Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

Humans are a visual species. Most of us find videos more memorable, more popular, and more engaging than any other type of content out there. Video is continuing to grow in popularity and importance and businesses, organizations, and individuals must become acquainted with new tools and best practices. Closed captioning, unfortunately, is one of those tools that are often overlooked, although it offers a multitude of benefits, including reaching a wider audience. Let’s go through the main reasons why you need audio transcription.

Why Are Closed Captions so Important?

1.Improve Accessibility

Closed captions were initially created for the deaf and hard of hearing to assist them with comprehension. It is estimated that around 6 percent of the global population has some level of hearing loss.

By not investing in audio to text transcription, you could be neglecting a significantly large audience for your content. By improving accessibility, you will not only grow your audience but show your viewers that you care about every single one of them.

2.Aid ESL and Foreign Language Students

Using closed captions has also proven helpful for those in the process of learning a non-native language. The internet is a great medium for connecting audiences with media from across the globe. You may be surprised to know just how many of your viewers could be non-natives. Ensure that everyone is accommodated so that your content can reach more people.

3.Comply with the Law

If you live in the United States, you are probably familiar with The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act sets requirements for accessible technology. More specifically, captioning on educational videos that are available to students as well as the public is a requirement to ensure effective communication for all individuals.

The Americans with Disabilities Act applies mainly to the public sector, while the Rehabilitation Act applies to federal agencies and federally funded programs.

4.Improve SEO

Search engine optimization plays a huge part in growing your organic visitors and can help meet your marketing goals. Closed captions can improve your video SEO, as search engines don’t crawl video, only text. If you want your videos to rank high on Google or other search tools, you need to back it up with captions and transcripts of audio.

5.Improve Average Watch Time

Closed captions are also known to improve the average watch time. It’s all about giving them the option to turn on the eye-catching captions. Once you want to grab a viewer’s attention, they’re more likely to watch the video until the end. So, if you want to keep your viewers engaged, captions may be just the thing that you keep them on-board longer.

How Can I Use Audext to Caption Videos?

Audext is a great online audio transcription software that can help you implement closed captions. The platform is not only extremely easy to use but also fast:

  • First, make sure your audio does not have loud background noise.
  • Log into your Audext dashboard and upload your video file under “New upload” or “New transcription.”
  • Enter the identity of the people who are speaking in the video.
  • Submit your file and wait until the software transcribes it to text.
  • Edit the transcript if needed.
  • Download your .doc or .txt file.
  • Create subtitles from the transcription using the available online converter.

Which Caption Format Is Right for My Video?

There are a lot of caption formats out there, which can be classified as simple, intermediate, advanced.

The most popular, widely accepted, as well as the easiest to create caption formats, are SRT and WebVTT. Intermediate caption formats include SCC and SMPTE-TT, which are mainly used in broadcast television. Alas, advanced caption formats are used for more complex needs like closed caption placement or stylistic preferences, and they include file formats such as XML, CPT.XML, CAP, .asc, and .cap.

If you want to create your own closed captions, go for the SRT file. You can easily create one using Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac). Of course, in the end, the caption format you use will depend entirely on which format the video player accepts. Luckily, most will work just fine with the common file formats mentioned above.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *