I have read your comments on the previous post, "Vlogs Need Captions for the ASL-Impaired" and here is my response: to see why captioning of vlogs is so important, look no further than Dr. Davila's vlog that everyone is raving about. It was captioned and signed. I was able to understand it fully, reading the captions and watching his clear signing. Dr. Davila captions his vlogs because he wants everyone to understand the message.
I disagree that captioning vlogs would interfere with using the vlogs to improve sign receptive skills. In my experience, just the opposite is true. Captions help me to understand what the sign means, and to learn the right way to sign something. Just like using sign language does not interfere with learning to talk and may actually enhance it.
It is not a "double standard" or "different standard" to ask that deaf people caption their vlogs. As I have said before, we need to set an example, and lead, in internet accessibility. Dr. Davila is doing that. Some commenters asked why don't hearing people have ASL interpretation on their web video? My answer to that is, not everyone knows sign language but everyone can read!
Also - I just realized something - what about deafblind web users? I don't know if the technology exists yet to be able to do it, but can captions on vlogs be accessed by deafblind web users? Another option is an alternative text transcript. Did anyone notice that Dr. Davila posted a link to an alternative text transcript? Text transcripts can be accessed by deafblind web users.
Yes, it takes time to add the captions to a vlog, but the result is a product that a wider audience can appreciate and understand.
As requested by readers, here are links to previous posts by Grant Laird and Jared Evans on the technology of captioning vlogs:
Caption Online Part 2 (Laird)
Timed Text as Subtitles (Evans)
Auto Gordonian Knot (Evans)
Plus, there are several applications listed on captions.org at the bottom of this page in the Web Video category. You may also find something in the Shareware category as well, which is meant for anime subtitling but could also be used for vlog subtitling.
Finally, perhaps it would help to read the feelings of others, who have expressed their desire for captions on vlogs:
Deaf:
Hearing Person Irked.. (Evans)
Future of Vlogs (MM)
The Future of the Deaf Blogsophere (Sandman) (Includes a link to the Triomphe L'oeil vlog, which is totally captioned. )
Deafhood and Deaf Culture (Browneyed Girl. Long, search the page for "captioning" to find her comments)
Hearing:
Technology as Enablers
Of course, if you can't caption the vlog, you could always post a text transcript. Text transcripts are probably quicker and easier to do.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
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6 comments:
I understand that it's important that vlog has subtitles so wide audience will be able to understand.
I want to make sure that you understand that adding subtitle is a lot of work.
Please understand that Davila has some people under him to work with him on his vlog.
I will try to add subtitles on my VLogs next time because I want to include everyone in community and to understand what I say on Vlogs.
Aidan
Another reason to provide transcripts of vlogs: transcripts can make them more accessible to deaf people in countries that do not use ASL (for instance, England, Australia, etc. ... if you've ever seen BSL or Auslan you know that these languages bear very little, if any, resemblence to ASL).
Plus, as Jamie points out, transcripts (not just captions) would make your vlogs accessible to people who are deaf-blind.
Also, some of us have really slow modem dial ups at home or simply don't have the appropriate software and for whatever reason cannot download it (for instance, at work I cannot download Quicktime because I don't have administrative privileges to install software on my office computer--that means I can't view certain vlogs at the office, and also cannot view them at home because my modem dial up is too slow).
Deaf vloggers make their own choices by not captioning the vlog videocasts.
I personally believe that the deaf vloggers are sending the direct message to the society at large about the real discrimination within the world of Internet for not captioning the videocasts.
We, deaf people always are much willing to compromise ourselves for the sake of society at large.
We have to draw the line and say "enuff".
Or we could reach some kind of negoitation like me doing the ASL translation for you. We could do the bartership transaction like you helping me set up the vlog feature within my upcoming blog/vlog site. See you this Saturday at the Captiol City Brewing in Ballston!
RLM
Hey thanks for the ref. I added a jump at the top of that article to make it easier for folks to find the comments on captioning...
I really like to see Vloggers to use subtitles.
Why?
The feedback of having subtitles on Deaf vlogs is the exposure, education, etc of the Deaf culture to the hearing society that in the future, they could be supporting us like the protest during the "Unity of Gallaudet or other issues like OSD(Oregon school for the deaf). The more the society know about us,the more they give support, the better we achieve our objections.
For example, The Washington Post are still naive about the deaf culture and its issues threfore the Wash Post believe anything ikj says or prints.
Davila works for an university where two languages are used, so he needs to communicate in both languages. The university has equipment, finances, and the staff to do both.
As of now, it is very cumbersome for the vloggers to caption their comments. Perhaps later when the technology is easier, more may be inclined to use this option. However, I still stand that it is up to the individuals to decide for themselves whether to do this or not, especially in the light of how many vlogs of hearing people aren't subtitled. Kudos to those who are willing to go an extra mile to caption theirs, but for those disclined, I won't condemn them.
mishkazena
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