Captioning and Subtitles

While they sound like they should be one and the same, these two words offer very different options for readability of video content, and with the detail that is offered within each.

Captions are meant for people who are hard of hearing, or who just like to keep captions on the screen when watching t.v. (for example, our VP keeps the captions on as it helps him better process what is being viewed, heard, and read.) Captions show the words that are being said by the voice on the screen by telling you who the person speaking is, but they also offer descriptives of what is being heard as well what is not a word. For instance, if a song is playing in the background, it will name the song and artist. Or, if someone is walking in snow it may say [sound of snow crunching]. These audio cues that may be used for various reasons help the viewer have a more complete understanding of what is happening on the screen.

Subtitles on the other hand are meant for people who are not native speakers of a language, and in turn, the subtitles will be used to only write out the words being said. Unlike captions above, there will be no descriptives of any other sounds or noises on the screen, and just the words of what is on the screen in that moment.

While people may use these two terms interchangeably, as you can read above, there are major differences between the two.

Always make sure to have the dialogue with the firm in advance to make sure the output you desire is what you’ll be receiving.

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