EXPERT COURSE

Closed Captions & SDH: Essential Skills for Translators & Subtitlers

Accessibility and inclusivity are finally getting the attention they deserve, and with the upcoming EU Accessibility Act, there’s never been a better time to future-proof your career. AI still can’t match human nuance and understanding required in SDH, making this an invaluable skill to master.

What You'll Learn:

  • Distinguish SDH from closed captions and understand their unique roles
  • Describe music and sound effects that set the mood and add emotional depth
  • Handle accents, speech impediments, and non-standard language effectively
  • Find out text-condensing techniques (which can differ to interlingual/intralingual subtitling!)
  • Master speaker labelling etiquette to ensure clarity and consistency
  • Tune into paralinguistic features to create inclusive captions
  • Understand your viewers' needs to avoid overwhelming or patronising them, ensuring a respectful viewing experience

This practical, hands-on course covers all this - and more -through challenging, thought-provoking clips, live Q&As, and expert guidance - including direct feedback from a Deaf or hard-of-hearing consultant, so you can hear firstand what works (and what doesn't!)

You'll not only master the essentials, but also stay ahead of the curve with insights into emerging trends and where SDH and captioning is heading next. 

Whether you're a subtitler ready to specialise, or simply looking to future-proof your skills, you’ll leave this course with the skills, confidence, and professional edge you need. Dive into this engaging, practical course that’ll make you an SDH pro and a key player in the future of accessibility!
And there's plenty more to uncover...

Each class will be packed with thought-provoking clips. You'll have fun while learning. Promise!

Conditions: Please read our course and subscription plans terms and conditions carefully. With your registration, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted our conditions and agree with them. 

If you have any questions, please visit the FAQ section (for courses or subscription plans) or get in touch with us.

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  • This expert course includes:
  • Expert panelist: Jessica Hinds-Mingo, Freelance English Audiovisual Translator and Associate Lecturer at UCL (Uinversity College London)
  •  Challenging clips, activities and useful glossaries to add to your SDH toolkit
  •  Q&A session and in-webinar text-chat
  •  Lifetime access to the webinar and extra contents
  •  In English
  •  Completion certificate
  • When: 29 September to 3 October 2025 at 18.00 CET (2 h/day)
  • Webinar duration: 10 hours approximately
  • Downloadable webinar program

Description of Course and Panelist

Over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with some degree of hearing loss. That’s 1 in 5.
An entire global audience - and still a vastly underserved market in the audiovisual space.

With the EU Accessibility Act around the corner and accessibility conversations gaining momentum everywhere, the demand for high-quality SDH  has never been greater. This is a space AI still can’t replicate with nuance or sensitivity  - and likely won’t for a long time.


From the eerie tension of horror films  - where silence can be as loaded as sound - to the chaotic energy of SpongeBob with its animated line delivery, fast-paced action and non-standard language, to keeping up with Michael McIntyre’s lightning-fast punchlines - this course dives into the real-world complexity of creating captions that actually work for the audience. You'll also benefit from real-world exercises and invaluable insight straight from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to truly help you understand your audience and become the SDH expert every production needs.


Join Jessica, a seasoned SDH expert, as she shares a decade’s worth of experience in SDH - from the screen to the stage. You’ll learn to train your eye and ear to be eagle-sharp: mastering timing, pacing, paralinguistic features, genre, approach depending on audience age, and understanding how these elements all interplay to create a balanced and inclusive viewing experience.

Get to grips with the art of restraint - knowing when to say more and when to let the silence do the talking. Learn how to avoid the most common pitfalls in SDH and closed captions, and instead create captions that respect, empower, and serve the viewer.

Jessica has been crafting SDH for over a decade, for streaming platforms, television, cinema,  - from horror films and comedy series to documentaries, conferences, and even interlingual SDH, which brings its own set of unique challenges.

She's also previously taught SDH at University College London, and has therefore seen this craft from every angle: as a subtitler, proofreader, lecturer, and learner. More recently, she has immersed herself in the world of theatre and live event captioning, shadowing some of the UK’s top professionals and learning how SDH transforms in these high-stakes, real-time environments. Now's your chance to step up your SDH game with an industry insider. Learn how to make captions that count and enrol today!

Who is this Course for?

While tailored primarily for language professionals such as audiovisual translators, subtitlers, and proofreaders, this course is also invaluable for localisation project managers, filmmakers, and content creators and anyone interested in:

  • understanding what SDH (Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) really involves;
  • how SDH differs from subtitling, and even closed captions and when to use it;
  • how to describe music and sound that shapes a scene;
  • how (and when) to handle accents, speech impediments and tone respectfully;
  • how to apply industry-standard guidelines with a human-first mindset;
  • what's needed to succeed in accessible, inclusive subtitling.

This course will be delivered in English, and a high level of English proficiency is essential. You'll also need access to subtitling software and working knowledge of how to use it, as this is not a beginners' subtitling course. 

While we'll be working with English content, the principles and mindset you'll develop are fully transferable to SDH in any language - once you understand your audience, the rest follows. 

You'll also benefit from a live Q&A with a Deaf or hard-of-hearing consultant, ensuring your captions are informed by real lived experience. 

If you're looking to diversify your services, future-proof your career, or simply become a better, more inclusive subtitler - this course is for you.

Resources

Linguistic skills:
  • A good English level is required.

IT resources:
  • A computer with speakers as well as a stable internet connection are necessary.
  • Subtitling software: ideally EZTitles or Ooona (paid, but free trials available) OR Subtitle Edit (FREE) or Aegisub (FREE)

Availability:
  • You can attend this meeting live from wherever you want.
  • Life access to the recording of the webinar and extra contents when you acquire your place.

Closed Captions & SDH: Sessions

Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 1

Introduction to SDH and Audience

1. Foundations of captioning
1.1 SDH vs Closed captions: definitions, key distinctions, why it matters

2. Audience Awareness
2.1 Who is the audience?
2.2 Understanding deafness
2.3 Understanding the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers

3. Labelling 
3.1 Introduction to wording of labels for clarity, neutrality and relevance
3.2 Ethical considerations
3.3 Naming conventions for speaker ID
3.4 When and when not to label: avoiding redundancy, prioritising important information
3.5 Examples and exercises
SESSION 2

Labelling Voice, Tone & Delivery

1. Diversity in Speech
1.1 Handling accents and dialects
1.2 Speech impediments 
1.3 Non-standard language
1.4 Examples and exercises

2. Paralinguistic Features
2.1 Vocal quality: tone, intonation, volume
2.2 Delivery: non-verbal, pauses, hesitations, emphasis
2.3 Examples and exercises
SESSION 3

Music

1. Music Conventions
1.1 Diegetic vs non-diegetic music
1.2 When to subtitle, how much to subtitle
1.3 Instrumental music: indicating style, mood, emotional context
1.4 Examples and exercises

2 Lyrics
1.1 Conventions
1.2 Finding credible sources
1.3 Examples and exercises
SESSION 4

Sound Effects & Absence of Sound: Building an Accessible Soundscape

1. Subtitling Sound Effects
1.1 Standard conventions
1.2 Prioritising key sounds and avoiding clutter
1.3 How to deal with ambiguous sounds
1.4 Examples and exercises

2. Silence
2.1 Silence vs absence of sound: signalling silence deliberately vs leaving blank
2.2 "Silent" speech: dealing with internal dialogue, mouthed speech
2.3 Examples and exercises
Session 5

Editing for Clarity +
Guest Deaf Consultant

1. Text editing
1.1 Condensation techniques
1.2 Examples and exercises

2 Guest Deaf Consultant Q&A
2.1 Live feedback + insights

3 What next?
3.1 Opportunities in SDH & Captioning
Meet

Jessica Hinds-Mingo

Jessica Hinds-Mingo is a French and Spanish to English audiovisual translator, SDH specialist, voice-over artist, and passionate advocate for accessibility in media.

With 12 years of experience, she has worked on a wide range of projects, from blockbuster films and indie documentaries to corporate conferences, ensuring that content is not only translated but truly accessible to all audiences. She holds a Distinction in her MA in Audiovisual Translation, further solidifying her expertise in the field.

In addition to her professional work, Jessica is an Associate Lecturer at UCL, where she trains the next generation of audiovisual translators in industry best practices. Earlier in her career, she delivered over 1,000 online lessons, helping professionals refine their skills in English and Business English.

As accessibility becomes increasingly crucial—particularly with the European Accessibility Act coming into effect in June—her work highlights the growing need for high-quality SDH and closed captions in the media and translation industries.
Jessica Hinds - Course creator and host.
Click on the image if you want to know more about her
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