How to Get Transcripts for Audio and Video Right
Text versions of audio-only and video-only media, such as podcasts, recorded calls and silent product animations, that give people who cannot hear or see the media the same information.
Marcus Adeyemi
The key figures
- WCAG 1.2.1, A
- prerecorded audio-only needs a text alternative; prerecorded video-only needs text or an audio track
- WCAG 1.2.8 Media Alternative, AAA
- a full text alternative for prerecorded video with audio
- Descriptive transcripts
- include both the dialogue and descriptions of important visual information
- Placement
- the transcript should be easy to find from the media itself
Why this is worth getting right
WCAG requires an alternative for prerecorded audio-only and video-only content at level A, and transcripts also make media searchable and skimmable for everyone.
Do this, not that
Do
- Publish a transcript alongside every podcast episode
- Include speaker names and meaningful sounds
- Describe what silent video shows in text
- Link the transcript directly beside the player
- Correct automatic transcripts before publishing
Don’t
- Transcripts hidden behind a download that is hard to find
- Uncorrected machine transcripts with wrong names
- Dropping visual information from video transcripts
- Treating captions as a replacement for audio-only transcripts
When to bring in help
Our advice Bring in help when a media library has no transcripts, or when content must meet WCAG AA for a contract or public body.
Where this comes from
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative — Understanding SC 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative — Transcripts
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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Where to go next
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