Captions and transcripts: accessible practice

Both transcripts and captions are ways of reproducing audio content as text. Not only are they essential for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they’re also extremely helpful for other students who benefit from having a text version of the content, such as students who speak English as a second language or have cognitive impairments.

We asked our Digital Accessibility Ambassadors – UTS students with lived experience of disability how captions and transcripts improve their learning experience.

Captions are used in videos and display a line of text at the bottom of the video alongside audio. They are critical for students who have hearing loss or have some cognitive impairments. But they can also benefit all students for example they can reinforce concepts for students with English as a second language.

Creating automated captions

There are ways of creating automated captions, but these captions should always be double-checked for accuracy, as caption automation can sometimes create serious errors that will prevent your content from being communicated.

Depending on which video platform you are using, read the appropriate guide for more information on creating and adding captions.

• Kaltura Captioning Guide on LX Resources
• YouTube Caption Guide
• Vimeo Captions and Subtitles

Live captions are used in live classes and meetings; the process will depend on the technology you are using to host the session.

• Zoom – Enable live captions when you start your classes/meetings so students can turn them on during sessions.
• Microsoft Teams – students can enable captions themselves in sessions.
• Microsoft PowerPoint – Enable live captions in PowerPoint when presenting in an in person setting.
• Please note: in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Powerpoint these are automatically-generated and the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you have a student who requires professional captions for live sessions email the Accessibility Service as soon as possible. If the student is registered with the Accessibility Service they will be able to arrange for a stenographer to caption the session.

A transcript is a document that contains the full text of either a video or audio file. If you’re using a video, you should always include captions as they can be read simultaneously as the video plays. For both video and audio files, you can provide a transcript on the Canvas page by using the ‘details widget’ (a collapsible accordion menu) or in a .doc or PDF file.

Creating transcripts

A transcript can easily be downloaded via Kaltura or created using a speech-to-text program. Listed below are some applications that you can use for creating transcripts. 

• Make a Kaltura video transcript available in Canvas 
• Microsoft Speech Recognition for Word, Outlook, OneNote and PowerPoint.  
• Google Voice to Text (not supported by UTS)
• Otter AI (not supported by UTS)

By improving the quality of your audio – you can improve the accuracy of your automatically generate captions and transcripts. Here are some tips for improving your audio quality:

• Use a microphone for clear audio when recording your content or presenting online live.
• Remember the timing of captions is important so students can follow along with the conversation and be engaged in any discussions or activities.
• Speak as clearly as you can – evenly paced with pauses.
• Always check the accuracy for automatically generated captions and transcripts (and edit if necessary).