Definition
VideoText editorial team. Updated September 13, 2026.
Closed captions are timed text that can be turned on or off by the viewer. They encode the spoken words and, for accessibility captions, relevant non-speech sounds. They travel as a separate track, not painted into the picture.
The sections below explain how closed captions is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.
In U.S. accessibility usage, captions assume the viewer cannot hear the audio and therefore include sound cues. Subtitles often assume the viewer can hear but needs another language. Everyday speech blurs the words; legal and broadcast documents do not.
WHO estimates that more than 1.5 billion people live with some hearing loss. Captions are one of the practical ways video remains usable for that audience — and for anyone watching without sound.
