In 30 seconds
Subtitles carry the dialogue into another language for people who can hear. Closed captions carry all the sound, in the same language, for people who cannot. Many projects need both, as separate files.
The one-line difference
Subtitles assume the viewer can hear the audio but does not understand the language. They translate the dialogue.
Closed captions assume the viewer may not hear the audio at all. They write down the dialogue in the same language and also describe what is heard: who is speaking when it is not obvious, music, a door slamming, a phone ringing off screen.
What goes into each one
| Subtitles | Closed captions | |
|---|---|---|
| Main reader | Someone who does not know the spoken language | Someone who cannot hear the audio, or watches without sound |
| Language | Different from the audio | Same as the audio (translated captions also exist) |
| Sound descriptions | Normally left out | Included: speakers, music, effects |
| Can the viewer switch it off? | Yes, unless burned in | Yes, unless they are open captions |
How to decide for your video
Ask three questions, in this order.
1. Does anyone in the audience need access to the sound? If the answer is yes, or might be, you need captions. This is a production question as much as a courtesy: captions also serve people watching on a phone with the sound off, in a lobby or on a trade-show screen.
2. Does anyone in the audience not speak the language of the audio? If yes, you need subtitles for each of those languages, or a dub or voice-over instead. The guide on dubbing vs subtitling covers that choice.
3. Where will the video play? Social feeds often burn text into the picture so it shows without any player settings. A website player or a streaming platform usually takes separate tracks. Burned-in text cannot be corrected or turned off later, so keep a clean master.
When you need both
A product video with a voice-over in English, published for an English-speaking audience and for a German one, ends up with three text deliverables: English captions, German subtitles, and, if the German version has its own voice, German captions as well. Each is a separate file with its own timing, because the translated sentence is rarely the same length as the original.
A short brief to send your supplier
Video length and language of the audio. Where it will play. Which languages need subtitles. Whether captions are needed, and whether they should be open or closed. The file format each platform asks for. A glossary of names, product terms and anything that must not be translated.
Send the final cut, not a draft: a change of a few frames in the edit moves every caption after it.
Quick answers
Are open captions the same as closed captions?
They hold the same kind of text. Open captions are burned into the picture and cannot be switched off. Closed captions travel as a separate track that the viewer turns on or off.
Can one file do both jobs?
Only in a limited way. A subtitle file leaves out speaker changes and sound descriptions, so it does not give a deaf viewer the full picture. Ship a captions file for access and a subtitle file for each language.
What are forced narrative subtitles?
A short subtitle track that translates only the foreign speech or on-screen text that the viewer would otherwise miss, such as a character speaking another language in a scene. It is shown by default when the viewer has chosen no subtitles.