Patrick Joseph Besong
2013
Captioning video not only makes video accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing, but there are other compelling reasons for it as well. These are also good talking points to convince others of the need to caption video. • Captioned videos have better user retention of the video content. • The video’s transcripts are searchable, so you will get better Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which may give you a leg up on your competition. • Captioned video also opens your market reach to a whole new segment of paying customers - the deaf! • It’s the law. Many videos that are provided to the public must be captioned either due to federal communication law, or merely a company’s policy regarding accessibility. • Language learning relies heavily on captioned video. • If the viewer is in a noisy area and does not have access to headphones, the captions can be read while watching the video. • Similarly, if the viewer does not have headphones and cannot turn up the volume due to the need to keep noise to a minimum (like in a library or nursery), the captions are there to provide what is being spoken.
Read this work at the World Public Library (library card needed).