Captioning services from transcription to on-screen text
Closed captions and subtitles in the original language or translated, English-Spanish in both directions, delivered in SRT, VTT, SCC and broadcast formats.
Captioning turns transcription into timed on-screen text: closed captions with speaker IDs and sound description for accessibility, or subtitles for viewers who hear the audio. Orion Translations produces both, in the original language or translated, with English-Spanish closed captioning in both directions as its specialist pair, delivered in SRT, VTT, SCC and broadcast formats.
Captions are how video includes everyone
Captions started as accessibility and became universal: deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers rely on them, platforms autoplay muted, commuters watch in silence, and search engines read them. A video without captions now excludes audiences and underperforms, and a video with bad automatic captions does both while looking careless.
We build captions from verified transcription: accurate text first, then professional timing within reading-speed limits, speaker identification and sound description where the format calls for it, and translation when your audience crosses languages, all against the picture, never just the audio.
Which caption product does your video need?
| Product | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Closed captions (CC) | Speech + speaker IDs + sound description | Accessibility, US broadcast (SCC) |
| SDH subtitles | CC content in subtitle format | Streaming platforms |
| Standard subtitles | Speech only, timed | Hearing audiences, social video |
| Translated captions | Any of the above in another language | English-Spanish both directions |
| Burned-in captions | Text rendered onto the video | Social clips, single-language releases |
How much do captioning services cost?
Per video minute: same-language captions at the base rate, translated captions and CC/SDH slightly above for the added editorial work, volume batches below. Formats (SRT, VTT, SCC, EBU-STL, TTML) are included, not extras. Sample to info@oriontranslations.com; fixed per-minute quote within one business day.
English-Spanish closed captioning, both directions
Our highest-demand captioning: English content captioned into Spanish for Hispanic audiences (with the Castilian versus Latin American choice made per market), and Spanish content captioned into English for global reach. The translation layer follows the same constraints as our English-Spanish subtitling work: reading speed, line limits, and meaning that survives compression.
Compliance without the checklist anxiety
Accessibility standards ask for captions that are accurate, synchronised and complete, exactly what human-verified production delivers by default. For organisations with formal obligations, public bodies, education, broadcast, we document the spec compliance per delivery, and our broader accessibility services cover the surrounding needs, from transcripts to audio description planning.
Every viewer included, every word on screen, on time.
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Upload your document and tell us what you need. We respond within one business day with a fixed price and delivery date. No hidden costs. No obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Transcription produces a text document of what was said; captioning places that text on screen, timed to the video, within reading-speed and line-length limits. Captions come in two families: closed captions (CC), which include sound effects and speaker IDs for accessibility, and subtitles, which assume the viewer hears the audio.
- They combine three steps: transcribing the English audio, translating it into Spanish, and timing the result as caption files within reading limits. The output lets Spanish-speaking audiences, including deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, follow English-language video. We deliver the reverse direction, Spanish to English closed captioning, with the same workflow.
- Per video minute: same-language captions cost less than translated captions, and closed captions with sound descriptions sit slightly above plain subtitles for the extra editorial work. Volume brings rates down. Send a sample video for a fixed per-minute quote within one business day.
- SRT and VTT for web and social platforms, SCC for US broadcast closed captioning, EBU-STL and TTML for broadcast and streaming specs, and SDH subtitle variants. Files arrive upload-ready for your platform, and burned-in captions are available on request.
- Yes: closed captions are the core requirement for video accessibility under standards like WCAG and the regulations that reference them, and SDH subtitles serve the same audience on streaming platforms. We produce compliant files with speaker identification and sound description, in the original language or translated.
- Human-verified, always: automatic captions garble names, drop crosstalk and time badly, and published captions are public. Where speech recognition assists the first pass, professionals verify every line against the picture and re-time it to reading speed before delivery.
- Yes: rolling caption production for content calendars, with platform-safe line lengths and turnaround from 24 hours per batch. Translated caption tracks (typically English and Spanish) come from the same workflow, keeping brand terminology consistent across every clip.