September 2006 - TVNZ Supports 'Sounds of
Silence Campaign'
December 2008 - Spanish Research Shows that
TV Captions Aren't so Hot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
December 2000
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently reported that recent
laws mandate the captioning of all Australian prime time television
programs. These laws apply to all programs between 6:00 PM and 10:30 PM,
including news programs.
This follows a recent announcement that Canadian programming will
soon be captioned.
These are interesting developments for those of us in the United
States, where we are in danger of going the opposite direction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 2001
Imagine reading television captions on your computer while you watch
television. An English translation of a recent article in the Japan
Times reports that this will soon become commonplace in Japan, as this
method of simulcasting captions over the internet develops.
It wasn't clear to me if this was in place of or in addition to the
method used in the US, in which captions are transmitted with the
television signal. Given the awkwardness of this new method (having to
watch the computer screen and the television screen at the same time),
my guess is that Japanese television technology does not allow for the
transmission of captions along with the television signal. If so, this
could be the first real opportunity for Japanese people with hearing
loss to access television programming.
The Japanese Society for the Rehabilitation of Persons with
Disabilities will simulcast subtitled NHK programs in a test
transmission using free chat software. Typists will watch the television
broadcasts and transcribe the audio over the internet in real time.
(This may sound a little awkward also, but this method is commonly used
to add captions to television programming in the US, as well.)
For those of you who read Japanese, there appears to be more
information at www.normanet.ne.jp/~rtcap.
~~~~~~~~~~~
March 2001
In the past few months we have seen organizations in several
countries announce percentage goals for television captioning. Ireland
is the latest to do so, with a goal of subtitles on 50% of their
programming. The National Association for Deaf People has launched an
advertising campaign calling for changes to the Broadcasting Bill.
The Irish organization points to their neighbors in the UK, where
efforts are underway to increase the current mandate of 50% captioning
to 70%.
Ireland's population includes an estimated 500,000 people with
hearing loss. They complain that they are forced to pay the full TV
license fee, despite the fact that lack of subtitling renders almost all
of the television programming at least partially inaccessible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
April 2001
We continue to see stories about increased access for people with
hearing loss in various countries around the world, and we applaud this
progress. The most recent announcement we saw is the allocation of $1.4
million (NZ, I assume) by NZ On Air to provide television captioning in
New Zealand. This funding will cover the captioning of 65 hours of
programming per week, and the programs will be aired on TV One, TV2 and
TV3.
Representatives of the New Zealand deaf community applaud this
announcement, but also point out that the huge majority of television
programming remains largely inaccessible to people with hearing loss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Canadian Press is reporting that the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC) agreed to begin providing 100% captioning on both its
main network and Newsworld beginning November 1. And it sounds like they
really mean 100% - in-house commercials and promos are included, as well
as live, breaking news.
This situation began when a Vancouver man filed a complaint with the
Canadian Human Rights Commission in 1997. The Commission investigated
and referred the case to the Federal Court. CBC decided to accelerate
their timetable for 100% captioning, rather than facing litigation. CBC
is already providing captioning on 92% of their programming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 2005
Editor: We've just published a three-part series on captioning
quality in the US as part of an effort to get you to provide the FCC
your comments on the quality of current captioning and what you would
like to see in the future. Reader Bill Hick responded with information
on what's happing with television captioning in Australia.
The Deafness Forum of Australia has created a "best
practices" guide called the Captioning Quality Code of Practice,
which addresses the same captioning issues that are getting attention
here in the US. They also conducted a highly successful "roadshow"
around Australia to promote better captioning.
Information on these topics and a host of other interesting issues is
on the Deafness Forum of Australia website at http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/
Here's the preamble of the Captioning Quality Code of Practice. The
complete document is available at http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/word/
Captioning%20Quality%20Code%20of%20Practice.DOC
Please address questions or comments to info@deafnessforum.org.au
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Preamble
This document outlines the quality standards that should be met in
the production and presentation of captions. The document specifies
visual outcomes, not production techniques. It is up to the caption
provider to decide the most appropriate method to the deliver the
caption to the viewer - as long as it is clear, easy to read and
informative.
Australians who are Deaf and hearing impaired agree that
American-style captions can be used on American produced TV programs and
for movies for screening in cinemas. Likewise, British-style captions
can be used on British produced TV programs. With Australian produced
programs, however, the standards outlined in this document should be the
accepted norm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September
2006
Editor: I
think you're going to love this idea as much as I do! I wonder how the FCC
Commissioners who just granted a bunch of captioning waivers would react
if we could get a program like this in the US!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When
viewers settle back to enjoy an evening of television viewing next week,
they may experience intermittent sound breaks while watching some of the
commercials.
This
intentional lack of sound is the basis of the 'Sounds of Silence'
campaign; sponsored by TVNZ and its advertisers for 'Deaf Awareness Week'
and led by the NFD (National Foundation for the Deaf).
Selected
TVNZ adverts will have 10-15 seconds of sound removed to demonstrate to
viewers the daily experience of thousands of Deaf and hearing impaired New
Zealanders. This will also be explained by a written message across the
bottom of viewers' television screens.
"We are
grateful to TVNZ and its advertisers for once again supporting the
campaign", says Marianne Schumacher, Executive Manager, NFD. "The campaign
has been successful in raising awareness of the day-to-day reality for
many Deaf and hearing impaired New Zealanders."
Alison
Munro, TVNZ's Captioning Manager, says "We are pleased to be able to
support the campaign and our Deaf and hearing impaired viewers".
TVNZ's
captioning team provides captions for over 130 hours of its programming a
week for its Deaf and hearing impaired viewers, including its ONE News
programmes. Nearly 90% of its peak time programming is captioned.
The
campaign starts this Sunday evening, 17 September, and finishes on
Saturday 23rd September.
