There is a phenomenon that people nowadays are reluctant towards reading and would prefer audio or visual formats. From entertainment, learning and education to business marketing, videos are widely involved in our everyday life. Here are some pointers for getting the full potential out of transcribing and subtitling.
Accessibility for deaf or hearing-loss viewers
Transcribed and captioned videos are developed to provide an equivalent viewing experience for the deaf or hearing-loss audience. Governments have also legislated to require the use of technology to help viewers with hearing disability. The US with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires state and private businesses to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from services because of the absence of auxiliary aids and services, such as captioning, while the regulatory and authority for the broadcasting in the UK must follow the Communications Act 2003 which deals with the provision of subtitling. Apart from the legal responsibility, a large portion of certain target audience may have to rely on such assistance as well. Studies show that one-third of people aged between 65 and 74 have trouble hearing. Relying on the audio formatted message alone may restrict your reach especially when baby boomers is your major target audience.
Better comprehension and accuracy
We have all experienced difficulties when watching a medical- or legal-themed drama series with various technical terminologies even in our mother tongue, let alone if they are in our second or third language. Audiences struggle to follow along if they do not understand the words being said. With subtitles provided, specific terms and proper names can be absorbed and understood; content including foreign languages and cultures or strong accents can be followed easier.
Enhanced accessibility
Accessibility is one of the most notable benefits of transcripts and subtitles. With the time-synchronised text, people are able to access to videos anywhere, including sound-sensitive environments such as libraries, work offices or crowded street. Conveying the speech of the audio content, subtitles and captions step up as an alternative when the sound is obscured. Viewers can also watch the videos on mute if they do not have headphones.
SEO optimisation
In addition to the legal responsibility and pragmatic advantages, adding transcripts and captions to a video content significantly boosts its SEO value by optimising it for further keyword searches. As every search engine works text-based, both transcripts and captions make the content more search-friendly. They allow search engines to find and rank your content, ultimately increasing the traffic of the videos. Elite Asia provides time-coded transcription solutions and on-screen text localisation, boosting SEO and improving organic ratings within local markets. There is no denying that people, especially young generations, found video contents more attractive and influential than texts. With all the technological advancements and options for outsourcing these specialised business practices, companies and businesses should not hesitate any longer to have their audio and visual materials properly transcribed and subtitled.
