Whether ‘tis more numbing in the mind to suffer the mastery of captioning, language and file delivery service options or to align them with the plethora of automation, coding, and on-air server systems that are installed at the nearly 8,000 TV stations in the country (not to mention worldwide).  The real challenge, surprisingly, not the process of becoming an authority of systems and workflows the world over, but rather the installation of not a workflow, but of confidence in the producer or engineer’s mind.

Thus the science makes cowards of us all.  But surely our company’s history evokes bravery.  Why should I tremble when we were able to lower our producers from the tower by allowing them to master a captioned tape from there NLEs.  Who of us here at Aberdeen could forget how we slayed the Sony XDCAM captioning beast on the floor of NAB in Las Vegas.  Certainly, our next adventure shall be our most exciting as we are in the midst of turning “can’t” into “can” and “doing” into “done.”  In sales guy terms, our stuff just works and works in a way that no one else’s stuff works.  Now how do I get a producer or engineer on the other end of the phone or video chat to buy into that, especially in when talking about dropping a closed captioned, broadcast ready file (better quality mind you) onto a server in a preferred format.  That must be a sheer flight of fancy and the stuff of make believe.

Ahh, but believe they will.  Not at first though.  The truth must be polished like a pearl for the digital age has not brought clarity and simplicity, but rather muck and mire.  “Clear as mud” is a common phrase uttered by the experts in this high-tech, high-demand world of television broadcasting, webcasting and mobile transmission.  Thank goodness for the community of producers, engineers and all others who muscle through technology trends and paradigm shifts together with Aberdeen.  If not for this technology community, or as I prefer, “techmunity” (okay, I admit, it sounds a little more like technology mutiny) there would be little in the way of progress, or more frightening still, no collective commiseration.  What to do if we had to muscle through technology breakthroughs without the pleasure of forging new friendships alongside new state-of-the-just-work-already solutions.

And enterprises of great pitch and moments like these is what being a sales engineer is all about.

This blog was written by By Steve Holmes (with Shakespeare), Sales Engineer for Aberdeen.

If you are interested in buying into what Steve is selling or would like to know more about it, or if you would just like a laugh with this funny guy, he can be reached at 800-688-6621 or info@abercap.com

Here at Aberdeen, we strive for the best. That expectation starts at the initial point of contact when you first call our office, and it extends all the way down to the accuracy of the captions and subtitles that we ultimately deliver back to you.

One rule that I take pride in is using the serial comma. This is a rule that Aberdeen has decided to put into common practice for all of our captions, and it made the grammar nerd in me very happy.

A serial comma is the comma used immediately before the conjunction that ends a list of three or more. For example: I bought bananas, apples, and oranges. The serial comma is the comma before the “and.”

In the above example, the comma probably isn’t even noticed, and if it were removed the context of the sentence would stay the same. But let’s give a different example.

I dedicate this award to my parents, Jesus Christ and God. Notice the ambiguity? Do I mean to say that my parents are Jesus Christ and God? Or do I mean that the award is dedicated to three separate entities: my parents, Jesus Christ, and God? The simple addition of the serial comma removes all confusion.

Some may argue that the serial comma should only be used in instances where confusion might occur, and that it should be omitted in any instance where there’s no room for ambiguity. However, as the writer of the above examples, I know what I meant when I wrote them. I know that my parents are not Jesus Christ and God, therefore not including the comma could make complete sense to me. In my mind, perhaps that second example leaves no room for confusion because it should be obvious that my parents are not, in fact, Jesus Christ and God. As such, the choice to only use the serial comma in some instances and not in others leaves the rule open to too much interpretation.

You will never come across an example where using the serial comma creates confusion. The original purpose in omitting the serial comma was solely for journalistic reasons, to save column space when writing for a newspaper.

At Aberdeen we provide captions and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing community. When captions are scrolling past on your screen, there’s not often time to be able to stop and ponder what the meaning of a sentence was supposed to be; by the time you’ve figured it out, the caption is already long gone.

Would you be confused reading this sentence? Today I spoke to my mom, a pastor and a convicted murderer.

The next time you’re writing keep this in mind, because you don’t want people to have to wonder if your mom is a convict or not.

Written by: Jackie Blackwell, Caption Editor at Aberdeen

adverse vs. averse—adverse means unfavorable. Averse means reluctant.

descendent vs. descendant—Apparently, descendent is now considered a dead word. Always stick with descendant when referring to something derived from an earlier person, animal, or thing.

complement vs. compliment—Complement is something that adds to something else. A compliment is something nice that someone says about you.

inequity vs. iniquity— Inequity is an injustice. Iniquity is a sin.

insure vs. ensure—Insure relates to insurance only (think car insurance.) Ensure means to guarantee something.

peak vs. peek vs. pique—Peak is a high point, such as on a mountain. Peek is when you look at something. Pique means to excite your interest.

profit vs. prophet—Profit is a net income or measure of gain. A prophet is someone who foretells future events.

whose vs. who’s—Whose is something that belongs to someone else (Whose idea is this?) Who’s is a contraction meaning who is or who has. (Who’s learning about homophones today?)

Per our last post, we discussed the benefits of using voice recognition software. However, we understand that part of the process is to go back and correct the errors. Voice writing “on the fly” by a trained professional still only produces captions that are 95% accurate at very best, but usually under 90%. (And this is using software that has been trained to understand an individual captioner’s voice.) Closed captioning remains a field where a trained human professional’s product will surpass any computer program.

So while this new embrace of closed captioning is still a step in the right direction, we encourage companies to remember that accuracy is important especially when it comes to your message. (Also remember that your SEO will be enhanced if the captioning text of your online video is completely accurate.) Why risk having your professional video ridiculed for closed captioning blunders?

To get an idea of just how inaccurate voice recognition captions can be, check out: http://youtubecaptionfail.com/.

I don’t know about you, but I had never thought about any other way of typing than to actually use my fingers and strike the keys on a computer keyboard.  I know I’m not the fastest typer out there, but I’ve always felt proud of my 70 wpm typing speed.  Somehow I managed to write all my college papers without ever missing a deadline. Granted, some of those papers were written the night before they were due and sometimes even printed out 30 minutes before class started, but they were always on time.  Then, of course, I was left walking like a zombie throughout campus for the rest of the day; nothing a good cup of coffee could not fix, right?

About 2 months ago I applied for a transcriber/caption editor position at Aberdeen Captioning, and while going through the interview process I was asked to transcribe an 8-minute long video.   As soon as I opened the video and saw the length of it, I thought, “Piece of cake,” so I started typing away.  After half an hour of changing back and forth between Microsoft Word and Media player, rewinding the video several times, and being nowhere close to being done, I found myself talking to the computer and saying, “Hold your horses!”  Needless to say I needed a break, but I kept thinking, if only I could type faster, or even better, if the people in the video could speak slower, this task wouldn’t be as frustrating.

Within my first week at the job I was introduced to my new dragon friend; Dragon Naturally Speaking.  Doing justice to its epic name, this speech recognition software has made my transcribing experience a lot more interesting from the moment I started using it.  Remember how in the movie Eragon, the dragon Saphira, could read Eragon’s thoughts?  That’s more or less how this program works.  Obviously Dragon doesn’t type what you’re thinking, but after a short training, the program learns how to understand your voice and you’re good to go!  So instead of typing what people say in a video, you speak the words and Dragon types it for you.  Pretty neat huh?

Despite being excited about using a new program, I still had my doubts. Could this voice recognition software really be faster than my 70 wpm typing? I mean, that’s a decent typing speed, right? Besides, when I type I can fix my mistakes immediately whereas with Dragon it’s easier to keep dictating and then go back and fix my mistakes later.  I was skeptical about this dictation program’s effectiveness against my own.  If there’s one thing I remember from my biology classes in college is that I have to test my theories to obtain an answer, so  I decided to put an end to my doubts and find out if all my years of typing would help me compete with this dragon.

Two minutes of typing. I don’t remember ever surrendering so fast, not even when I ran 3 miles under 100⁰ F weather in cross-country! I had to face it; I can speak significantly faster than I can type. The Dragon Naturally speaking software is a great tool that tremendously improves your typing speed, especially if you’re typing a long paper; after all, Dragon doesn’t get tired of typing and I hardly believe anyone would ever get tired of talking.  I mainly use the program to dictate what other people speak, but I can’t help to wonder how much it would’ve helped me in college when I had to write those 10-page papers. This program types words that I don’t even know how to spell, automatically capitalizes words after periods and what’s best, I can keep training it to understand me better every time I notice a mistake; that’s a keeper, if you ask me.

Yo no sé ustedes, pero yo nunca había pensado sobre ningún otro tipo de escribir en la computadora más que el de usar mis dedos para oprimir las teclas de la computadora. Yo sé que no soy la persona más rápida al escribir en la computadora, pero siempre me he sentido orgullosa de mi velocidad de 70 palabras por minuto. De alguna manera siempre logré escribir mis reportes en la universidad sin que se me pasara ninguna fecha límite para entregar los trabajos. Claro, algunos de esos reportes fueron escritos la noche anterior de su fecha límite y algunos fueron impresos 30 minutos antes de que empezara la clase, pero siempre los entregué a tiempo. Obvio después yo me quedaba caminando como un zombi alrededor de la escuela por el resto del día; nada que una buena taza de café no pueda arreglar, ¿Están de acuerdo?

Hace alrededor de dos meses solicité un trabajo de transcriptora/editora de subtítulos para la compañía Aberdeen Captioning y durante el proceso de la entrevista se me pidió transcribir un video de 8 minutos de largo. En cuanto me di cuenta de la longitud del video, pensé, “Regalado,” así que empecé a escribir en la computadora de inmediato. Después de media hora de cambiar continuamente de una ventana de Microsoft Word a la otra del reproductor Windows Media Player, de regresar el video varias veces, y de no estar ni siquiera cerca de haber terminado, me encontré hablándole a la computadora y diciéndole, “¡Espérate!” Sin duda necesitaba un descanso, pero seguí pensando que si tan sólo yo pudiera escribir a computadora más rápido, o aún mejor, si la gente en el video pudiera hablar más lento, esta tarea no fuera tan frustrante.

Dentro de mi primera semana de trabajo se me presentó a mi nuevo amigo dragón; Dragon Naturally Speaking. Haciéndole justicia a su nombre épico, este programa de reconocimiento de voz ha hecho mi experiencia al transcribir mucho más interesante desde el momento en que empecé a usarlo. ¿Recuerdan como en la película Eragon el dragón Saphira podía leer los pensamientos de Eragon? Es más o menos así como este programa funciona. Obviamente Dragon no escribe lo que ustedes están pensando, pero después de un corto entrenamiento, el programa aprende a entender su voz y después de eso, ¡Ya están listos! Así que en vez de escribir lo que la gente dice en el video, usted simplemente repite las palabras dichas y Dragon las escribe. Nada mal, ¿No?

A pesar de estar emocionada sobre este nuevo programa, todavía tenía mis dudas. ¿Podría este programa de reconocimiento de voz ser más rápido que mi velocidad de escribir a 70 palabras por minuto? O sea, esa es una buena velocidad de escribir en la computadora, ¿verdad? Además, cuando escribo en la computadora puedo corregir mis errores inmediatamente mientras que con Dragon es más fácil seguir dictando y después regresar para corregir mis errores. No estaba segura de la efectividad de este programa de dictado al lado de mi propia efectividad. Si hay algo que recuerdo de mis clases de biología en la universidad es que tengo que poner a prueba mis teorías para obtener una respuesta, así que decidí poner un alto a mis dudas y descubrir si todos mis años de escribir en la computadora me ayudarían a competir contra este dragón.

Dos minutos de escribir en la computadora. No me acuerdo nunca haberme rendido tan rápido, ¡Ni siquiera cuando corrían 3 millas bajo un clima de 100 °F en el campo a través! Tuve que aceptarlo; puedo hablar significantemente más rápido de lo que puedo escribir en la computadora. El programa Dragon Naturally Speaking es una gran herramienta que mejora tremendamente su velocidad al escribir a computadora, especialmente si están escribiendo un reporte largo; después de todo, Dragon no se cansa de escribir y me cuesta mucho creer que alguien se canse de hablar. Yo principalmente uso este programa para dictar lo que otras personas hablan, pero no puedo dejar de preguntarme cuánto me hubiera ayudando en la universidad cuando tuve que escribir esos reportes de 10 páginas. Éste programa escribe palabras que ni siquiera sé cómo deletrear, automáticamente usa mayúsculas después de los puntos y lo que es mejor, puedo seguir entrenándolo para qué me entienda mejor cada vez que corrijo un error; en mi opinión, un muy buen partido.

SOBRE LA AUTORA: Clara Mendez es una transcriptora/editora de subtítulos para Aberdeen Captioning Inc. Al haber aprendido el inglés como su segundo idioma, ella se ha vuelto consciente de la importancia de la comunicación intralingüística para poder expresar ideas a una mayor cantidad de gente.  Clara cree en traducir no solo el contenido, sino que también la calidad temática del mensaje y ella valora la exactitud de una buena traducción del inglés al español.  Clara se esfuerza para ayudar a la gente a comunicarse mejor sin importar la familiaridad que ellos tengan con el idioma inglés, y a usar la información que ella obtiene para extender su conocimiento día con día. Para contactarse con Clara, mande un correo electrónico a info@abercap.com o llame al 800-688-6621.  Para más información sobre los subtítulos o closed captions, visite www.abercap.com.

Need multi-language translation for your YouTube video? No problem! Aberdeen will provide a professional and experienced translator to ensure that your message is understood globally.  All you need is a YouTube account.

To learn more about DCMP’s “YouTube Ready” qualification visit:

http://youtubeready.dcmp.org/

Also, watch Aberdeen’s YouTube video for more information on our captioning and subtitling services for your YouTube video at:

http://abercap.com/youtube_captioning.html

Many people have their ethical and political views on outsourcing overseas, but I am not going to discuss in today’s article whether it is the “right” or “wrong” thing to do.  I want to share with you the reason why transcription services for closed captioning and subtitling should stay with native English speakers, whether they live in the United States or elsewhere.

I get sales calls all the time from transcription agencies overseas attempting to convince me of the value of their service.  In the beginning the low rates lured me in to giving them a test run.  From the times I was willing to give it a shot, transcripts from overseas transcribers (Philippines, India, and the like) are nowhere near the caliber of our native-speaker transcribers.  A layman may not understand the intricacies of a good transcription, therefore not understanding the big deal of “quality.”  Let me tell you in terms of numbers.  Our editors with an outsourced transcript spend on average four times as long with a script from a non-native speaker than with a transcript from a native speaker.  In my experience, a non-native speaker doesn’t have the ear for the nuances of the English language as well as the culture and context of the dialogue. I can tell you that I am fluent in Spanish as a second language, and therefore there are things that just aren’t as easy for me to pick up that are a piece of cake to a native speaker.

Cost wise, it doesn’t make sense for our company to achieve the quality we are looking for to use the non-native speakers you get from outsourced transcription companies.  I have had companies promise me that their transcribers can match mine, but it never happens.  If I can get a transcript for half the cost, that is just as good, I would have no problem outsourcing, but the problem is, that just hasn’t happened. Until then, I have learned cost almost always equals quality whether it is for transcription or translation services.  People that are good with experience know it, and charge for it.

What has your experience been with outsourcing?

I believe the Lord gave me this opportunity to work at home, part-time, doing transcription work for Aberdeen Captioning. While I was on maternity leave, after the birth of my daughter in the spring of 2006, I was conflicted and stressed out thinking about how I was going to leave my precious newborn in a day care so I could go back to work. I didn’t know what to do. My sister, who already worked full-time for Aberdeen Captioning, suggested it to me as a possible alternative to going back to my previous employer. I knew it was the answer I was looking for.  

Working for Aberdeen Captioning as a Transcriber has allowed me to stay home with my daughter (and will also allow me to stay home with the baby we are expecting). I love the flexibility of working at my own pace, often while my daughter is sleeping or playing and in the evenings or on the weekends when my husband is home. Often my friends with children tell me they wish they had a gig like mine! However, an even greater gift has been the actual programming that I transcribe. Most of the jobs that I receive are Christian in nature, such as church sermons, Bible studies, conferences, worship services, and youth Christian programming. In addition to my own church life and walk with God, receiving this consistent Biblical speaking and encouragement through my work has been indescribably great! Of all the programming there is out there, what could be better than listening and typing about God?

My work experience prior to this has been in Finance and Credit, including working for a Collection Agency, which was really the exact opposite of what I wanted to do with my English degree. It just wasn’t where my heart was. So I felt like it came naturally for me to do transcription work, not because I was necessarily a fast typist (although now I am), but because I tend to pay close attention to detail and actually enjoy editing and learning new words. I know…I’m a big dork! Nevertheless, there was definitely a learning curve for me in the first couple months until I got down the Aberdeen Captioning style. I was always flipping through my training manual to see when it was appropriate to use ellipses, chevrons and double dashes, not to mention when to spell out a number or not. That took me a while. Luckily, the staff at Aberdeen Captioning was very helpful and patient. After a couple of months, I finally got all the rules down. To avoid mistakes, I always look up scripture in websites like BibleGateway.com to be sure of punctuation and spelling. I also keep Merriam-Webster.com open while I’m working, as well as helpful search engines like Google. 

Thank you Aberdeen Captioning for this opportunity to work for your company. You have been a blessing in my life. I look forward to many more years of working and growing together.

This is an offline captioning term, referring to the person who takes the transcript and turns it into captions.  This person does the bulk of the captioning work.  They do the timing, placement, and research for the closed captions, using a professional captioning software. 

Transcriber

The person who creates a written representation of a program’s audio to be used for captioning.  Transcribers can work remotely and e-mail the caption editor their final transcripts or they can work in-house for the captioning company.

Live Captioner

Live captioners are typically trained as CPRs and use that training to become live captioners.  Live captioners require years of experience to be able to accurately caption in real-time.

Proofer/Quality Checker

This is a seasoned caption editor or manager who reviews the post-production captioning projects to ensure proper style and accuracy.