Closed captioning services

Scope closed captions for access, speakers, and sound cues.

DD reviews the video, cue rules, speaker list, and platform file needs before proposing closed captioning.

Share the runtime, spoken language, cue rules, and required platform format. Agree a transfer method before sending sensitive media.

Scope Before quote

Requirements and feasibility checked for this request

Review Agreed method

Acceptance and ownership confirmed in writing

Dynamic Dialects reviews requests across 250+ languages. ISO types: ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2022. It works with 40,000+ vetted linguists. The written scope confirms staffing, coordination, and review controls for your request.

What DD checks before quoting

Access need Same-language captions with speech, speaker changes, and meaningful sound cues.
Source media Runtime, audio clarity, speaker list, and any existing timed text.
Cue rules How non-speech sounds, music, and speaker IDs appear in the caption file.
Platform file Embedded or sidecar format, and who reviews a sample before publication.

Example scope — actual checks vary by project type and client requirements.

Illustrative DD scope worksheet

What this request needs to settle

The buyer decides whether viewers need same-language access text that includes speech, speaker changes, and meaningful sounds. Closed captions are not interchangeable with translated subtitles. DD needs runtime, audio clarity, cue rules, speaker list, and the platform file type. A sample reel settles sound-cue treatment before publication.

Illustrative access-caption worksheet, not a published video

Illustrative request, not a client case or a promised result.

A training video has two instructors, tool noises, and an off-camera alarm. The buyer wants captions that name speakers and note critical sounds without over-describing ambient room noise. This hypothetical reel is not a DD accessibility outcome claim.

Inputs to check: The buyer supplies the controlled cut, speaker list, glossary, cue preferences for sounds and music, and whether the file is embedded or sidecar. Restricted training media uses an approved transfer method.
Review decision: Captioners time speech and apply cue rules, flagging sections where sound importance is unclear. The buyer settles which non-speech sounds must appear. A sample pass checks readability and cue consistency.
Acceptance method: A sample caption file could include timed speech, speaker IDs, agreed sound cues, and unresolved notes. The buyer reviews it against the named cut and platform before wider captioning. This does not declare legal or platform compliance.
Exception to resolve: A recut can invalidate timing. The new cut must be identified before revisions are estimated. If the platform rejects a file type after captioning, the buyer and DD check whether a conversion fits the accepted text.
Record to request: Ask for a blank cue sheet with timecode, speaker, speech or sound cue, rule note, and status. It contains no client media.

Questions to settle before requesting a quote

Which non-speech sounds matter?List alarms, tool sounds, and music treatments that viewers must understand.
How should speakers be identified?Provide names or roles and when a new speaker ID should appear.
Embedded or sidecar file?Name the player or LMS requirement before caption production.
Who accepts the sample reel?Assign an owner who checks timing, cues, and readability on the controlled cut.

DD reviews timing, cue rules, and format feasibility for the supplied cut. No universal legal compliance, platform acceptance, or viewer outcome is claimed. A new cut or language request may require a changed scope.

DD reviews the request, checks availability and requirements, and confirms the proposed scope and handling method in writing before work starts.

For same-language captions, DD checks master quality, cue timing, where the file must play, speaker names, and sound-cue treatment before quoting.

Where this service fits

Videos that need same-language access captions with non-speech cues.
Publications where speaker IDs and sound treatment must be consistent.

What DD will confirm

A proposed captioning and cue-treatment scope.
Platform file and sample-acceptance terms to approve.

Questions teams ask first

How do closed captions differ from subtitles?

Closed captions support access in the same language and include non-speech cues. Subtitles usually carry translated speech for viewers who can hear the audio.

Who should review the sample caption file?

Assign a reviewer who can check timing, speaker IDs, meaningful sound cues, and readability against the controlled video cut and the destination player. Settle unclear cue choices on the sample before the remaining videos are captioned.

Can DD omit sound cues to save time?

Only if the buyer writes that rule. Access needs should be explicit before work starts.

What if the audio is unclear?

Unclear spans are marked for buyer decision rather than guessed into the caption file.

Which caption display styles can be requested: pop-on, roll-up, or paint-on?

Pop-on captions show a full block that appears and clears, roll-up captions scroll line by line, and paint-on captions build word by word. Name the style your player, broadcaster, or house guide requires in the request. DD confirms whether that style and the delivery file fit the scope before quoting.

Do closed captions make our video ADA or WCAG compliant?

Captions are one part of accessibility, and DD does not declare legal compliance. WCAG 2.1 success criteria 1.2.2 and 1.2.4 cover captions for prerecorded and live media; your accessibility or legal team decides which standard applies. DD scopes accuracy, synchronization, speaker IDs, and sound cues to the rule you supply.

Which closed caption file formats can be delivered?

Common sidecar formats include SRT and WebVTT, and some broadcast or media platforms specify SCC or other formats. Tell DD the player, LMS, or platform and its documented file rule. DD confirms the output format, naming pattern, and whether captions are sidecar or embedded before production starts.

What makes closed captions accurate and readable?

Readable captions match the spoken words, appear in sync with the audio, stay on screen long enough to read, identify speakers when that is not obvious, and note sounds that carry meaning. DD agrees those rules with your reviewer on a sample file before the full video set is captioned.