Captioning and subtitles are a requirement for the Deaf and the hard-of-hearing to fully experience and comprehend video media. However, a very large number of hearing viewers utilize captions and subtitles, as well. This is exactly why businesses need to perform the due diligence in order to service all viewers. Why do people without hearing impairment opt to use captions? It is a matter of many different preferences, situations, and contexts.
Many viewers simply enjoy having them. Of the 7.5 million viewers in the UK who used subtitling at least once, 6 million did not have any medical form of hearing loss.[1] Studies also reveal that the number of the overwhelming majority of U.S.-based viewers using captions are in the Hearing community.[2]
Video, as a media form, is incredibly rich and dynamic. As a result, it is oftentimes difficult to decipher even if the viewer does not have hearing and vision impairment. In many video programs, there are typically muffled sounds, a poor audio mix, differing accents, and voices that change in pitch in volume. Because of these audio issues, it is important to provide the quality captions that both your hearing, hard-of-hearing and Deaf segments require.
Captions also alleviate communication issues in the midst of noisy public environments. It is not uncommon for viewers to forget headphones for public use televisions on planes, gyms, museums, kiosks, and elsewhere. Many small low-powered laptop speakers will fail to project the sufficient volume. It is also common nowadays for people to view political debates and sporting events like the World Cup at noisy bars and pubs.
Including quality captions and subtitles in your programming are not only assisting the Deaf community; but it also provides a richer experience for the mainstream hearing community as well. It helps increase childhood literacy and provides aid to teaching ESL students. A vital part of a good video product is that it is clear and easy to understand to all demographics in every context.
There are many compelling reasons to include high quality captions and subtitles in your video. That’s why you can’t afford to skimp on quality transcriptions. Contact us today to see how we can provide you every type of captioning service you will need.
[1] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/accessservs
[2] https://joeclark.org/access/captioning/hearing-maj.html