Subtitles and Caption Introduction to Caption 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When captions display word by word as speech occurs in real time, this style is called:
- Block captioning
- Pop-on captioning
- Roll-up captioning (Correct answer)
- Paint-on captioning
Correct answer: Roll-up captioning
Roll-up captions scroll continuously upward as new words are added, commonly used for live broadcasts.
Question 2: What is the recommended maximum reading speed for captions intended for a general adult audience?
- 100 words per minute
- 145 words per minute
- 180 words per minute (Correct answer)
- 220 words per minute
Correct answer: 180 words per minute
180 words per minute (wpm) is the widely accepted maximum for adult audiences, balancing readability with synchronization to speech.
Question 3: In caption metadata, what information does a 'speaker label' or 'speaker identification' tag provide?
- The language of the speaker
- The name or role of who is speaking (Correct answer)
- The volume level of the speaker's voice
- The position of the caption on screen
Correct answer: The name or role of who is speaking
Speaker labels identify who is talking, helping deaf viewers follow conversations with multiple participants.
Question 4: A captioner is working on a music video. How should song lyrics typically be formatted in captions?
- Lyrics are omitted because they are not dialogue
- Each line of lyrics is preceded by a musical note symbol (♪) (Correct answer)
- Lyrics are written in all capital letters
- Lyrics are placed at the top of the screen only
Correct answer: Each line of lyrics is preceded by a musical note symbol (♪)
Musical note symbols (♪) at the start and end of lyric lines signal to viewers that the text represents sung content rather than spoken dialogue.
Question 5: What does 'caption latency' refer to in live captioning?
- The number of errors per minute in a caption stream
- The delay between when audio is spoken and when captions appear on screen (Correct answer)
- The time it takes to download a caption file
- The gap between two consecutive caption frames
Correct answer: The delay between when audio is spoken and when captions appear on screen
Caption latency is the delay between live speech and the appearance of corresponding captions, a key quality metric for live events.
Question 6: Under FCC rules, which type of video programming is generally exempt from closed captioning requirements?
- News programs aired in primetime
- Programs with budgets over $3 million
- New non-English programming that first aired before 1998 (Correct answer)
- Documentaries longer than 90 minutes
Correct answer: New non-English programming that first aired before 1998
The FCC provides an exemption for non-English language programming that first aired before January 1, 1998, acknowledging older content predating the rules.
Question 7: Which caption positioning term describes captions placed in the upper portion of the screen?
- Pop-on top
- Upward captions
- Header captions
- Top-of-screen captions (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Top-of-screen captions
Top-of-screen captioning is used when important visual information at the bottom of the frame would be obscured by standard bottom placement.
Subtitles and Caption Introduction to Caption 3
When captions display word by word as speech occurs in real time, this style is called: