II.7 Use descriptive indicators for non-verbal diegesis and gestures.
Visually impaired captions audiences using screen reader software will glean more from your
captions if you provide descriptive indicators in block brackets to convey what’s happening on-
screen when dialogue isn’t being spoken. Baseline industry standards such as “[Laughter.],” or,
“[Coughs.],” are fine, however additional descriptive indicators such as “[Jamal trips on
shoelace.],” or, “[Chokes on food.],” can provide additionally informative context.
As with music lyrics, musical styles, tonalities, instrumentation, and other sonic qualities can
convey much to captions audiences. Consider adding qualifying description, such as, “[Upbeat
orchestral swing music],” to a descriptive caption instead of the listless and perfunctory,
“[MUSIC].”
II.8 Conserve caption screen space whenever possible.
Notwithstanding recommended adherence to grammatical and style principles espoused by
Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, minimizing on-screen characters by using
abbreviations will be useful. Shorter captions make for speedier and easier reading. In lieu of “8
o’clock” (9 characters) consider using, “8:00” (4 characters), or, something even shorter--“8.”
After an initial speaker identification of “[Louise Thompson Patterson:],” consider subsequently
using her last name only, “[Patterson:],” or a further abbreviation, such as, “[LTP:].” Using “OK”
instead of “okay” will prove more historically accurate for this abbreviation of “Oll Korrect,” and
will also save caption screen space. An ampersand takes up two fewer characters than does
“and.”
II.9 Create captions for all title cards, credits, and other on-screen text.
Screen-reading software generally won’t be able to read such text-based on-screen information
unless it is transcribed.
III. HOUSE STYLE
Notably, the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are not accompanied by any ‘style guide,’ per
se, on how captions should appear. Because so many different published approaches to transcription
are feasible, published or otherwise, it is a good idea to develop a ‘House Style’ outlining specific
tendencies, preferences, and other favored approaches.
III.1 House Style: Examples
Many excellent style guides for transcriptions already exist--particularly available from oral history
programs at academic institutions.
• The Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art published a revised version of
their Oral History Program Style Guide in May 2019, available here:
https://www.aaa.si.edu/documentation/oral-history-program-style-guide.
• Columbia University published a revised version of its Oral History Transcription Style
Guide in August 2018, available here: https://www.incite.columbia.edu/publications-
old/2019/3/13/oral-history-transcription-style-guide.
• Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History published a revised version of its Style
Guide: A Quick Reference for Editing Oral History Transcripts in March 2018, available
here: https://www.baylor.edu/oralhistory/doc.php/14142.pdf.