Captions

Captions are designed to provide access to TV, film and video for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Captions provide a written alternative to the whole auditory experience, including the dialogue, music and important ambient sounds.

The difference captions make to Aotearoa

Everyone should be able to connect. Able to understand the story, able to share the laughter, able to enjoy the show. But for over 880,000 Kiwis who are Deaf and hard of hearing, that connection can be a challenge. We provide video captioning services to enhance New Zealand content and turn it into the shared experience it was made to be.

Our Process

Our process

A captioner wears a headset with a microphone, typing with calm concentration

How do the 2,750,000+ words transcribed every week on New Zealand TV get there?

Captions are created through a hybrid blend of AI technology and human skill.

For pre-recorded content, offline captions are produced ahead of time. Our team of highly trained linguists carefully craft each word, creating captions that accurately capture the rich and varied soundscape.

For live television, our team uses re-speaking software to generate captions. In a room devoid of background noise, our captioners re-speak the live dialogue. AI technology transcribes the words into text, and this accompanies the live broadcast in real-time.

A captioner wears a headset with a microphone, typing with calm concentration

What does it mean to watch with words?

  • Inclusion

    For those who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing, captions are an essential key to unlock access to content.

  • Language

    Captions provide valuable support for those who speak English as a second language.

  • Literacy

    Turning on same-language closed captions and subtitles can have a profound effect on a child’s reading ability.

  • Preference

    An incredible 85% of social video content is viewed without sound. The benefits of captions are universal. As we move through an increasingly busy, increasingly noisy, increasingly mobile world, they’re there for all of us.

Looking to learn how to access captioned television?