Video Captions
I recently worked on a video project and when it came time to post this video online, I wanted to add captions.
While this can be done in your video editing software, I specifically just wanted it in the YouTube version for a couple of reasons: I wanted it to be optional, and I wanted YouTube’s options for translations.
You never know when a parent might appreciate your news in their native tongue, when it’s not English.
First, you have a decision to make:
- Are you going to provide a bona fide caption, literally putting every word spoken on the screen?
- Are you going to paraphrase the main ideas?
Some folks would appreciate a word-by-word transcription. The transcription is especially nice for those learning English.
For our purposes, we chose the second option, which was easier.
So how do you get started adding captions? Well, some instructions seem daunting. They’re worth a scan, at least, so I’ll wait while you go read.
Okay, since you cheated and didn’t read, basically there are already file types for captions. They include your text with a definition of time code. This tells the computer when to post what, and for how long. While editing these scripts is easy, as they are only text-only files, they are no fun to create from scratch.
That’s why I found this tutorial much more helpful. Using my Google account, I signed-in to CaptionTube. From there, I watched my video, added my captions, and finally, downloaded the script file which I later uploaded back at YouTube.
Their help section at CaptionTube is worth your perusal… I found their directions and videos easy to follow.
So, once you’ve got all that done, you’ll have a caption on your already-uploaded YouTube video (you have to be the owner of the video to add captions this way). Once it’s there for awhile, you can elect to change the language. Note, this is a free “computerized” service. So translations won’t be perfect, but when you encounter a video you believe is valuable and it’s not available in your language, a “quick and dirty” translation is better than nothing at all.
Beyond helping parents with my example, you can try this technique with your students for creating their own multi-cultural music videos, trying their own translations of video in English into another language, or putting into English their own practice of diction in another language.
Have fun.