Thread Subject: Re: Definition of captions

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From: Sean Hayes
Date: Fri, Feb 15 2008 10:00 AM

In the UK/EU captions (or as we call them here to confuse the unwary, subtitles) on mainstream TV are very rarely verbatim transcripts of the speech, but are usually cleaned up and edited for reading speed. So provided equivalent doesn't mean identical, I'd be happy with the proposed change.

Sean Hayes
Incubation Lab
Accessibility Business Unit
Microsoft

Office: +44 118 909 5867,
Mobile: +44 7875 091385

-----Original Message-----
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Larry Goldberg
Sent: 15 February 2008 16:28
To: TEITAC Committee
Subject: Re: [teitac-committee] Definition of captions

I would guess that by now everyone knows that caption text is supposed
to exactly match audio and not be some loose summary, so I wouldn't
argue vociferously against the proposed harmonization wording. I would
just suggest that the use of the phrase "equivalents to the audio
information" might lead a novice to some odd textual display. Perhaps
change that to:

<newly proposed>
text that MATCHES OR REFLECTS audio information in synchronized
media and is displayed concurrently with the sound.

Note: Audio information includes speech and other information conveyed
using sound such as meaningful sound effects and identification of
speakers.
</newly proposed>

But as I said, in the interest of harmonization, the WCAG verbiage
should work.

... Larry ...



On Feb 15, 2008, at 11:13 AM, Andi Snow-Weaver wrote:


In WCAG, we have received a comment that the wording in the definition
of
"caption text" is very awkward; specifically the wording "...
synchronized
with synchronized media...."

In our meeting yesterday, we settled on less awkward wording. In the
spirit
of harmonization, we would like to propose that TEITAC adopt similar
wording.

<current>
Text presented and synchronized with synchronized media to provide not
only
the speech, but also non-speech information conveyed through sound,
including meaningful sound effects and identification of speakers.
</current>

<proposed>
text that provides equivalents to the audio information in synchronized
media and is displayed concurrently with the sound.

Note: Audio information includes speech and other information conveyed
using sound such as meaningful sound effects and identification of
speakers.
</proposed>

Andi

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