Subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing

Accessibility in audiovisual products is very related to translation. When we create subtitles for the deaf, we are adapting an audiovisual content to a very specific audience: the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Apart from usual limitations of any kind of subtitling, with captions or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), more elements have to be taken into account: assigning colours to each character, adding sound and contextual information, incorporating similarities with sign language, etc.

I have carried out some research in this field during my post-graduate studies in university. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need help with adapting any audiovisual content for the deaf community, such as films, series, documentaries, tutorials, e-learning, conferences, corporate videos, etc.

I offer you these subtitles following the recommendations of Spanish AENOR Norma UNE 153010. This standard on subtitling for deaf and hard-of-hearing people was created in 2003 and updated in 2012. You can check it here: UNE 153010:2012: Subtitulado para personas sordas y personas con discapacidad auditiva (document in Spanish).