Verbatim Video Transcription Services, Subtitles and Closed Captions

This week, we’ve been working a lot with transcribing and subtitling interviews, both verbatim and intelligent verbatim. Do you need verbatim video transcription services, subtitles or closed captions? This is one of the first questions we ask our clients at the quoting stage. Verbatim video transcription will include EVERYTHING in the dialogue, including filler words, ahs, erms, misuse of grammar and sometimes mispronunciation. In contrast, intelligent verbatim generally includes all of the dialogue, but offers transcriptionists the flexibility to correct grammar, omit filler words and ignore non-words such as erms.

Working with live or unscripted video can really make it hit home just how different the two types of transcription really can be. Natural speech has so many nuances with filler words, ahs and erms and even misquotes. Intelligent verbatim transcription is inevitably easier to read, but verbatim transcription undoubtedly has it’s benefits. In this blog, we’ll delve into verbatim transcription services and it’s uses.

Verbatim Closed Captioning Services 

Closed captions are added to video to help ensure that deaf and hard of hearing audiences get the same viewing experience as other viewers. For this reason, closed captions are always written in verbatim. Profanities should be written in full. After all, closed captions are based around a person’s hearing and not their age. Excluding profanity within closed captions would both unfairly exclude deaf viewers but also patronise them. Ahs, and erms should also be transcribed as they often can indicate thinking and meaningful pauses. Closed captioning services often go one step further than verbatim transcription, however, as sound effects are also described.

Subtitling Services and Verbatim Transcription 

Unlike closed captions, subtitles aren’t always written in verbatim. Subtitles are often intended for foreign viewers and the text included in subtitles is often translated. As nuances in speech can easily be lost in translation, verbatim style isn’t always quite as necessary for video subtitling. Similarly, text can never be translated word for word – there are too many syntactical, grammatical and contextual differences between languages. For this reason, verbatim translation doesn’t exist and so in many cases, neither do fully verbatim subtitles.

Verbatim Video Transcription Services 

In terms of working with both video and audio transcription, verbatim audio typing has its uses. Within journalism, reports and interviews are often typed verbatim so as not to cause issues in misquoting what’s been said. Verbatim is also useful in research because it allows a reader to understand where a speaker has paused, or had to change the direction of what they were meaning to say. Within legal transcription, the verbatim style is essential. Errors or misquotes within police reports or Court transcriptions can have knock-on effects and implications on the legality of documents so absolutely everything needs to be included.

So, as you can see from this article, verbatim video transcription services, subtitles and closed captioning can vary greatly in style. If you would like more information on our video transcription services or for your free quote today, contact us and one of our adviser’s will be happy to help.