What are closed captions and subtitles and how do they work?

Closed captions are a textual version of the audio of any video. It is shown in real time while the video is being played on the screen, the captions just follow along. Closed captions are especially for those people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Closed captions are in the same language as the original audio.  

Subtitles are a form of captions that translate the dialogue or narrative of a video/ film from one language to the other and are displayed at the bottom of a cinema or television screen.

What's the difference between Captions and subtitles?

Although they might share the same purpose, they have quite a few differences between each other.

Captions

1. Captions are designed for the viewers who are deaf or are hard of hearing. All the other elements such as music, sound effects etc. are also included in the captions.
2. Captions provide a complete textual representation of all audio content in a video (sometimes even the background noise) which makes it accessible for the individuals who may not be able to hear the audio.
3. Captions can usually be seen at the bottom of the screen of the video.
4. Captions come in two options i.e. open and closed captions. As the name suggests open captions means captions are turned on and can be seen as the video plays and vice versa.

Subtitles

1. Subtitles on the other hand are a translated version of the dialogue or narration from the video from one language to another. They are usually designed for audiences who can hear the audio but not understand the language spoken.
2. Subtitles dont include any background information, just the dialogues or narration.
3. Subtitles are mostly used while watching movies in foreign languages or videos in order to understand the context in a different language. 

Why Use Subtitles

“Anime’’ a form of animation movies and shows, although it has Japanese origins, is watched by more than 100 million people all over the world. All thanks to the subtitles! If you want a global audience to view and engage with your content then adding subtitles and translating them is of utmost importance. Subtitles brings viewers and viewers bring engagement. So if you wanna shoot your shot on going VIRAL then join us now https://linguidoor.com/ and let us help you accomplish that. 

Why use Closed Captions 

Captions make it convenient for viewers to understand the context of any video without hearing it eg. for those who are with hearing disability.Oftentimes when people are in a noisy environment they can easily understand the video context without listening to it. Captions can be great for gaining engagement and get your message across through short clips.

Conclusion

In short, even though they serve different purposes to different people, closed captions and subtitles enhance the quality of your content. It makes your content rich and also adds a touch of inclusivity in it. If you want your videos to go VIRAL and boost engagement then adding captions will do the job.