CRI Real-Time Captioning Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which factor most directly affects the readability of real-time captions during a live broadcast?
- Caption display speed relative to speech rate (Correct answer)
- The font color selected by the captioner
- The number of microphones in use
- The broadcast signal strength
Correct answer: Caption display speed relative to speech rate
Caption display speed must closely match the speaker's pace to maintain readability and comprehension for viewers.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of using a steno mask in real-time captioning?
- To amplify the captioner's voice for remote listeners
- To allow voice writing without disturbing those nearby (Correct answer)
- To improve microphone frequency response
- To reduce background noise from the venue
Correct answer: To allow voice writing without disturbing those nearby
A steno mask muffles the captioner's voice so they can repeat speech aloud without disrupting the audience.
Question 3: In CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation), who is the primary intended audience?
- Television broadcast viewers
- Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in a live setting (Correct answer)
- Remote conference call participants only
- Court stenographers reviewing transcripts
Correct answer: Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in a live setting
CART is specifically designed to provide real-time text access to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in live environments.
Question 4: Which software feature is most critical for a real-time captioning system to display captions on a remote screen?
- Local file export capability
- Real-time IP streaming or serial output (Correct answer)
- Offline dictionary management
- PDF generation tools
Correct answer: Real-time IP streaming or serial output
Real-time IP streaming or serial output allows the captioning software to transmit text as it is produced to remote display systems.
Question 5: A CRI candidate observes that a student's real-time feed contains frequent untranslated steno outlines. What is the most likely cause?
- The student is writing too slowly
- The student's dictionary lacks entries for those strokes (Correct answer)
- The display screen has a rendering error
- The broadcast encoder is dropping frames
Correct answer: The student's dictionary lacks entries for those strokes
Untranslated outlines (called 'steno' or 'raw') appear when the CAT software cannot find a matching dictionary entry for the written stroke.
Question 6: What does 'lag' refer to in the context of real-time captioning?
- The difference between the speaker's words and when captions appear on screen (Correct answer)
- The delay caused by slow internet bandwidth only
- A typographical error introduced during translation
- The time required to export a final transcript
Correct answer: The difference between the speaker's words and when captions appear on screen
Lag is the delay between spoken words and their appearance as captions, which affects the viewer's ability to follow live content.
Question 7: Which technique helps a real-time captioner maintain accuracy when an unfamiliar proper noun is spoken?
- Omitting the word entirely to keep pace
- Using a pre-loaded proper noun dictionary or phonetic spelling stroke (Correct answer)
- Switching to voice writing mid-session
- Requesting the speaker to spell the word aloud
Correct answer: Using a pre-loaded proper noun dictionary or phonetic spelling stroke
Pre-loading proper noun dictionaries or using phonetic strokes allows captioners to quickly translate unfamiliar names without breaking their writing rhythm.
CRI Real-Time Captioning Methods 2
Which factor most directly affects the readability of real-time captions during a live broadcast?