Subtitles vs. Closed Captions: What's The Difference?

When viewing films or videos on social media, it cannot be denied that many prefer to watch with subtitles or closed captions. In fact, according to a 2024 study by Preply, 50% of Americans watch content with subtitles. This makes subtitles and closed captions more important now than ever. However, when discussing the two, one question arises: what exactly is the difference between subtitles vs. closed captions? 

In this blog, uncover what are the things that set subtitles and closed captions apart from one another.

Subtitles

Subtitles are one of the two primary styles of captioning used in videos and films. While its overall goal is to help audiences understand the dialogue better, subtitles are used with the assumption that the viewer can hear the audio but cannot understand the language. As such, when viewing foreign language films, videos, and programs with captions, those captions are referred to as “subtitles” rather than “closed captions.”

When discussing subtitles, there are three types that you can ask your closed captioning and transcribing services to do. These types of subtitles are the following:

• Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) - Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) are subtitles used with the assumption that the viewer can’t hear the dialogue and other sounds in the video or film. As such, they not only include captions of the dialogue but also important non-dialogue details. These include sound effects, music, and even speaker identification.

• Non-Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Non-SDH) - On the other hand, Non-Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing are subtitles used with the assumption that the audience can hear dialogue and non-dialogue information but can’t understand the language. As a result, the only element that’s transcribed and included in the video files or film is the translated dialogue. Any indicators of sound effects and music are left out instead.

• Forced Narrative (FN) - The final type of subtitle is the Forced Narrative subtitle. Unlike SDH and non-SDH subtitles, Forced Narrative subtitles are additional text included to clarify further dialogue and other kinds of information that may not be easily understood by the audience.

Regardless of what kind of subtitle you need, it’s always best to turn to a transcription service to add closed captions to your video. This is because many transcription companies also offer closed captioning as part of their services.

Closed Captions

When comparing subtitles vs. closed captioning, the main difference is that subtitles are used to help viewers who don’t speak the language spoken in the video, whereas closed captions are typically used for videos whose language viewers can fully understand. 

Closed captions also come in two forms, the first being open captions, which are embedded in the video and cannot be turned off. The second form of closed captions, on the other hand, is referred to as closed, which can be turned off by the viewer with a simple click of a button if they don’t want them in their video.

Additionally, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, many public multimedia must now include closed captions to improve accessibility. Therefore, if you're looking to avoid any legal troubles, don't hesitate to add closed captions to your video.

Subtitles vs. Closed Captions: Which One Should You Opt For?

Now that you know the differences between subtitles vs. closed captions, you’re likely wondering which of the two you should opt for in your videos. The short answer to this is that it depends on the purpose and content of your video. 

If your target audience speaks the same language as the one used in your video, then closed captions are the best choice. On the other hand, if you’re looking to extend your reach to a foreign audience, it’s recommended to include translated subtitles in your video. Regardless of which one you choose, you’ll be able to extend your audience reach and cater to the deaf and hard of hearing at the same time.

Closed captions and subtitles are a convenient and helpful addition to any video. With them, you not only expand your audience reach, but also make your content more accessible as well.  However, transcribing your video content and adding it as captions can be a time-consuming process. Thankfully, many audio and video transcription companies also offer closed captioning services.

With 25 years of experience, TranscriptionWing doesn’t just provide you with high-quality transcriptions. We also offer closed captioning services at reasonable rates to those who need them. Get started today and broaden your video’s reach by allowing us to add precise and accurate closed captions.