The texts appear on the videos to inform viewers what exactly the video is about while it is playing is preferred as caption. Captions can be divided into two types, closed or open captions, depending on the purpose of playing, sharing, and storing videos. Closed captions are captions that can be turned on and off when needed. Open captions, on the other hand, can not be turned off once it is “burnt” into the clip and are considered as a part of the video itself.

Close captions are different from subtitles in the aspect that, while subtitles are texts transcribing all the conversations and dialogues in the video, every time the character talks, the closed captions will appear on the screen simultaneously. Closed captions will describe all the spoken words, information about the video, sound, noise, or music playing in the background. For example, [applauds], [traffic noise], [birds singing], etc.

Besides giving audiences a clearer context and exact meaning of what is spoken in the video, all subtitles & captions services also help to assist people with hearing and visual impairments enjoy the video with full context.

Though often being used interchangeably, open captions and subtitles actually serve two different purposes. Both are the text form that is transcripted from videos and are added in the video for the viewers to read and understand what is happening.

Subtitles are designed for people who can hear but don’t understand what is going on in the video. They are the transcriptions or translations into other languages of speech and conversation in the video.

Captions which include open captions and closed captions, on the other hand, are designed for viewers with hearing impairment, which are people who cannot hear, to enjoy the video in full context. That’s the reason why captions are the transcription of both speech and non-speech elements, all of the sound and noise occurring in the video at the moment, such as spoken words, information about the video, sound, noise, or music playing in the background. For example, [applauds], [traffic noise], [birds singing], etc.

Unlike captions that are designed for people with hearing impairment to enjoy the video in full context, subtitles are designed for people who can hear but don’t understand what is going on in the video. They are often the transcriptions or translations into other languages of speech and conversation in the video.

Subtitles were invented in the 1930s, when films with spoken audio were born and the film production crew needed to translate the language in the video into ones that audiences can understand. Till this day, they are used to translate the dialogue and conversations in the video into other languages for foreign viewers. However, non-speech elements are not transcripted into subtitles for they only serve the group of audience that have no hearing problems.

Nowadays, with the advancement of technology, even us - the internet users can make subtitles for our own video with just an app or software. In fact, there are many subtitle making software out there and each of them has their own using experience that match with the skills, experience, and demand of each user segment.

Besides giving audiences a clearer context and exact meaning of what is spoken in the video, all subtitles & captions services also help to assist people with hearing and visual impairments enjoy the video with full context.

Though often being used interchangeably, closed captions and subtitles are actually two different methods of transcribing a video.

Both are the text form that is transcripted from the speeches and sound of the videos, and are added in the video for the viewers to read and understand what is happening.

Subtitles are designed for people who can hear but don’t understand what is going on in the video. They are the transcriptions or translations into other languages of speech and conversation in the video.

Captions which include open captions and closed captions, on the other hand, are designed for viewers with hearing impairment, which are people who cannot hear, to enjoy the video in full context. That’s the reason why captions are the transcription of both speech and non-speech elements, all of the sound and noise occurring in the video at the moment, such as spoken words, information about the video, sound, noise, or music playing in the background. For example, [applauds], [traffic noise], [birds singing], etc.

Nowadays, captions can be classified into four types: Open captions, Closed captions, Subtitles, and Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of hearing (SDH).

1. Subtitles: Invented in the 1930s, when films with spoken audio were born and needed to be translated into the language that a wider group of international audiences can understand. Non-speech elements, however, are not transcripted into subtitles for they only serve the group of audience with no hearing problems.
2. Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH): Just like Subtitles but with all of the sound effects, noise, music background, and other non-speech elements in order to serve the group of people of the deaf and hard of hearing.
3. Open captions: Invented in the 1950s, open captions were officially born to assist people with hearing impairment in enjoying the video in full context with both speech and non-speech elements, all of the sound and noise occurring in the video at the moment, such as spoken words, information about the video, sound, noise, or music playing in the background. For example, [applauds], [traffic noise], [birds singing], etc. Open captions are a part of the video itself since the captions can not be turned on or off.
4. Closed captions: Just like open captions but the viewers can turn the captions on and off if needed. Closed captions are also an ideal choice of video editors since they help to fix the caption easier and faster than open captions.

Following the invention of subtitles in the 1930s, open captions were officially born in the 1950s to assist people with hearing impairment in enjoying the video in full context. However, the subtitle is only convenient to those who have hearing problems, those who don’t need it consider it as something annoying to their viewing. As a result, 20 years later, closed captioned appeared as an innovation in film making. Since then, they have become a necessary requirement for broadcast television in the United States.

In case business owners want to add subtitles to their branding videos, freelance subtitles & captions services will be an ideal choice since professional freelancers can offer their clients high-quality services at a more reasonable price. Not to mention, freelancers are those who have honed their skills in a long period of time and have deep knowledge in a specific field compared to other positions.

Youtube is now the biggest video sharing platform on earth with over 2.6 billion users worldwide. Needless to say that this is the most ideal place to share videos and get views in the shortest time. With subtitles, your videos will be able to reach out to even more audiences all over the globe. Let see how you can write subtitle for your video on Youtube with these steps below:

1. Log into your YouTube account and go to YouTube Studio.
2. On the menu bar, go to Subtitles, then choose the video you want to add subtitles.
3. On the menu bar, click on the Details category. Now you will see all the details such as Title, Description, Thumbnail image, Visibility status, Subtitles, and other elements of the video displayed on the page.
4. Click on the Subtitle option and a pop-up window for editing subtitles will show up on the screen.
5. To add or edit subtitles, simply add transcription text or translation on text boxes on the left, and add the timing accordingly on the right boxes. You can also do the timing by clicking on the audio box on the bottom.
6. In case you already have a soft subtitle file, click on the “Edit As Text”, then click “Upload File”. After the step, check to see if the timing is right, and then you will successfully write subtitles for YouTube.

In case business owners want to add subtitles to their branding videos on YouTube, freelance subtitles & captions services will be an ideal choice since professional freelancers can offer their clients high-quality services at a more reasonable price. Not to mention, freelancers are those who have honed their skills for a long period of time and have deep knowledge in working with YouTube in particular, and video marketing in general compared to other positions.