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Foreword

This document was originally published by the ITC, one of the organisations replaced by Ofcom at the end of 2003. It represents Ofcom’s current policy.

Subtitle editing is different from most other forms of text editing. Not only is the medium more dynamic than most others, but also the target audience is not a homogenous group. Although the common voice of deaf and hard-of-hearing people is that they require access to television, they vary in terms of literacy, hearing loss and socio-economic factors. With the increasing size of an aged population, the preferences of the elderly in particular should be taken into account.

The following are some of the factors which contribute to the distinctive nature of subtitling:

1. Comprehension and enjoyment of normal text are enhanced for the reader by the ability, if necessary, to re-scan the article. Comprehension of a television programme, however, is typically gained only at the time of viewing.
2. Readers normally have only text to absorb. By contrast the user of subtitles must take in simultaneously the action within the television image as well as the information provided by the subtitling.
3. The pace of programmes sometimes means that subtitles cannot reasonably be expected to convey the full range of information contained in the television image. However, deaf and hard-of-hearing people naturally expect to receive as much as possible of the information which is available to the general audience.

Careful and sensitive editing is therefore needed in order to produce subtitles which will suit the intended audience, while still conveying the full meaning of the dialogue or commentary within the limitations set by the pace of the programme.

Subtitling Priorities

The priorities for effective subtitling can be summarised as follows:

1. Allow adequate reading time. (See 1.7 Timing and Synchronisation).
2. Reduce viewers' frustration by:
   1. attempting to match what is actually said, reflecting the spoken word with the same meaning and complexity; without censoring
   2. constructing subtitles which contain all obvious speech and relevant sound effects; and
   3. placing subtitles sensibly in time and space.
3. Without making unnecessary changes to the spoken word, construct subtitles which contain easily-read and commonly-used English sentences in a tidy and sensible format.
4. In the case of subtitles for children, particular regard should be given to the reading age of the intended audience.

The craft of the teletext subtitler is to meet these objectives while working within the constraints imposed by the teletext medium. The remainder of this document presents guidance on ways in which this can be achieved.

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