Auto-generated captions are everywhere. They’re free and they’re fast, but they’re letting your deaf audiences down. If you’ve committed to inclusion, your subtitles need to reflect that commitment and not undermine it. Stagetext can help you with that.
We only use humans. Every subtitle we produce is created by a specialist human subtitler, trained to meet the highest accessibility standards and informed by deaf audiences.
Whether you’re sharing a trailer, a recorded talk or an exhibition film, we’ll help you make it clear, accurate, and welcoming for everyone.
Why human subtitling matters
Auto-generated subtitles and captions have a place. But for arts and cultural content for theatre, talks, performance and music, they often fall short in ways that matter to deaf audiences.
Auto-generated subtitles and captions will:
- Mishear names, accents and specialist vocabulary: A subtitler who knows your content won’t mistake a character’s name for a common word, or drop a line because the accent was unfamiliar.
- Ignore music and sound: Auto-captions produce silence where a musical score swells, a song plays, or an off-screen sound shapes meaning. Our subtitlers will include descriptions.
- Can’t tell who’s speaking: We use speaker cues and names where needed so deaf audiences follow the conversation, not just the words.
We’ve worked with Bristol Old Vic, the National Theatre, the British Library, the Wellcome Collection, and hundreds of organisations across the UK arts sector. Trusted by 200+ organisations since 2000.
To explore options for your pre-recorded videos, please contact our Head of Services and Systems, Oliver Webster.
We offer five flexible levels of support for subtitles so you can choose the model that best suits your content and resources.
All services are delivered by professional human subtitlers, all are built around best practice for deaf audiences, and all include sound descriptions, speaker cues, and music information that auto-captions simply don’t provide.
We offer competitive pricing, because we believe quality accessibility should be affordable for everyone.
Not sure what you need? Get in touch for a free consultation.
Ready to make a booking?
Use our booking enquiries form to get a quote.
£39.99+VAT per video.
Auto-generated or in-house subtitles are convenient but are not always accurate, accessible or up to best practice. Send us your subtitle files and we’ll provide an expert accessibility review, letting you know how the subtitles stack up against best practices and where they may need improvement.
A cost-effective solution when you already have a subtitle file but know it needs work. We take your existing file and refine it to meet best-practice accessibility standards for deaf audiences, giving you quality subtitles without starting from scratch.
Our fully managed, end-to-end subtitling service. From transcription, subtitle creation and quality checking, all built around best practice for deaf audiences. Expert subtitlers transcribe speech, music audio and craft every line for accuracy, timing and clarity.
Our exclusive package for videos under five minutes includes our full Professional Standard Service, priority turnaround and subtitle burning-in, all at a special rate. Inaccessible social media loses audiences and undermines your commitment to inclusion.
Two expert subtitlers work alongside a deaf advisory member to review and create your subtitles, with full documentation of every decision and how it fits best practice. Ideal for organisations who demand the very best in accessibility. Limited availability.
Subtitles benefit more people than you think
Subtitles are deaf access, but they also support:
- People watching in noisy environments or without headphones
- Audiences with English as an additional language
- Neurodivergent viewers who find subtitles help with focus, clarity or comprehension
- Anyone watching on mute (a large proportion of social media viewers)
Good subtitles widen your reach and send the message that every audience member matters.
Open captions or closed captions?
We subtitle your videos in two ways – either as open captions or closed captions. Not sure which you need? Here’s a quick guide.
“Open captions” (burnt-in subtitles), are subtitles that are always on and cannot be switched off. You may be most familiar with these videos on Instagram or Facebook.
Best for: social media, exhibitions, installations, kiosks.
“Closed captions”, or digital subtitles, can be turned on or off at any time. These are the subtitles you’re most likely to see on YouTube, on TV, or on online streaming services.
Best for: YouTube, Vimeo, streaming platforms – videos that are streamed online, like theatrical performances.
Ready to get started?
To explore options for your pre-recorded videos, contact our Head of Services and Systems, Oliver Webster, for a free, no-obligation consultation.
