Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) is a type of audiovisual accessibility that plays an important part in promoting inclusion and accessibility for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Accessibility
A series of regulatory obligations have been operating in Portugal since 1999 to ensure that television programs and audiovisual services are accessible to people with special needs.
SDH is now a legal requirement in many contexts, including television, cinema and streaming services, ensuring that deaf and hard-of-hearing people have unrestricted access to audiovisual content.
Sintagma has the privilege of collaborating with various companies and organisations in this effort to produce high-quality SDH, focusing on precision, synchronisation and visual aesthetics. Through this collaboration, we contribute to promoting equal access, enriching the viewing experience for all audiences and playing an essential role in building a more inclusive and accessible environment for all.
Challenges
The fundamental differences between SDH and conventional subtitling make each project a unique journey, full of challenges that demand precision and meticulous attention.
The graphic and textual formatting of the dialogue, as well as the localisation of sound effects, music and actors are crucial aspects that distinguish SDH. Balancing visual aesthetics while remaining faithful to the original content is a skill that requires extra care and time to ensure an inclusive and meaningful experience for audiences with hearing difficulties.
Addressing these challenges effectively is a priority for Sintagma on these projects. Through our meticulous approach, we ensure that each SDH project overcomes these barriers, contributing to an accessible and enriching audiovisual experience.
Results
SDH projects go beyond simply transmitting dialogues. They include essential information that enriches the experience, making it inclusive and accessible to all. This type of subtitling plays a crucial role not only for individuals with hearing difficulties, but also in educational environments, where it is essential to help make lessons and lectures easier to understand.
Sintagma's collaboration on SDH projects is a key factor in overcoming communication barriers. Our mission is to help build a world where everyone can enjoy audiovisual content.
Guaranteeing equal access to information and entertainment is the way forward in a world that is increasingly embracing social inclusion.
Did you know...
· Unlike conventional subtitling, SDH exclamation marks and question marks must always be preceded by a space? Unlike conventional subtitling, SDH exclamation marks and question marks must always be preceded by a space? The reason for this is that teletext has its own graphic limitations and uses its own text font, which can lead to confusion between characters. For example, the exclamation mark (!) can easily be confused with the lowercase letter L (l) or the number one (1) and the question mark (?) can be confused with the number two (2). So, to avoid confusion, these punctuation marks are preceded by a space.
· Not all subtitles on the SDH are the same color? Yellow is the standard color for subtitles, white is used to identify characters who are not on screen and blue is reserved for sound effects, music and character names.
· Although it is an SDH requirement to identify the sound effects and music that appear on screen, it is not necessary to identify everything? Sound effects should only be identified when they are not visually represented on screen. For example, in a video of a concert, it is not necessary to identify [PORTUGUESE GUITAR CHORDS] when the image clearly shows someone playing the Portuguese guitar.
· When the first agreement to provide SDH was made in Portugal in 1999, the number of hours made available for this type of subtitling was 15 hours per week? Over the years and thanks to the growing awareness of the importance of inclusivity, the number of hours dedicated to accessibility has doubled in order to reduce the challenges that citizens with special needs experience in accessing the information, culture and entertainment that the media tend to offer.
