International films are often subtitled as dialogue only, with foreign speakers in mind. However, when it comes to submitting to festivals and/or working with online streaming or broadcast services, films will usually require a track of English CC. Closed captions in English should be written to include sound descriptions, speaker identifications and other elements for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences.  Understanding what’s required when rewriting foreign subtitles as closed captions or converting to closed captions can be crucial in making sure you can achieve both the best price and the highest quality results.

So, here’s our rundown of the requirements when you translate subtitles into closed captions…

Translate subtitle dialogue 

All dialogue should be translated and localised into the target language. At Capital Captions, we work with professional translators only and do not use any AI translation.

Tailor to closed caption requirements 

Different caption formats have different parameters when it comes to supported character limits and encoding. Lines will often need to be shortened and subtitles split to fit within the limits of any given caption format. For example, SCC captions allow only 32 characters per line, EBU-TT allow 37 and STL allow 42.

Add in elements for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Sound effects should be added in, as required, and when relevant to the context of the film. For instance, creaking floorboards in a horror movie, or a door slamming in a drama. In addition to this, characters should be named when speaking off screen, and out of scene speakers and voiceover narratives should be italicized. In group dialogue, captions can be written in different colours to indicate speaker changes, or they can be moved left or right, according to he speaker’s position.

Quality check closed captions to distributer and/or broadcaster guidelines

Unlike standard subtitles with dialogue, closed captions often need to be formatted and written within strict guidelines. These guidelines can include defined reading speeds, minimum and maximum caption durations, frame limits on straddling shot changes and writing style stipulations. Conforming to these broadcaster guidelines is often the most vital part of closed captioning, ensuring that your CC pass quality checks, ready for distribution.

Fulfil all requirements

Be sure to find out about any and all text requirements when submitting your final caption files. At Capital Captions, we can convert closed captions into all broadcast formats, ensuring you are ready for any future distribution, with correctly formatted caption files. In addition, we work with translation into over 50 languages and are able to provide services to create and edit post production scripts, Combined Continuity Spotting Lists (CCSL), dialogue spotting lists and full verbatim transcriptions.

So there you have it, rewriting foreign subtitles as closed captions can be easy if you know how. If you would like to know more about our services or you know what you would like then click the button below for your quote today..