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.
Subtitles differ from closed captions by the way they are presented on the screen. Words appear in upper and lower case letters and can appear in various colors and fonts. Subtitles may be in English or any other language. On tape, subtitles are burned into the video and appear at all times. On a DVD, subtitles are able to be turned on or off through the DVD menu.
Translated subtitles require a skilled blend of translation and editing supported by state-of-the-art technology.
To ensure accurate translations, subtitling providers should employ native speakers who either live in or regularly return to their country of origin to maintain fluency in the respective languages. Be sure to ask the company you are contracting with if they always use native speakers.
It takes far longer to read than to listen, therefore each translation should be carefully edited, providing a comfortable reading speed for the viewer while maintaining the meaning and impact of the programming. There are many different subtitling guidelines out there, but at a bare minimum proper names, technical jargon and industry terms should be researched by the translator to ensure proper spelling and connotation. If you need something subtitled, be sure to provide the subtitling company with a list of technical jargon, terms, scripts, lexicon, et cetera, to ensure that the translator has the needed information to create an errorless translation conveying your program's meaning to its target audience.
WANTED: Caption Editor, degree in English preferred. Hmmm… a caption editor? I can edit. I have a degree in English. I guess I meet the requirements. But, what exactly is the job? Oh, I know! Maybe I can “google” the term and find a job description…No such luck. Google doesn’t know either. Well, I am always up for an adventure…
These were the thoughts that were running through my head as I was looking for a new job. I was looking for an editing job and my previous experience was with book editing and publishing. I knew very little about closed captions, as did the majority of people I knew. One friend actually thought the television itself transcribed the audio and spit out the words onto the screen. As silly as that may seem, my knowledge of the process wasn’t far from that. However, my curiosity was piqued, so I decided to apply.
Joanna, the post-production manager, called me to set up an interview. She also asked me how I felt about technology. Technology? Well, I know how to use a computer and I can text message with my eyes closed. But, somehow I wasn’t sure those were the exact skills she was looking for. I tentatively replied that I was not intimidated by technology and immediately panicked thinking, “What am I getting myself into?!”
You can only imagine how my fears intensified when I walked into the office to interview and saw large towers full of computers and machines that looked like something out of the Matrix. Cords, plugs, headsets, decks, monitors…yikes! But, what’s the fun in life if you don’t challenge yourself? To make a long story short, I accepted the challenge and here I am today: Caption Editor Extraordinaire!
It took two months of training to really feel comfortable with captioning. There is so much to learn and you never really stop learning. Questions and new challenges arise every day. There are many guidelines to follow and “styles” of captioning to learn. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are important but equally important are the placement, line breakage and speed of the captions. Everything is done to ensure that the viewer is getting an accurate understanding of the show. Basically, caption editors work with post-production shows (ones that are already recorded). We have transcribers translate the audio and send us a transcript. We then import the transcript in a computer program that allows us to break up the lines and “press on” the captions in sync with the video/audio. Presto!
Effective caption editing is an acquired skill. And once you know what “good” captions look like, you immediately become a full-fledged critic. It is now impossible to watch captions on television without critiquing the placement, speed, and accuracy. Sadly, you also realize that the majority of captions out there are poor. All of us at Aberdeen care about quality and accuracy and we all take pride in our work. Hopefully, now that most shows are required by law to be closed captioned, more people will understand the importance of not only providing closed captions, but providing good closed captions.
I am so lucky to have found this job. It has truly opened my eyes to the world of closed captioning and the importance of providing closed captioning, not just for the hearing impaired, but for the entire population! Another great benefit of this job is the plethora of knowledge you will receive from watching these programs. I learn something new from every show I caption, whether it is a Bible verse, a recipe for nachos, the history of anthropology, new scientific terminology, or the latest in fashion and design! I am sure to triumph in any game of Trivial Pursuit!
Written by Christina Hill, Caption Editor
