1920 London Subtitles
Sandra Grady
A lot of viewers to this blog are using search terms that seem to relate to using subtitles to learn a second language so depending on feedback I get I may later change this blog post into a page for reference in the future. My question is how many good resources are there on the web that help with this? Of course anyone can watch a DVD and/or download a subtitle file in the language they are trying to learn but what about other resources?
Here are some I have found to date. I cannot vouch for their usefulness since I am not using any to learn a language but I have included them because they offer something extra than just a subtitle file.
Clip Flair describes itself as Foreign Language Learning through Interactive Captioning and Revoicing of Clips. It is an online tool that allows users to create clips, revoice them, and subtitle them. The video below demonstrates how it works. (Note: there is no audio dialogue on this video)
Anyone learning English as a second language that is also a music lover might want to check out the musicESL You Tube channel and the website MusicEnglish for collections of subtitled music videos. If music is not your thing then Voice of America (VOA) has captioned You Tube videos for viewers to learn American English and much more with captioned news reports that are read at a slower speed.
A fully subtitled from launch, with the aim to also eventually provided full BSL signed movies from a Video On Demand service. Imagine that? Well one business entrepreneur Shaun Sadlier is planning to do just that through Films14. Read the Q&A from Shaun below and watch the video for more information:
Q: Your service is called Films14. Is there a story behind the name?
A: I was looking for a name which it is easy to remember and maximum is 7 letters or numbers, films is what we provide and 14 references 2014 when we want to launch.
About the Mystery Gift.
1. If we get over 20,000 UK residents sign up before launch then Pre-Launch membership will get 4.99 monthly for life.
2. If we get over 50,000 UK residents sign up then before launch Pre-Launch membership will get 3.99 monthly for life.
3. If we get over 150,000 UK residents sign up then before launch Pre-Launch membership will get 2.99 monthly for life.
Q: How is this service funded?
A: This service will be funded by crowdfunding and then membership sign up on the first month of launch. Our Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme are currently pending which take up 4 to 6 weeks.
Q: Will you be able to watch the content on all internet enabled devices or desktop and laptops only?
A: It will work on Playstation 3, Wii, iPad and any devices with an internet connection and screen because we are going to use HTML5 video player.
Readers who are keeping up to date with subtitling solutions and projects might be pleased to know that the former Indiegogo project for a subtitling solution for cinemas is a project now being developed by GeoJaX Ltd and Mystery Technology LLP.
I have blogged previously about this popular BBC TV series before and how Sherlock uses visual text on screen as part of the storytelling process (this is actually one of my most popular posts for hit counts!). Last week the BBC did something rather cool involving the subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for this series.
On Friday 12th July the BBC scheduled a repeat of an episode and urged viewers to tune in to look for clues not previously released in any other broadcast of the episode that would give fans a sneak peek into an episode title for the next series due to air later this year/beginning of 2014.
Like previous broadcasts the episode was subtitled for the deaf and hard of hearing. But in addition for this repeat only, the subtitles also displayed in the top left hand corner, letters that acted as clues to viewers and was part of the promotion to encourage repeated viewing and speculation about the new series. Nothing to do with providing access, but a fitting way to uses subtitles as part of a promotional campaign for the series. If you were watching without the subtitles switched on, you would have missed the clues but this is entirely fitting as a campaign to the programme to think outside the box and consider all your options. Below are screen shots showing the letters being displayed in the subtitles in the top left of the screen so not to be confused with any of the subtitled audio dialogue:
Back in March 2013, some, including myself were lucky enough to take part in a trial to test some personalised technology that provides subtitles to cinemas. The trial took place in London and was organised by the Cinema Exhibitors Association and they have now published the results to those that attended. I have summarised the main points below:
While the AD functionalities of the products were part of the industry showcase, the audience screenings concentrated solely on CC, that being the technology which offers something completely new for customers.
If YouTube would selectively turn it on only in the most simple videos, we would know that the subtitles would reach a certain quality threshold. I do not think that their technology is bad but that they should not use it for inappropriate content.
I received the following comments from a UK-based reader which they requested be published on this blog anonymously. It concerns subtitling and captioning technology that is currently already in use in cinemas in countries outside the UK. To be clear, there currently is no official word as to whether these personal technology solutions will be integrated into UK cinemas. I am hopeful that the CEA will publish results of the trials carried out in March very soon. For now here is the feedback I received on this topic. What are your thoughts?
I would like to argue whether personal subtitling devices in cinema is better than nothing and convenient so one can go to the cinema at anytime without disturbing others, but is this the only solution?
I feel in this case, deaf people are being treated as a second class citizen, make do with second best access provisions to please the majority without gathering real evidence. Even though the feedback have been negative in other countries but yet the cinema industry still pushes ahead for personal subtitling devices despite the protest/resistance from many deaf people who insists that on-screen subtitles is the only and best way forward.
A friend of mine was there at the event where people tried out one device while watching a film (there were 3 different devices being tested) After watching the film with subtitles glasses for 15mins, my friend developed a headache from switching visions reading the subtitles on the glasses and watching the films. It made me realised that it is very unfair to expect D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people have to sacrifice their enjoyment for the benefit of the others. They pay tickets like everyone else. It does feel that the cinema industry is going back to the dark ages and ghettoising deaf people by introducing personal substandard experience for deaf people using personal devices. Also the way the experiment was carried out was rather biased and cleverly controlled.
That made me think, whether there could be another strategy. i.e. have designated screen at a multiplex for subtitled films on. So different films are shown at different times of the day in the week, so the trust is built between the deaf audience and the cinema and the attendance will increase because of the reliability/availability of subtitled screenings.
I think not enough care and thought has been put into this to change the attitudes. Instead they are spending millions to develop new devices which will also cost millions to install and still leave deaf customers with an unsatisfactory experience. With personal devices, it means that many people who are losing their hearing will still struggle to enjoy cinema experience because it is hidden and you have to be in the know about personal devices to use it whereas on-screen subtitles captures the recent deafened or hard of hearing people and enables them to come to terms with their hearing loss much quicker especially if it is visible and widely accepted.
I was hopeful but not massively convinced of the benefits of the personal devices trialled. (When are the CEA going to publish these results?) I was recently alerted to a crowdsource funding campaign from a 3D technology specialist who thinks that a better solution can be found. Designed by Jack Ezra, here is his technological solution:
Hi, are you referring to the glasses in which the subtitles appear on the lenses? Those are the only ones that have been trialed in the UK and are available for use in some cinemas in the USA. This 3D glasses solution is different and appeals to me because it would use standard light weight 3D glasses and the subtitles appear close to the bottom of the screen (and not on the lenses making it difficult to focus on the movie).
But back in the 1920s, and on the verge of going bust, Sam Warner, co-founder (with brothers Harry, Albert and Jack) of small studio Warner Bros. introduced some fancy tech that, with the help of jazz singer Al Jolson, unintentionally alienated many film fans for the next 75 years.
For people with hearing loss, a cinema visit was suddenly, if unintentionally, no longer enjoyable or accessible. By and large, they stopped going. For 75 years. A major step backwards for equality, inclusion and community integration.
tienne-Jules Marey had combined a camera and a Gatling gun to create a mutant photographic machine-gun/steadicam device, capable of shooting 60fps (more than a century before James Cameron and Peter Jackson attempted HFR).
For the UK film industry, a commitment to diversity and inclusion is not just a social and legal responsibility. It aims to ensure that cinema is accessible to all, regardless of age or ability, by understanding and catering for audiences with physical or sensory impairments, and their diverse technological needs.
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