Highest Rated Comments


CCSubsThrowaway2095 karma

I was editing someone else's subtitles once and the character was talking about how how they'd done everything they'd been asked to do.

The subtitler apparently thought the phrase used was "The whole kitten caboodle".

CCSubsThrowaway1854 karma

No, but I have sat at home making notes on an important programme that someone else captioned badly so that I could go in and fix it the next day.

CCSubsThrowaway681 karma

Yep.

CCSubsThrowaway643 karma

Hey. Ok.

  1. I use WinCAPS software but have used others. Swift is the most popular.

  2. The best training is to watch closed captions at home. Pay attention to what makes a good subtitle. Look at what they describe and what they don't. Think about how you would subtitle a programme. Have a go at doing some YouTube videos.

  3. Reading speed v being dialogue-faithful. Is it better to have captions that accurately reflect the dialogue at all times but may be too quick for some to read comfortably, or to occasionally paraphrase in order to make for a more comfortable reading speed. I err on the side of trying to always be dialogue-faithful.

  4. Yes, I absolutely do try to describe a sound where necessary. "Door bell buzzes insistently", "liquid gurgles gloopily", that sort of thing. If a sound is important to the feel of the show, it's important to describe it.

  5. I'd like more captioning overall. On all channels, not just the ones that are Ofcom compliant. I'd like subtitles on all VOD content. All subtitles all the time, basically.

CCSubsThrowaway544 karma

I consider whether it's relevant to the plot and/or atmosphere of the show, and if it could potentially be missed by a hearing-impaired viewer.

Gunshot off-screen? Definitely goes in. A phone rings or door buzzes unseen? Goes in. A chaotic scene with children crying and alarms blaring? Important to the feel of the scene, it goes in.

But it's important to balance that with not being intrusive and obvious. If you can SEE the gun being fired, I don't need to describe the noise unless it's unusual.

There are programs where the soundscape is important to the feel of the program. Think of Twin Peaks or Legion. A hearing-impaired viewer is missing out if you don't describe the womb-like wooshing, or eerie teeth chattering.

Music is tricky. Sometimes it's important to the program, sometimes it's not. In a program like Westworld, for instance, the music is a feature. You have to include it. But in Hawaii 5-0, the viewer doesn't need to be informed every time some dramatic chase music plays. It's more immersive to simply watch the chase. You just have to use your judgement.