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Know the Difference Between Caption and Subtitle

There is a possibility that the terms Caption and Subtitle might have confused you as well. Individuals usually search for differences in both the terms. Captions and subtitles are two different terms, but they also overlap in certain ways. With these are used for displaying text over the screen the reasons for using them are different.

The Difference

Captions are the text form of the words spoken in a video, movies, television shows, etc. The captions are in the same language as the spoken words with any kind of translation to other languages. They are of two different types: open and closed. The open captions are the ones that are permanently added to a video and cannot be turned off by the viewer. On the other hand, the closed captions are externally added (separate files) to the videos. These closed captions can be turned on and off as per the user’s requirement.

Subtitles are also the text form of the spoken words from a movie, video, etc., but in some other language. These are the translation of the spoken words for those who don’t speak the language presented in the medium. The subtitles can be made in two different types. One is for the audience who can hear audios and the second one for the viewers who are either deaf or hard of hearing. The subtitles for the hard of hearing also include background sounds such as: [door open], [car started], etc. and the change of speakers with the translated script.

Different Purposes

The Americans with Disabilities Act needs all the multimedia to be captioned to make it accessible by the disabled audience. This law applies across all the government and private organizations and industries. The field of academics, entertainment, and business are supporting the law to prevent discrimination against disabled individuals.

Captions are not only to ensure the accessibility to the deaf or hard of hearing but are also useful in many more situations. Captions allow us to watch a video when we are not able to listen to the sound, either because of noisy environments or at noise sensitive areas. Nowadays, captions are also useful for the viewers to get knowledge from a video that by default plays on silent on social media.

The aim behind developing the subtitles is to make the content available to the viewers who don’t speak the language of the medium. Subtitles have made the videos reach millions across the world. Globalization is also getting help from subtitles. Video producers also come to know the importance of making videos in multiple languages. They are also helpful for deaf and hard of hearing audience as it provides accessibility to them as well.

Caption and subtitle Services

You can easily find the closed captioning and subtitling services online. Many service providers are offering these services. Along with these, you can find subtitling translation services as well, which can translate your subtitles from the source language to the target language.