[Captions] Include quality checks?

[iadawn]

Should the checking captions section include information checking the quality of captions?

More? Less? Different checks? None at all?

[JediLin]

I think it should. I'm not sure if this section should include information on translated captions.

I'd like to suggest a little change too:

Current wording:

• Check if other important sounds, like applause or thunder rumbling, are included.

Suggested revision:

• Check if other important sounds, like applause or thunder rumbling, are included in default captions or additional SDH captions.

[iadawn]

@JediLin What is SDH?

[JediLin]

SDH stands for Subtitles for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing. Further reference:

• Subtitling for d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: Current Practices and New Possibilities to Enhance Language Development (2017)
• Netflix's blog post: Continuing Our Work on Accessibility (2023)

[iadawn]

I think the idea of 'default captions' and 'SDH' goes beyond the 'easy' requirement. So unless you feel strongly about this, I am going to propose not adding this distinction.

[JediLin]

In this case, I'd like to propose deleting this entire item:

• Check if other important sounds, like applause or thunder rumbling, are included.

Or make it softer, such as:

• Other important sounds, like applause or thunder rumbling, might be included.

[iadawn]

@JediLin I am not sure of the rationale for the change. It seems that you are suggesting these are secondary things that might be included. However, is that counter to the opening 'Other important sounds'?

Happy to hear your thoughts

[JediLin]

In my general TV programs (online videos, streaming service programs) watching experience, videos with closed captions:

• almost all provide dialog caption in original language, labeled with language name (ex: English)
• some provide translated dialog caption in other languages, labeled with language name (ex: Spanish)
• few provide dialog and import sounds caption in original language, labeled with language name and "SDH" (ex: English (SDH))

When putting people with low accessibility knowledge as target audience in mind, I think they will mainly encounter dialog-only captions.

And in my field experience with actual users with hearing disabilities, some prefer SDH captions while others prefer non-SDH ones for SDH captions do interfere visual presentation more. Usually I'll suggest content authors to provide both versions of caption.

I do think spoken content is more important than other (still important) sounds here.

[AndrewArch]

In Australia, all TV captions that I've observed (and my wife usually turns them on) include background sounds like [bird chirping] or [door creaking] . Looking at some streaming TV channels, in particular closed captions in SBS On Demand, I find that 'English CC' is recommended on all platforms except iOS mobile where 'English SDH' is recommended.

At Intopia, we always recommend including important sounds in the standard CC - IMHO most corporates or government agencies are not going to produce 2 sets.

[JediLin]

Indeed, different regions will have different practices/preferences. We might like to consider that.

In Taiwan, for some political and historical reasons, the main stream is open caption and is dialog-only (without speaker-indicator) for decades. All (100%) movies in movie theaters provide dialog-only open caption and none (0%) closed caption. In fact lots of Taiwanese YouTuber still make YouTube videos with open caption for viewers, and closed caption (again, dialog-only) just for SEO or YouTube recommendation algorithm.

Fun fact: In Taiwan, TV captions (open caption) in early ages are all right-to-left, later left-to-right.