Short, practical write-ups on transcription, timing, speaker labels, sound descriptions and caption delivery, published about once a day.
These notes expand on what is taught in the modules, with small worked examples and common mistakes. Read them alongside the lessons or on their own when a specific captioning question comes up.
Sound Descriptions
A practical walkthrough for choosing which non-speech sounds to describe, how to phrase them briefly, and how to test each one against what a viewer who cannot hear actually needs.
Read the articleQuality Review
Before captions go out with a video, a short review pass catches wrong words, fast lines and uneven style. This is the checklist Marcus uses, with the reasoning behind each item.
Read the articleTranscription
Most weak transcripts fail in the same few ways: guessing at unclear audio, ignoring terminology, and cleaning up speech too much or too little. Here is how to catch each one early.
Read the articleSpeaker Labels
A plain look at how speaker labelling is priced for panels and event recordings, and which features of a recording add time, effort and cost.
Read the articleCustomer Case
Dana had a recorded conference talk, three places to publish it and no idea which caption format to export. Her case shows how SRT, VTT and embedded captions each earned a place.
Read the articleTiming Advice
Priya Raman explains how to set up caption timing habits now, so recorded talks and event videos stay readable and in sync through the busy conference season ahead.
Read the articleSound Descriptions
A plain-language explanation of non-speech information, the caption trade term for sounds that carry meaning, and how to decide which ones deserve a short written description.
Read the articleQuality Review
Priya Raman compares a checklist-only review with a slower full read-through of captioned video, and explains which one beginners should start with and when to combine them.
Read the articleBehind the scenes
A look at the working routine behind Transcription Foundations: how a recording is listened to, drafted, checked against terminology and cleaned before it ever reaches the caption stage.
Read the articleSpeaker Labels
Learners ask how to label speakers when nobody introduces themselves on the recording. Marcus Delaney answers it step by step, from first listen to a clean, consistent caption file.
Read the articleCourse News
A look at how the delivery module of our course now covers exporting SRT and VTT files and embedding captions, and how learners decide which option suits each recording.
Read the articleTiming Methods
Priya Raman describes the working materials behind the timing module: the editor, the reading-speed guide and the sample clips learners use to break text into readable caption lines.
Read the articleSound Descriptions
Before you commit to describing non-speech sounds in a recorded video, work through these questions on purpose, audience, length and placement, so each description earns its place on screen.
Read the articleQuality Review
Most caption errors survive review because the reviewer reads instead of watching. Priya Raman walks through the slips she sees most often in learner work and the habits that catch them.
Read the articleTranscription
Marcus Delaney explains how audio quality, terminology and review depth shape the cost of turning interviews and talks into clean text, and how to plan for it.
Read the articleSpeaker Labels
A short case from the course: Dana, who runs events for a community college, brought a panel recording where speakers kept interrupting each other, and we worked out how to label it.
Read the articleFile Formats
A seasonal guide to deciding which caption file type fits your autumn videos, from conference recordings to holiday messages, and how to set up delivery before deadlines pile up.
Read the articleTiming Terms
A plain explanation of characters per second, the trade term that decides whether viewers can finish a caption line before it disappears, and how to set line breaks and timings around it.
Read the articleSound Descriptions
Two ways to write sound descriptions for viewers who cannot hear them, compared side by side on interview and event footage, with a clear recommendation for beginners preparing captions themselves.
Read the articleQuality Review
A look at the review pass behind every finished caption file: the order of checks, what gets flagged, and how reading speed and consistency are settled on a sample video.
Read the articleTranscription
Learners keep asking how accurate a first transcript needs to be before timing begins. Here is how we answer it, with practical steps for terminology and unclear audio.
Read the articleCourse News
A look at how the speaker identification module is taught: labelling voices, handling overlap in panel discussions, and the sample event recordings learners work from.
Read the articleMethods
A look at the file formats and export habits we use when captions leave the editing desk, and how to pick between sidecar files and captions built into the video.
Read the articleTiming Guide
A practical walkthrough for breaking text into readable caption lines and setting start and end times by ear and by eye, with a repeatable routine for interviews and talks.
Read the articleSound Descriptions
Priya Raman walks through the errors learners most often make when describing non-speech sounds in captions, and shows simple habits that keep descriptions short, accurate and useful to viewers.
Read the articleQuality Review
A plain look at how review time, audio condition and style rules decide what a quality check costs, and how to prepare so you pay only for the checking that is needed.
Read the article
