Broadcast Captioning

 

               

 

If you have ever watched closed captioning, you may have wondered exactly how it works.  Are the words appearing at the bottom of the screen preprogrammed?  What about live events and newscasts?  By definition, closed-captioning for a live event cannot be programmed ahead of time.  The answer to this mysterious question lies in broadcast captioning reporters, also known as “captioners.”  Broadcast captioning reporters use their real-time translation skills and essential computer programs to create the words we see crawling at the bottom of the screen.

Captioners are needed now more than ever.  In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act (www.fcc.gov/telecom.html), which states that all new television programming has to be closed-captioned as of 2006.  This requires that hundreds of hours of live television be closed-captioned each week.  These days, everything from sporting events and children’s programming to national news and sitcoms are closed-captioned, so that the deaf and hard of hearing can better enjoy the same benefits that the rest of us do.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was essential due to the fact that there are about 30 million people in the U.S. alone who are deaf and hard of hearing.  As most of them rely on television to get their news, it is imperative that a way be provided for them to be able to receive news of impending dangerous weather and disasters, national alerts, localized dangers such as gas leaks or fires, and terrorist attacks.

According to the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology (COAT), it is estimated that over 100 million Americans use closed-captioning in the U.S.  This audience includes not only the deaf and hard of hearing, but also people who are illiterate and learning how to read.  Closed-captioning is also helpful for people watching television in a noisy location, such as an airport, club, or sporting event, as well as 30 million people learning English as a second language.  

Closed-captioning also allows those who are deaf or hard of hearing to participate in civic events, such as city council meetings or public hearings.  With the introduction of closed-captioning, information was suddenly made available to people who had previously had limited access to what their own district representatives may be saying about the operation of the government.  Closed-captioning is available on the Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN).  Over 100 million more Americans now have the opportunity to follow Congressional sessions and presidential addresses in the same way as other citizens.  Captioners make this opportunity possible.  The Internet is opened up by captioners as well through webcasting.

At the end of the day, broadcast captioning is a rewarding and commendable career choice.  Not only do captioners allow the deaf and hard of hearing to more enjoy their favorite television shows, but they provide a more effective way for them to receive important news and emergency alerts.  Captioners also provide a service that can greatly enhance the efforts of those people learning the English language and striving to become better integrated into American society.  In a way, closed-captioning helps bring all of us together as a community.  If you are looking for a way to improve the lives of others and have been considering going through training in court reporting schools, broadcast captioning may just be the right career choice for you.