Can we please please normalize subtitles?
Subtitles are:
1. A necessity for deaf people
2. REALLY helpful for those who are partially deaf, have APD (like me and my sister) or any other hearing problem
3. really helpful for those who can’t focus well, especially for those with ADD/ADHD (like me)
4. Is incredibly helpful for people learning a second language, or for bilingual people who can read better than they can hear
5. Even if you aren’t into learning the language, there are countless amazing foreign movies and songs you really can’t enjoy without subtitles!
6. Can help people (like my sister) who have reading comprehension
7. Can help when you’re having a party and you don’t want to pause every time someone wants to make a comment/joke
8. Can help when the characters in the show have a heavy accent (especially in period shows)
9. Let’s be honest subtitles can really add to the humor of the show! (”sobs mathematically”, “screeches loudly”, “angrily fixes bowtie”)
10. Can let people watch content without headphones, or in areas of loud noises.
11. Alternatively, If someone has sensitive hearing or is triggered by loud noises, they can turn the volume down low and still be able to enjoy the content
12. The last bit is VERY true for movies where they switch between soft speaking and LOUD BOOMING NOISES (I’m looking at you hunger games)
13. Very good for helping young kids recognize and associate words and learn to read faster!
14. Really good when you’re eating chips/crunchy candy and can’t hear the movie
15. IS A NECESSITY FOR DEAF PEOPLE!!!
I can’t even tell you how many of my friends made fun of me for needing subtitles, to the point of where I just don’t bother with them anymore. Asking for subtitles at an event is the scariest thing I can imagine. People often complain that it “gets in the way” of their movie. Watching shows (especially in loud areas or with people who talk a lot) is incredibly frustrating for me. People often think I’m stupid for not understanding a show or needing to rewind when someone talks. Most Youtube users don’t bother to create subtitles for their videos (and auto-generated subtitles are crap). I just wish people were nicer to people who need subtitles, and that they were more accessible on other platforms.
Oh my god you guys last semester some guy in my film history class was whining like a kindergartener about how we opted for subtitles on a film that was in English and I went OFF
I rarely, rarely, reblog things I have already reblogged. But this is SO DAMN important.
I’m not even deaf, neither is my husband, but we enjoy shows better with subtitles because it’s easier to understand. For me I have problems with processing what I hear when my kids are running around or when something else is making noise in the general area; for my husband, he is a multitasker extraordinaire and having subtitles helps him enjoy his shows while also playing games on his laptop or working on a chore. Literally nothing about subtitles get in the way, and I don’t understand why people get so uppity about them. Subtitles are good!!!
I love watching with subtitles! I have ADHD and it can be really hard to focus when watching something. I have an econ class that has videos we can watch, and reading what they’re saying helps me process what I’m hearing so much easier!
Tag: captioning
An open letter to my teachers: captions aren’t “distracting”, they’re a fucking necessity
With the rise of technology in classrooms, it’s pretty much impossible to get through a school day without having to watch an educational video. Here’s the thing though (@ teachers):
Captions are NOT a privilege! You’re not going out of your way or “doing me a favor”. Captions are a necessary support for some students.
(Important note: I am not Deaf or hearing impaired, and Deaf/hearing impaired students are far from the only ones who benefit from captions. Students with sensory issues may need to limit noise at times, and would only be able to watch videos with captions because of that. Students with a variety of learning disabilities may not be able to process auditory information as quickly as they process visual information, like me. And lastly, there are abled students who find they process information better when they read it instead of hear it! Point being, there are any number of reasons why a student might request for you to put captions on a video, but I guarantee you it’s never to cause a disruption.)
In my opinion, it’s pretty bad if you’re not enabling them automatically (putting students on the spot and opening them up to ridicule when they ask for the supports they need is not cool—better to provide the supports in the first place without being asked). But it’s even worse if a student asks for you to turn on the captions, and you don’t listen! And when you make up an excuse like “but captions are distracting!”, that is sending a message to disabled students’ that their needs are less important than the comfort of their abled counterparts.
The only acceptable excuse I can think of for not turning on captions is when the only available ones are auto generated. In which case… Do your job and check before showing the video, and if it doesn’t have captions, then be sure to provide your own captions and/or transcript for the video. And if you’re not going to take the time to do that, don’t show a video in the first place. Furthermore, NEVER assign a podcast/video to listen to for homework unless you know for a fact that there is a transcript or caption option available. A five minute video is a five minute assignment for most abled people. Without captions or transcripts, a five minute video can be a twenty minute assignment for disabled people.
Foreign language teachers: it’s even harder for students to process spoken language when it isn’t their first language, so enable foreign language captions. I understand that enabling English captions defeats the purpose, but at least enable captions in the language of the class.
Teachers, your ableist discomfort surrounding captions is contrary to what you should believe as a teacher. As a teacher, you should want to provide your students with every opportunity to succeed that you are capable of providing to them. Captions take an extra click of a mouse; they are not a burden. If you deny reasonable requests from students that will improve the quality of their learning simply on the basis of your preference, comfort, teaching style, etc., you’re just a bad teacher.
This also applies in workplaces. I am a hard of hearing medical professional and I cannot tell you the number of required videos I have to watch in a year that are completely inaccessible. Hope I don’t need this info.
It absolutely applies to workplaces and other professional environments. It even applies to watching a fun video or going to a movie in theaters with your friends. Captioned movies are hard to come by and only play in theaters a few times a week, and I know that can be hard to schedule around, but they are a necessity.
The quality control on the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Blu-ray release from Classic Media is… lacking, to put it mildly.
“How bad is it,” you ask? Three examples:
Exhibit A:
My wife and I ordered a copy of the 50th anniversary Blu-ray edition of Rudolph from Amazon, since they had it on discount. What we received had a slip cover, sleeve insert, and disc label all reading “50th Anniversary,” with a copyright date of 2014.
Unfortunately, the actual contents of the disc were the original 2010 edition, based on the menu design and the file timestamps. The (already meager) bonus features mentioned on the packaging, which were unique to the anniversary release, were nowhere to be found.
Yes, misprinted discs sometimes happen, even with major studio releases (sometimes with hilarious results). If it had just been that issue, I’d have written this off as a fluke—though to be honest, I have no idea how many other misprinted copies are in circulation, or whether they’d be recalled even if they were reported.
However, even if we’d gotten the correct edition of the disc, the problems don’t end there.
Exhibit B:
The 2010 version of the Blu-ray contains a noticeable audio glitch in the first verse of “Silver and Gold,” where an entire word has gone missing. (“Everyone wishes [skip] silver and gold…”). This line was correct, with the word “for” intact, on earlier releases; however, I can personally confirm that the line is glitched on the 2010 version.
Again, mastering errors happen, even on major studio releases. Still, once they’re discovered, they’re usually acknowledged by the studio once discovered, and often fixed on newer releases. That’s not always the case, though, even on major-label releases (for instance, the most recent Blu-ray of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast retained a mastering error where a scene from the extended version was wrongly used in the theatrical version).
Unfortunately, Rudolph falls firmly into the latter category. Although this audio glitch was mentioned by several reviewers of the original Blu-ray release, according to the comments on this AVSForum thread, it remains unfixed in the re-release.
But even that isn’t the worst sin committed by Classic Media in their Blu-ray releases of this holiday classic.
Exhibit C:
The packaging for the 2014 release very clearly states that the disc includes English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Similarly, the actual packaging for the 2010 Blu-ray includes a [CC] logo on the case.
There is no subtitle track whatsoever on the 2010 edition that we received. None. Nada. Nul. (And no, it doesn’t include NTSC closed-captioning data, either—yes, that’s possible to embed in the video stream on a Blu-ray, though largely pointless and rarely done since many players can’t even display it.)
“Maybe they fixed this on the actual 2014 disc,” you’re thinking? Nope. According to the same AVSForum thread linked above, as well as this DVDizzy review (which clearly shows the correct menu layout, and not what’s on the misprinted copy), there aren’t any subtitles to be found on that release, either, despite the box’s claim to the contrary.
Rudolph has aired on TV with closed captions since at least the early ’90s (and possibly even earlier; I’m only going off my own memory of watching it). The original DVD releases of it from Sony also included subtitles. Even VHS releases of it were captioned.
Seriously, Classic Media, how did you manage to screw up something that’s been present on so many previous releases of this film, get the details wrong on the packaging to add insult to injury, and then keep the erroneous packaging in circulation for 4 years (or 8, if we’re also including the original Blu-ray release)?!?
Verdict: guilty as charged.
Update:
Just received the Anniversary Edition of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town from the same publisher.
At least this time, the disc is the version that it claims to be (with an “anniversary edition” menu screen, and files having a timestamp of 2015).
Unfortunately, just like Rudolph, the specs printed on the case are complete fabrications. The alleged subtitle track, once again, does not exist.
But deaf people aren’t the only audience that Classic Media has slighted this time around—how about a significant portion of the Canadian market? The packaging mentions the availability a French dub, but don’t get your hopes up, Francophones; the actual disc only offers English and Spanish tracks.
Sous-titrer des vidéos pour réduire la stigmatisation des troubles psy (besoin d’aide)
En tant que Française souffrant de troubles psychologiques, j’ai beaucoup cherché sur Internet des ressources sur le sujet. J’avais besoin à la fois d’explications de professionnels pour comprendre ce que je vivais, et de témoignages d’individus lambda pour me rassurer et pour découvrir comment les autres vivaient leur(s) trouble(s) et leur guérison. Tant que je faisais mes recherches en anglais, j’avais accès à un contenu varié, fourni et sérieux. Mais dès que je suis passée au français, le nombre de vidéos a drastiquement diminué, en même temps que leur qualité et leur diversité. Une grande partie, sinon la majorité, des vidéos parlant de santé mentale était produite par des professionnels ou des compagnies d’assurance, et étaient souvent trop longues ou trop peu pédagogiques pour un public non averti (bien qu’il existe quelques chaînes de grande qualité comme Le PsyLab ou Va te faire suivre).
J’ai été frappée de ce que ça impliquait pour une personne ne parlant pas anglais : quelqu’un cherchant à se renseigner sur ses problèmes psychologiques, à aider un proche ou simplement à satisfaire sa curiosité, cela lui sera très difficile, et il ne sera pas exposé à des représentations diverses des formes que peuvent prendre les troubles psychologiques et leurs conséquences. C’est aussi un obstacle à la réduction de la stigmatisation de la maladie psychologique.
Bien sûr, ce constat doit encourager les vidéastes de tous pays à s’exprimer sur ce sujet, et à partager leurs expériences. En attendant, une solution pratique existe : les sous-titres. Avec l’aide de personnes parlant plusieurs langues, une vidéo peut être accessible partout dans le monde. Cela aide aussi les personnes sourdes ou malentendantes, qui ne sont pas assez prises en compte dans ce type de contenu.
C’est donc pourquoi je lance ce projet : rassembler des gens volontaires pour sous-titrer et traduire des vidéos sur les troubles psychologiques. Si ce projet vous intéresse, contactez-moi (laissez un ask, envoyez-moi un message, commentez ce post…) et je vous donnerai plus d’informations. Juste quelques petites infos basiques pour commencer : nous travaillerions sur des vidéos YouTube autorisant les sous-titres (comme celles de Kati Morton, de CrashCourse, du PsyLab…). J’ai créé une équipe Trello pour faciliter notre coopération, ainsi qu’un groupe Facebook. Même si vous ne voulez pas participer, s’il vous plaît, rebloguez ce post. Je me permets d’identifier quelques personnes qui pourraient vouloir le rebloguer et le booster (mais je ne vous mets pas du tout la pression 😉 ). @onestenrepublique (puisqu’il me semble que tu avais dit qu’on pouvait te demander de booster des projets militants) @payetamaladiementale @maladementhaleau(there’s also an English post right after this one on my blog if you don’t speak French)
Captions for Mental Health Awareness (help needed!!)
As a French mentally ill person, I have often looked for online content about psychological disorders and mental health in general. I needed both professional expertise to understand what I was going through, and personal testimonies to relate to. When I looked for videos in English, I was purveyed with plenty of quality content, from truly diverse sources. But as soon as I switched to my native language, the number of videos was drastically reduced, and so did the quality and accessibility of the content. Most of the videos tackling mental health were produced by professionals or insurance companies and were either too long or too complicated for an average person to understand or be interested in.
I was then stricken by what that meant for non-English speakers (assuming that the situation in other countries can be similar to the one here): someone who wanted information about their struggles, to help a loved one, or simply to satisfy their curiosity, wouldn’t be able to do so, or with difficulty and wouldn’t be subjected to diverse representations of what mental illness or its impacts look like. This also makes it harder to reduce the stigma revolving around mental illness.
Obviously, this means that we should encourage content creators of every country and language to share their knowledge and experience in their native language. Meanwhile, one practical solution exists: subtitles. With the help of people speaking two or more languages, one video can be accessible throughout the world. It also helps deaf and hard of hearing people, who are not taken enough into account in the production of such content.That’s why I’m launching this project: to gather people who are willing to caption and translate videos related to mental health. If you are interested in this project, please contact me (drop an ask, message me, comment this post…) and I will give you more information. Just so you know: we would work on YouTube videos that allow subtitles (from content creators such as Kati Morton, CrashCourse, khan academy, LikeKristen…). I have made a Trello board to facilitate our cooperation, as well as a facebook group. If you are not interested, please boost this post. I’ll just tag a few people who I think might be interested in boosting this, but feel no pressure if I tagged you: @feminismandmedia @katimorton @andreashettle @disabilityinkidlit @youthmentalhealthposts @awarenessofmentalhealthissu-blog @mentalhealthawareness-blog @mental-health-advice @spread-awareness-and-love @psiety @neurodivergent-media @mentalhealthinschools-blog @antipromia
Signal boosting
@captionedwebtv @accessibledeedadee @captioned-miscellaneous-videos
Facebook Live closed captioning makes videos more accessible
Yay!!! Deaf community has been asking for this for awhile now!!
Wish they could have said, “for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have auditory processing disorder” instead of hearing impaired, and I also would have been a lot more impressed if they had made it accessible from the start rather than waiting all these months. But glad to finally see the news!
Facebook Live closed captioning makes videos more accessible
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 