Closed Captioning Blog

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the tentative agenda for the next FCC meeting, to be held on Thursday, March 3, 2011.  The second half of the meeting will deal with two provisions in the 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act. The first will propose rules requiring providers of advanced communications services and manufacturers of equipment used for those services to make their products accessible to ...

In regards to the upcoming Read Across America Day (see: http://www.nea.org/readacross/), we thought it’d be a good idea to provide some more research and information on the idea of using closed captions to promote literacy. Television captions can be a valuable reading resource. It provides toddlers, preschoolers, struggling students, low literacy adults, and English language learners with the opportunity to connect spoken dialogue with the printed word. This is ...

The National Education Association sponsors an annual event called Read Across America on March 2, which happens to be Dr. Seuss’s birthday.  On this day, schools host Read Across America activities to encourage children of all ages to become excited about reading. It has grown into a nationwide event, with celebrities, politicians, and athletes joining in on the reading fun. In 2006, The National Association of the Deaf hosted ...

Closed captioning has never been easier or more personalized with the arrival of digital captions. With DIRECTV, you simply push the yellow button on the remote to turn on the captions or subtitles. (I prefer the subtitles because the font is yellow and easier for me to read.) Also, if you are sick of the white text in the big black box, you can now personalize your closed ...

Maybe not. It seems as though the 3D craze has not quite entered into domestic television sets as of yet. One reason could be the cost—they are still considerably more expensive than standard HD TVs. Many consumers are also bothered by the fact that you are required to wear 3D glasses and most need to be purchased separately. Another potential deterrent for many viewers is the lack of ...

Since the brand-new launch of Aberdeen’s Multilanguage subtitling and translation department in 2008, we have worked on many exciting projects, but the God of Wonders project has been one of our most adventurous feats yet!  God of Wonders is a documentary by Eternal Productions that explores the wonders of creation, conscience, and the glory of God.  Jim Tetlow, the executive producer of God of Wonders put his faith ...

When I first started working for Aberdeen Captioning, a company that offers closed captioning, subtitling, and translation services, I had never watched closed captions on television (except while in the gym!) and the only subtitles I had watched were during the few foreign films I had seen. However, after extensive training and years of experience, I am proud to call myself a seasoned caption editor. With my new ...

Translators deal with many obstacles when trying to translate colloquilisms and slang expressions. An additional difficulty occurs when dealing with taboo language. If the translator tries to omit the words, it may shift the meaning of the original content. Successful subtitles are ones that always accurately portray the intended meaning, without influencing the interpretation of the audience. This can be achieved by remaining neutral and not making the ...

It is safe to say that most people who speak more than one language understand that there are certain idiosyncrasies inherent in each language. Sometimes it is difficult to accurately translate certain sayings and the end result can be comical. In an Athens hotel there is a sign that reads: “Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.” A sign for ...

With a growing awareness of the importance of closed captions and subtitles, there is a need for universal consistency and standards of excellence. Here are a few key guidelines, proposed by Mary Carroll and Jan Ivarsson, that Aberdeen implements in order to achieve quality subtitles. • Subtitlers must work with a video copy of the production. They should be provided a glossary of unusual words, names, and special references. • ...