Automated Closed Captioning Speech to Text

Report · Feb 11, 2021

Gentlefolk,

This may have been mentioned, but I have not seen it covered in a casual search of this forum. Feel free to redirect me.

The idea of copy/paste to create a closed caption seems soooo 2010. Speech to Text has improved dramtically - who types text messages any more?

But I don't see a speech to text function in Captivate that will take an audio file and do a rough cut closed caption with all the timing hacks needed to keep the two files - audio and CC - in synch.

There are third-party vendors who do create closed captions from audio files, but apparently Captivate can't side-load these files.

Am I missing something very, very obvious that only I am totally of? This is not the first time I have failed to find the obvious, but an automated Speech to Text function seems very obvious to me.

Many thanks for any thoughts!

Don

Report · Feb 11, 2021

I'm sure there are speech to text programs that do a fairly decent job, but here is the big caveat. If you are required to do Section 508, the captions must be exact and must be timed correctly, sounds and who is speeking needs to be annoted if there are different people. You can watch live speech to text on TV and it wouldn't come close to making the grade as far as 508 is concerned.

If you already have an accurate script, it doesn't take too much time to do the captioning yourself.

Report · Feb 11, 2021

I see the point regarding 508 compliance, but my group is in a mass-production mode of getting a lot of ILT programs converted to an eLearning format. There is a backlog of work, and any automation would advance our ability to churn through the projects we have deadlines on.

The current captioning process requires that you listen to a section of audio, paste in the text, go to the next section, paste that text, lather, rinse repeat.

Automating this process so we just have to proof timings and spellings would be a benefit.

Also, again in the group I am in, we do not originate the audio. That is prepared by another group. That group does supply text narration as notes on the PowerPoint slides that are the storyboard, but the notes don't always match the actual audio file we receive - last minute updates result in us transcribing from the audio to get the audio and captioning synched.

A long way of saying that I would think Captivate could _offer_ Speech to Text with the caveat that accuracy is not guarranteed and must be vetted by the content creator. But withholding that functionality entirely is a lack that I don't understand.

Report · Feb 11, 2021

I get what you are saying, but most services that transcribe audio are twice as much per month as the cost of Captivate and you still have to tweak them.

Report · Feb 11, 2021

Hi TLCMediaDesign,

I understand that transcription services are not perfect, and anything implemented into Captivate would not be perfect, but -- as the saying goes -- perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

I would be happy with "close" or even "more than what I have". Even allowing the sidehack of an external CC file could be useful.

I think the technology has gotten to the point where "speech to text" is accepted as THE way to enter text into phones, other mobile devices. The tech is past the "gee whiz!!' point now. It can be part of every platform with functional, if not perfect, results.

And no one would be _forced_ to use it. But for those who would find it a useful part of training development, it would be a nice addition.

Oh, and a graphics/image library...that would be nice too....

Report · Feb 11, 2021

The bottom line here is that Captivate doesn't currently do things the way you think it should.

You can request new enhancements to the app here: https://adobe.allegiancetech.com/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.dll?Y9CHVD

If this feature you want turns out to be as appealing to Adobe as it is to you, then you may be in luck and several Captivate versions from now it could appear.

However, since that would be some years away, I would not hold my breath for it. You just need to plough on with your current project using the workflows that are available.

Report · Feb 12, 2021

<ggg>

Clearly I am on a roll here. OK, I have another issue that I will post in a new thread.

Many thanks, all!

don