Transcripts, captions, subtitles, translations

This is Talk Type, from the team at Pepys, where we turn talk into text.

Transcript. Captions. Subtitles. Translation. People use these four words like they mean the same thing, and they're all a little different. Getting them mixed up is how you end up with the wrong file for the job. So let's separate them.

A transcript is the plainest one. It's the full text of what was said, start to finish, usually as a document. Not necessarily tied to timing. You read it, search it, quote it, paste it into something else. It's the raw material the other three are built from.

Captions are that text, but chopped into short chunks and stamped with timing, so each line appears on screen at the moment those words are spoken. The key thing about captions, in the strict sense, is that they're meant for people who can't hear the audio. So good captions also note the non-speech that matters. Music playing. A door slamming. Laughter. They carry the sound, not just the words.

Subtitles are almost the same shape, timed text on screen, but with a different assumption. Subtitles assume you can hear the audio fine, you just need the words, often because they're in another language. So subtitles usually skip the sound effects and focus on the dialogue.

And translation is the one that's genuinely different in kind. The other three keep the original language. Translation carries the meaning into a new one. You can translate a transcript into a document, or translate subtitles so a video reaches a different audience. It's a separate step, layered on top.

So the quick way to keep them straight. Transcript is the text. Captions are timed text for people who can't hear, sound and all. Subtitles are timed text for people who can hear but need the words. Translation moves any of them into another language. Four words, four jobs. Pick the one that matches what you're actually trying to do.

That's this episode of Talk Type. The full write up, with the links and sources, is in the show notes. Pepys transcribes any file or link, any length, pay once, and we never train on your audio. Your first sixty minutes are free at pepys dot co. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.