Different Contexts for Subtitles and Captions

Subtitling is used as a means of translating a medium into another language so that speakers of other languages can enjoy it.

Subtitled foreign films are an obvious example. Without subtitles, English-speaking audiences would be unable to follow the plot of a French or Spanish movie. Subtitles are best-suited and most often used for pre-recorded videos, such as movies, TV shows, and employee training videos.

Captioning, on the other hand, is more commonly used as a service to aid deaf and hard of hearing audiences. They are more adaptable to live broadcasts, such as news broadcasts, sporting events, and live television shows.

Usually, captions (also called closed captions) appear as white text within a black box, appearing a second or two after the spoken words.