1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)

Captions are a text version of the audio in a video, displayed on screen in time with the playback. They differ from subtitles: subtitles assume the viewer can hear and just need a language translation. Captions are for people who cannot hear the audio at all, so they include not just speech but also meaningful sound effects and music cues.

This applies to any video that has both picture and sound: product demos, testimonials, tutorial videos, marketing content, recorded webinars, and so on.

Captions must be synchronised with the video, accurate, and complete. They must cover all spoken content and any sounds that carry meaning.

Most video platforms let you upload a captions file or use auto-generated captions. Always review and correct auto-generated captions before publishing. They struggle with accents, technical terms, and proper nouns.

For videos you host yourself, use WebVTT or SRT caption files with your video player.

Captions should identify speakers in multi-voice content. Non-speech audio that carries meaning should appear in square brackets: [applause], [door closes], [upbeat music].

• Video published with no captions at all
• Auto-generated captions left uncorrected with significant errors
• Captions that only cover part of the video
• Captions that miss meaningful sound effects or music cues

Open captions are burned into the video and always visible. Closed captions can be toggled by the viewer. Both satisfy this criterion. Closed captions are generally preferable as they give viewers the choice.

If a video is purely a text alternative for existing written content and is labelled as such, the caption requirement does not apply. This exception is narrow and rarely used in practice.