Captions vs. Transcripts: What’s the Difference?
The two terms might get used interchangeably, but if you appreciate using precise language, let’s dive into the distinctions that make a difference. From Rev.com:
While the aim of transcriptionists is to create an accurate transcript of the English speech heard, the aim of captioners is to recreate the full audio experience for non-hearing viewers
What does the full audio experience entail? Laughter, music lyrics, and other noises in the background affect how we consume media. But the biggest difference for Steno.fm’s purposes is that captions are synced to the audio.
| Transcripts | Captions | |
|---|---|---|
| Accurate Speech | ✓ | ✓ |
| Atmospherics Noises | ✕ | ✓ |
| Music Lyrics | ✕ | ✓ |
| Synced to audio | ✕ | ✓ |
| Output | text file | srt, vtt, or json file |
In Steno.fm, we handle both transcripts and captions. But for episodes that have captions, we’re able to offer a more interactive experience, including:
- highlighting the currently-playing word or phrase, karaoke-style
- jumping ahead to any word that the user clicks on
If you already have accurate transcripts and would like to generate a caption file to take advantage of the interactive features available in Steno.fm, we’re writing up a guide. Subscribe to our newsletter to catch it when it drops.