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Thread: YouTube's lack of support for detailed text transcripts
Number of posts in this thread: 3 (In chronological order)
From: Laurie Merryman
Date: Wed, Sep 15 2021 10:33AM
Subject: YouTube's lack of support for detailed text transcripts
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Hello,
To my knowledge, when accessing a video on the YouTube site, YouTube does not support the ability to upload a detailed text transcript (yet) and when users "open the transcript" via the . . . options, they will get the timestamps and the spoken information from the voiceover track (the caption file).
3 questions around this:
1. Does anyone know if Google is working on supporting the ability to upload a custom text transcript?
2. What are others in the digital accessibility community doing to care for the disclosure information, on-screen text, URLs, etc. that are not part of the spoken voiceover so that all users have access to that content?
a. As a point of discussion, within my organization, we are discussing requiring that all "on-screen text" in a video is spoken out (including disclosures) in the voiceover track - thus, it then shows up in the transcript on YouTube. In general, my Marketing partners have become really good about including most on-screen text in the voiceover track for a richer, more accessible experience - it is mostly the legal disclosure content that is the topic of debate.
b. Keep in mind, the same video is offered on a Wells Fargo branded landing page, via the embedded YouTube player, where a detailed text transcript link is provided that includes legal disclosure content.
c. One other thing to note, we have considered adding details in the "description" area on the YouTube site, the text area just below the video, that refers a user back to the landing page with the full detailed text transcript.
3. Lastly, is there any user research anyone is aware of that supports the notion that not only users that rely on screen readers, but all users would like disclosure content to be spoken out.
Thank you
Laurie Merryman
Laurie Merryman
AVP, SDI, Consumer Digital Accessibility
Wells Fargo - Innovation and SDI Operations
Iowa DATMN Team Members Outcome Chair
Upcoming PTO - September 16-17
7001 Westown Pkwy|West Des Moines, IA 50266
MAC F2401-054
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From: Elizabeth Thomas
Date: Wed, Sep 15 2021 12:18PM
Subject: Re: YouTube's lack of support for detailed text transcripts
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#2- for on screen text or graphs/diagrams that aren't included in the audio, I include that information in a transcript (I provide the link in the video description). The transcript is basically the captions without the time stamps and restructured as paragraph text (with headings as needed). Plus, it includes the text- alternatives for the visual-only content.
A. I have tried requiring that anything shown on the screen (except for purely decorative things) be included in the audio. However, in my experience, people aren't great at implementing that requirement. They often think they have implemented it, but have actually provided super important content as text on the screen with no narration. But that might not be the case in your team.
C. I would definitely link to the page with the transcript in the description. (I usually include a transcript for all videos, because, as you pointed out, YouTube's transcript is not easy to read due to the time stamps. If I were consuming the content from the video via a transcript, I would definitely want it written in a more conventional format with paragraphs, etc.)
-Elizabeth Thomas
Digital Accessibility Specialist (CPACC, ADA)
Sent from my iPhone
> On Sep 15, 2021, at 12:33 PM, = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = wrote:
>
> Hello,
> To my knowledge, when accessing a video on the YouTube site, YouTube does not support the ability to upload a detailed text transcript (yet) and when users "open the transcript" via the . . . options, they will get the timestamps and the spoken information from the voiceover track (the caption file).
> 3 questions around this:
>
> 1. Does anyone know if Google is working on supporting the ability to upload a custom text transcript?
>
> 2. What are others in the digital accessibility community doing to care for the disclosure information, on-screen text, URLs, etc. that are not part of the spoken voiceover so that all users have access to that content?
>
> a. As a point of discussion, within my organization, we are discussing requiring that all "on-screen text" in a video is spoken out (including disclosures) in the voiceover track - thus, it then shows up in the transcript on YouTube. In general, my Marketing partners have become really good about including most on-screen text in the voiceover track for a richer, more accessible experience - it is mostly the legal disclosure content that is the topic of debate.
>
> b. Keep in mind, the same video is offered on a Wells Fargo branded landing page, via the embedded YouTube player, where a detailed text transcript link is provided that includes legal disclosure content.
>
> c. One other thing to note, we have considered adding details in the "description" area on the YouTube site, the text area just below the video, that refers a user back to the landing page with the full detailed text transcript.
>
> 3. Lastly, is there any user research anyone is aware of that supports the notion that not only users that rely on screen readers, but all users would like disclosure content to be spoken out.
>
> Thank you
> Laurie Merryman
>
> Laurie Merryman
> AVP, SDI, Consumer Digital Accessibility
> Wells Fargo - Innovation and SDI Operations
>
> Iowa DATMN Team Members Outcome Chair
> Upcoming PTO - September 16-17
>
> 7001 Westown Pkwy|West Des Moines, IA 50266
> MAC F2401-054
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = <mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
>
> Laurie Merryman on LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-merryman-76407b25/>
>
> Request Digital Accessibility Engagement: SharePoint<http://teamsites.teamworks.wellsfargo.net/sites/cao-marketing-505/Lists/Digital%20Accessibility%20and%20Governance%20List/NewForm.aspx>;
> This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose, or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.
>
>
>
From: Hayman, Douglass
Date: Wed, Sep 15 2021 3:45PM
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] - YouTube's lack of support for detailed text transcripts
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Laurie,
Those are a number of questions to delve into. I do know that my former office mate at UW, Terrill Thompson was part of a panel a few years ago where Google/YouTube and others took part in a discussion about media player accessibility. The Google peeps looked bad in comparison to Able Player and what that can do thanks to the efforts of a small group of dedicated people. It allows for transcript, audio description, break out ASL windows and a number of other useful features that Google/YouTube surely has the funds to imitate or exceed as far as accessibility features.
What exactly do you mean for custom text transcript? I know that you can copy/paste a chunk or better results, double-spaced text into YouTube and have it sync that to be the closed captions but maybe you're meaning something more?
As for your #2 I think that is where good audio description comes into play and Able Player and perhaps other media players can provide that as an added feature so that the player has both a CC control but also an AD control. This takes some thoughtful pre-production work to allow for enough space to insert that if done post-production. Also good to have scripts that minimize the need for that like, "As you can see in this pie chart one third of our visitors used Firefox, fifty percent used Chrome and the rest a variety of other web browsers."
Doug Hayman
IT Accessibility Coordinator
Information Technology
Olympic College
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(360) 475-7632 (currently working remotely and don't have access to this phone)