Captioning Key

Speaker Identification

Establishing the identity of both onscreen and offscreen speakers is vital for clarity. When names are unknown, be as specific as possible in providing a label.

1. When possible, use caption placement to identify an onscreen speaker by placing the caption under the speaker.
2. If offscreen speakers are speaking simultaneously, appropriate speaker identification must be added.
3. When a speaker cannot be identified by placement and his/her name is known, the speaker’s name should be in parentheses. Also, the speaker’s name needs to be on a line of its own, separate from the captions. Example:
   Inappropriate [Jack]I don’t see
   how blasting would work
   on this building.

   Appropriate (Jack)
   I don’t see how blasting
   would work on this building.
4. When a speaker cannot be identified by placement and his/her name is unknown, identify the speaker using the same information a hearing viewer has (e.g., “female #1,” “male narrator”).
5. If a speaker is offscreen and his/her offscreen position is known, place the captions to the far right or left, as close as possible onscreen to the offscreen speaker’s assumed position.
6. Do not identify the speaker by name until the speaker is introduced in the audio or by an onscreen graphic.
7. If there is only one narrator, identify as (male narrator) or (female narrator) at the beginning of the media. It is not necessary to identify gender for each caption thereafter.
8. When an actor is portraying another person or character, identify the actor as the person being portrayed. Example:
   (as George Washington)
   If the freedom of speech
   is taken away,
   
   then dumb and silent
   we may be led,
   
   like sheep
   to the slaughter.