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Accessible video

Planning accessible event video and languages

Plan captions, subtitles and languages so everyone in your audience can follow the video.

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In short

  • Decide who needs captions or another language before you ask for a quote.
  • Captions, translated subtitles and transcripts are three different outputs.
  • Automatic captions are a draft. Names and mixed Malay-English speech need checking.
  • Say who reviews the text, because that person decides what the viewer reads.

Accessible event video starts with one question: who needs to follow it, and how? Answer that before filming, because it affects what we record, how we edit and which files you receive.

Which output answers which need?

These are different jobs. Ask for the ones your audience needs, not all of them by default.

Output What it is Helps
Captions The spoken words as text on screen Viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, or watching with sound off
Translated subtitles Speech turned into another language Guests and relatives who do not speak the language used
Transcript A text document of the talk Readers who want to search, quote or study it later
Description of visuals Spoken or written notes on what is shown Viewers who cannot see the screen

Our guide on captions, translated subtitles and transcripts helps you choose before quoting.

Why plan it early?

The W3C advises specifying accessibility during project planning and procurement. A speaker who is hard to hear, or an interpreter standing out of frame, cannot be fixed in the edit. Read planning accessible event videos from the brief to assign who decides what.

What about mixed languages?

Many Malaysian events mix Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil, sometimes in one sentence. Whoever checks the captions must understand all of it, including names and titles. The Malay-English code-switching guide shows what to specify.

Can software write the captions for us?

Software gives a quick first draft. The W3C notes that automatic captions need accuracy checks and usually correction. See checking automatically generated captions for what to look at.

In what order should you decide?

  1. Decide who needs access and why.
  2. Choose the outputs: captions, subtitles, transcript.
  3. Choose how captions appear, using the guide on burned-in captions or separate caption files.
  4. Name the reviewer for each language.
  5. Fill in the caption and language planner and send it to us.

Our event video captions and subtitles service delivers the files and review steps you agree. If you are unsure which outputs to ask for, message us your audience and languages and we will help you choose.

Tell us the event, the languages spoken and where the video will be shown. We will confirm which captions or subtitles we can arrange for your date and say what we need from you to check the text.

Ask about your event

Sources

  1. W3C WAI, Planning audio and video media, checked 2026-10-06
  2. W3C WAI, Captions/Subtitles, checked 2026-10-06

Checked on the date shown. Rules and venue requirements change, so confirm them for your own event.

Guides in this topic

Start with these

More guides on this topic

Captions for Malay and English mixed speech

Speakers who switch between Malay and English need a clear caption rule. Decide how mixed speech and names are written, and who checks them before release.

Read the guide →

Useful next steps

Event video planning guides

Plain guides for deciding what event video you need, how to plan coverage, compare quotes and handle permissions. Start with the topic closest to your decision.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between captions, subtitles and a transcript?
Captions show the spoken words as text, often with key sounds. Subtitles usually translate the speech into another language. A transcript is a text document that can be read without the video. Each takes different work, so say which ones you need.
Can automatic captions be used as they are?
Treat them as a first draft. Machine captions often miss names, titles and mixed languages, so a person should check and correct them before you publish.
When should accessibility be decided?
At the brief, before the quote. A sign-language interpreter must be in the shot while filming, and captions change the editing and delivery files. Both are harder to add once the day has passed.
Do you provide translation?
Captions and translated subtitles are available on request, confirmed for each event. We agree the languages and who checks the wording before the edit begins.

Planning an event? Let’s talk it through.

Tell us the event, the languages spoken and where the video will be shown. We will confirm which captions or subtitles we can arrange for your date and say what we need from you to check the text.

Send your date and area. We suggest coverage and confirm availability.

Ask about your eventSend details by form
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