For more information on captions, please see our captions training
Captions vs Subtitles
Captions and subtitles are sometimes confused, but do play very different roles in providing audio context for a video.
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Captions are a text version of audio content. Captions are presented in the same language as the audio. For example, a lecture in English will be captioned in English.
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Subtitles are a text translation of the audio content. Subtitles are translated into the language used by the intended audience. For example, a lecture in English will have subtitles to translate the lecture into Spanish.
What language should my captions be in?
Captions should be written in the same language as the audio of the video. For example, if your video is in English, write your captions in English. If your video is in Spanish, write your captions in Spanish.
What language should my captions be in if my video has more than one language?
Your video should be captioned in the language that is most predominant in your video. For example, if your video is predominantly in English, with some French terms, you will caption your video in English and add [Speaking French] during the French dialogue.
There is not one language that is predominant in my video - what language should the captions be in?
The captions should be written in the predominant language of your intended audience.
My video has two languages, and my audience is bilingual - what language should my captions be in?
Both! If your intended audience is bilingual, you can include both language captions in your caption file. Please note that captions should be written in the same language as the spoken dialogue - not translated into a different language. For example, Spanish dialogue should be captioned in Spanish, while French dialogue should be captioned in French.
Example Scenarios
Scenario 1:
A bilingual event begins with a 10 minute introduction in English and then switches to the main event, which features an author speaking and reading in French for 30 minutes.
Solution:
Since the intended audience is bilingual, the first 10 minutes of English dialogue should be captioned in English while the 30 minutes of French dialogue should be captioned in French.
Scenario 2:
An event or performance is marketed to English speakers and is presented almost entirely in English, but in a few places, a speaker sprinkles in a few words of Spanish. No translation is provided to the audience.
Solution:
The captions should be written in English when English dialogue is spoken, and [Speaking Spanish] when the speaker is speaking Spanish.
Scenario 3:
A performance features a number of pieces, all in different languages. The introduction and marketing is focused on English speakers and the intended experience for the audience is one of cultural immersion, in which they will not understand most of the languages spoken.
Solution:
Since the marketing and introduction is in English, the intended audience is presumably English speakers. The captions should be in English when English is spoken, and identify the additional languages used when spoken in brackets. For example, [Speaking Portuguese], [Speaking French], [Speaking Korean]. Content should not be translated from additional languages into English.