SwiftWorks has the technology and the technical expertise to provide high quality captions for viewers with hearing loss or literacy needs.

Captioning Style

Our style guidelines for captioning are generally patterned after the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and the Media Access Group at WGBH. We are also flexible to variations in captioning style preferred by our clients, and we can produce captions in any major European language. If no script is available, it can be produced by our Entertainment Transcription department.

All captions that we produce for any type of video production are intended to provide the non-hearing viewer the same information and the same viewing experience as the hearing viewer.

Format

Our captions files are produced in either Closed or Open format for recorded videos. Closed Captions are recorded in line 21 of the vertical blanking interval of the television signal. They are hidden and can only appear with the use of a decoding device. Open Captions, on the other hand, are integrated into the video and are always visible without the need of a decoding device.

We can produce closed or open captions in Pop-On and Timed Roll-Up modes.

Pop-On mode

The captions appear on the screen all at once in blocks of 1 to 3 lines and remain for a few seconds before disappearing or before they are replaced with the next set of captions. The pop-up captions are carefully positioned and timed to be closely synchronized with the audio.

Timed Roll-Up mode

The captions roll up on the screen one line at a time, rolling up to make room for a new line. A maximum of 3 lines are shown on the screen before the first line is replaced by the next line and so forth in succeeding order. The roll-up captions are carefully positioned and timed to be closely synchronized with the audio.

Quality Standards

Our quality standards for captioning are aligned with the 16-CARAT Standard for Captioning Quality established for the industry by the Accessible Media Industry Coalition (AMIC).

Our captions are precisely synchronized with the program, concurring with scene/shot change as well as speaker change. They are timed correctly for optimum readability and are made to capture important details such as speaker identification, intonation of words, and various auditory cues that are relevant to the deaf of hearing impaired viewer. They are also carefully positioned to avoid obscuring relevant onscreen graphics and competing with other displayed text.