The role of subtitling and transcription in the accessibility of audiovisual material

The accessibility of audio and video materials has become a central theme in the production and distribution of digital content, especially since the European Union’s accessibility directive. The directive sets strict requirements for public actors on how digital services must be accessible to all citizens, regardless of their physical or cognitive limitations. Subtitling and transcription are keyways to ensure that audio and video materials are accessible to everyone. However, there are still significant challenges associated with this, especially regarding the development of artificial intelligence.

The EU accessibility directive and the importance of subtitles

The EU Accessibility Directive (2016/2102) obliges public organizations to ensure that the content of their websites and mobile applications is accessible to all users. This includes, among other things, that all videos and audio recordings must be equipped with appropriate subtitles or a text equivalent, so that people with hearing and vision impairments can use these contents.

However, the role of subtitles is not limited to the needs of hearing and visually impaired people, as subtitles are beneficial to all users. For example, in noisy environments, such as public transport or cafes, subtitles help to understand the content of the video without the use of sound. In addition, subtitles can be useful for those who watch videos in a foreign language and want to improve their understanding by reading the text. Subtitles also improve the search engine optimization of the content, making the videos more discoverable.

The limitations of artificial intelligence in ensuring accessibility

Although artificial intelligence and automatic speech recognition (ASR) have developed significantly in recent years, artificial intelligence still faces challenges when creating subtitles that meet accessibility requirements. In particular, recognizing speakers and marking extraneous sounds, such as background noise, music and sound effects, create challenges. AI may confuse speakers or ignore important non-speech sounds that are essential to understanding content. Because of these shortcomings, human proofreading is still necessary for subtitling and transcription to fulfil accessibility requirements.

Summary

The accessibility of audio and video materials is a key part of digital communication, and subtitling and transcription are crucial tools in achieving this. Although artificial intelligence has taken great strides recently, it still cannot meet all accessibility requirements on its own. Therefore, human expertise is still necessary to ensure that all users can benefit from the content equally.

The benefits of subtitling and transcription extend far beyond just satisfying the requirements of the Accessibility Directive. They improve the user experience, increase content discoverability and offer added value to everyone who wants to enjoy audiovisual content in different situations and environments. Accessibility is not only a legal obligation, but also an opportunity to create better and more inclusive digital experiences for everyone.