Transcriptions vs. closed captions. Which Is better?

Accurate, fast, and reliable transcription and captioning services are vital for businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies. Different transcription companies provide high quality transcription and captioning services in many different languages.

Transcription and captioning

There's a big debate online about whether to use transcriptions or closed captions for your videos. And it's a valid debate. Let's look at the two.

Transcription

Transcription is a task that consists in transforming audio or video into text. You can transcribe files manually or through the use of speech recognition software.

If you're not already using transcription services, you should be. Transcriptions can be of massive help in several ways, both for businesses and individuals.

For businesses, transcriptions can help when creating transcripts of customer service calls, sales calls, or any other type of business call. These transcripts can be helpful for training purposes or reviews by managers.

You can also turn transcripts into blog posts, articles, or even e-books.

For individuals, transcriptions can help in the creation of transcripts of lectures, speeches, or any other type of audio recording, which can be helpful for students who want to review the material later or for anyone who wants to have a written record of the discussion in class.

Transcription Steps 

• The first step in transcription is to create an audio or video recording of the source material. You can do this with a digital recorder, a microphone, or a webcam.

• After making a video or audio recording, import it into a transcription software program. The software will usually have a feature that allows the user to slow down the playback speed of the recording, which can be helpful when transcribing.

• The next step is to start transcribing. This part of the process involves listening to the recording and typing its content. Some people like to type out verbatim transcripts, while others may edit out any filler words or pauses.

• Once the transcript is complete, you can export it as a PDF or Word document. And that's it.

Captioning

You can create captions using special software to transform spoken words into text.

The text is then synchronised with the video so that viewers can read the captions while watching the video. There are two types of captioning: live captioning and post-production captioning.

Live captioning is the creation of captions in real-time when a video is playing. You can do this using speech recognition software or having a human transcriber type out the captions.

Post-production captioning is when the creation of them happens after the video has already been produced. There are many benefits to captioning videos, including: 

• Making it accessible to deaf and hard of hearing viewers

• Increasing engagement and comprehension for all viewers

• Making your videos searchable online

Captioning Steps

Whether you're new to captioning or if you've been captioning for a while, it can be helpful to have a refresher on the basics. Below are five essential steps for creating high quality captions: 

• Transcribe the audio

• Time the captions

• Proofread the content

• Add format to the text

• Publish the captions alongside your video content

Final Words: Which One Is Better?

It's a common question, "Should I caption or transcribe my videos?" The answer, like with most things, is that it depends.

This article is to help you decide on what you would prefer to use. Ideally, just transcribing will do if you only want to have backup material for archival purposes or to transform it into a different type of content. This way, you'll have text support for any material you might need. 

If you are a content creator looking for your material to reach as many people as possible, then captioning is the way to go. Not only will you have your material transcribed, but the extra captioning process will also add more accessibility to the content you want to share with others. 

Several transcription and captioning services are available online, so it's important to choose one that best fits your needs. If you're unsure where to start, click here for one of the best transcription and captioning services on the market.