Guinea. Jeremy posts on his blog tidbits of all he is experiencing, and to say that he is facing many struggles would be an understatement. Right now, he is specifically focused on filming the crusades that are being put on throughout the country and in remote villages for the church there. He is teaching and training them how to edit and produce the first-ever Christian television broadcast in the country. Over 6 million people will get a chance to hear the Gospel preached on the only channel on the television in Papua New Guinea because of the work that he is doing.
Learn more about Jeremy's mission at: http://www.thelifeoffaith.blogspot.com
I usually don’t write about specific projects we work on, but the “Hearing Everett” project was particularly moving. One of the most unique aspects of the film for me, working for a closed-captioning company, is that the film illustrates a family helping the deaf in Mexico. Throughout the closed captioning and the subtitling of the project we worked through five different phases: transcription, caption editing, translation, subtitle editing, and quality assurance. Each person involved in creating the “words” for the film was extremely moved to say the least. While I was reviewing the subtitling, I caught myself reaching for the tissue box to wipe the tears from my cheeks pretty much throughout the entire review process. See what our Spanish translator, Enrico, had to say about his experience with the film:
Without a doubt, it is a remarkable, touching documentary.
I was blessed with the opportunity to translate this powerful testimony and I am certain it will greatly impact the people that get to see it the way it impacted us (I shared it with my wife) while working on it.
It made us realize once again the power and grace of our Omnipotent Lord. We truly believe God gave the old Everett and his family the grace and strength to keep on going after so many setbacks. He just took up the cross and followed while others (as me) just stand by and see in awe.
Best regards,
Enrico
Aberdeen was blessed to work on this project because James-Kirk Johnson, the Executive Producer of the film and Director of Operations for Strong Tower Ministries, contacted us after discovering our company through mutual contacts. Before we got involved in the project I visited one of James’ projects in Tijuana, Mexico, The Purple Palace, and was moved by the orphanage they had built and by the hearts of the children. Working on this project and seeing other things their ministry is doing helped me realize how much I can do to contribute, and the many opportunities there are right in my own backyard. Find out how you can help by visiting: strongtowerministries.info or hearingeverett.com
This past week, I felt how important time code was when authoring captions and subtitles to DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring systems. Consistency is the name of the game. As a producer, editor, DVD authoring person, et cetera, you must be sure that the video your captioning company receives from the onset of the project, has the final time code.
Ask yourself some questions: Is the first frame of the video the same timecode on all video versions? Does the first spoken word start at the same time code? Does the last frame of the video end at the same time code? Am I authoring in drop, non-drop, FILM, et cetera? Pick one and stick with it for the entire project. The standard time code for authoring systems is drop (29.97 fps) and I recommend that you use this from the onset of the process. Your editing system may have a different default time code than your authoring system, so make sure they are the same. Have any edits been made from the initial video you gave your captioning company? Minor edits will affect the captioning or subtitling in a major way.
You may be wondering what the big deal is and why it isn’t simple for the captioning company to adjust. It’s just simply trying to coordinate changes, especially if we don’t know what is differences are between files. Sometimes it is an easy re-ripple of time code or a conversion from drop to non-drop time code. Sometimes, the final videos are so different that the time spent re-sending new captioning and subtitle files can be as laborious as actually creating them in the first place. The time it takes for the authoring person to re-render and check new files over and over again is time taken away from the final delivery of the authored DVD or Blu-ray Disc. The bottom line is this—send your captioning company the real deal the first time around.
TV Stations/Networks
TV stations and networks that produce their own programming are responsible for contracting closed captioning services if they do not have their own closed captioning team on site. Most TV stations and networks either purchase content or producers buy airtime. When they get new content, they typically require that the program arrives with captions.
Program Producers
Individual program producers make are the majority of people who contract closed-captioning services because the airing stations require programs to be delivered with closed captions, as it is part of their contract. Program producers create the program—they shoot and edit the video. They will typically send the closed captioning company a final master tape and in return will get a closed-captioned master or a file to create a closed-captioned master. Because editing systems have become inexpensive and easy to use, there are many churches and novice videographers who now do the entire process. For the captioning company, this can create problems because amateurs may not fully understand the nuts and bolts of broadcast video, therefore a good captioning company will end up catching many problems. Sometimes they use a post-production house to do the editing and creation of the final tape.
Post-Production House (A.K.A. Post House)
Post houses are facilities that do everything from shooting video to editing, dubbing, DVD authoring, and much more. Typically, but not always, these facilities have people who are better educated in the video business. One post house may contract with a captioning company to do all of the captioning for the various programming they work on.
Government
Most US county, state, and federal government agencies are required by law to caption all videos they produce. This may include city council meetings, transportation agencies, US Army recruiting and training DVDs, et cetera. Most government agencies choose to contract with a closed-captioning company. All meetings require live-style captioning, while most DVD training videos require post-production captioning.
What Does Verbatim Mean?
In Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, it states that verbatim means: In the exact words: word for word
Your captioning provider must make sure they caption exactly what the speaker says to convey the most accurate message to the closed-captioning viewer. The deaf and hard of hearing do not have any special privileges—they do not get to read perfected grammar while the hearing listens to poor grammar. Consider a movie. One of the characters is an immigrant from a foreign country who speaks broken English. If they correct their grammar, the deaf person is getting conveyed a completely different message, which can entirely change the storyline.
And don't forget, the FCC will monitor your captioning for accuracy.
Not missing a word
The closed captioning provider should make sure that every word the speaker actually says is captioned. There is an exception: If the speaker jumps around quickly and doesn’t make much sense, the transcriber and/or caption editor might edit out a few nonessential words—this is a judgment call they will make whether or not you add the words or keep them excluded.
Errors in the transcript
Although transcribers typically strive to do their best, they are only human and are apt to make mistakes—errors and typos are inevitable. The caption editor must be sure to keep their eye out for easy errors, typical typos, and messy mistakes.
Editing stutters
Even though captions should be verbatim, captioning providers should not caption any stuttering. Stuttering is annoying to hear and even more annoying to read. It can make a program very difficult to follow if it is included in the captions.
All in all, the whole point of closed-captioning is to convey the message in a way that is easy for the closed-captioning viewer to follow. It is much easier to ignore stuttering as a listener, but much harder to overlook it while reading.
Each captioning company will categorize their levels of captioning differently, but a fully operating captioning company will offer at these three types of captioning: live captioning, live-to-tape captioning, and post-production captioning.
Here are descriptions of the different types of captioning:
Live Captioning
Just like it sounds, live captioning is written by a live captioner in real-time. The live captioner is trained as a court reporter and uses a stenograph machine to caption live. They do not type using a keyboard. The live captioner writes at the same time the show is being broadcasted. The live captioner dials in directly into a T.V. station.
Live-to-tape Captioning
This type of captioning is written by a live captioner in real-time. Instead of dialing into a station, they dial into an encoder and an audio line and write in the same “live” style. The show is recorded in real-time, but is mailed out to the station and broadcasts on a later date. This type of captioning is used mainly for extremely tight turnarounds and to reduce cost to the client. The accuracy rate is much lower than post-production captioning.
Post-Production Captioning
Post-production captions typically get transcribed by a transcriber using a video and audio file that has been digitized. Many transcribers work remotely (from home) or on location. Typically, a caption editor close captions this type of captioning. Within post-production captioning, most companies will offer different levels of quality to meet the needs of their clients.
If you are not content with the communication you have with your closed-captioning company, it is time to take a look at your part in the communication. A good captioning company will ensure that your deadlines are met, that you receive quality service, a quality product, and that all your requests are taken care of. There is typically a catch--they can’t work miracles (although, they would love to), so they need your help.
You can do one thing to help the successful completion of each and every one of your programs--COMMUNICATE with your captioning company! Try setting a day that the project will arrive to the captioning company on a consistent basis and a consistent day that the captioning company will deliver the closed captioning final product (tapeless or tape, et cetera). If coming up with a set schedule is difficult (I know it is not always easy in the world of post production), let them know in advance when you will be shipping your program and when you need them to deliver the CC master to its location--especially if there is a tight turnaround—-so they can schedule the best team of captioners for your particular program. When you ship your tape always include the operations manager's e-mail in the shipment notification section of FedEx, UPS, or DHL. The sooner they know it is coming, the faster they can get working. All in all, a serviceable company, will make practically any request happen. So, make it easy on yourself and your captioning company, and communicate!
