5 Tips for Great Captions

One of the most essential tasks of a closed captioner is to remember the people who benefit from our work.

Here are five simple yet effective tips for great closed captions.

• Never use the past tense when describing sounds. Captions should be synchronized with the sound and are therefore in the present tense.

Example

[laughing]

• For off-screen sound effects, it is not necessary to repeat the source of the sound if it is making the same sound a few captions later.

Example

First Caption                                         Second Caption

[dog yelping]                                        [yelping continues]

• When describing an abrupt sound, use the third person verb form.

Example

[screams]

When describing a sustained sound, use the present participle form of the verb.

Example

[crying]

• The word “sound” is not necessary, as the viewer already know that the terms in brackets are sound effects.

Example

[projector] instead of [sound of projector]

[glass breaking] instead of [sound of glass breaking]

• Avoid dull captions. [door creaks] is more descriptive than [door opens]. The idea is to communicate the sound and not what it signifies.

Example

[plate shatters] instead of [plate breaks].

[ambulance siren wailing] instead of [ambulance siren]

I hope you enjoyed reading these tips and that you will find them useful in your practice.