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November 10, 2011, 12:00 pm Theater Talkback: The Writing's on the Wall By BEN BRANTLEY. " ... my greatest exposure to supertitles comes from seeing plays that were performed entirely in languages other than English. One of the privileges of having my job and being in New York City is that so many productions from all over the world visit here. (...) without supertitles I would have missed what was being said altogether in productions that were performed in Russian, Belarussian, German, Japanese, Greek, Arabic and Zulu, among others. Though they serve the same function, supertitles in the theater are different in their effect from subtitles in film. A movie (or television or computer) screen is a self-contained space, and the subtitles generally appear within that frame. Even if I haven't seen a foreign film in a while, I find that when I do, it's only a matter of minutes before I make the adjustment that allows me to feel I'm "listening" directly as I read. Supertitles for plays are usually projected on separate screens, above or to the side of the stage. And if the stage is large, your eyes are forced to leave the live action to read the words. (...) You are forced, in these cases, to make a choice between word and image, which isn't really fair to a work of theater that is ideally a melding of both. (I don't have that problem with opera, partly because a single sentence - like "I love you" - may be stretched out and repeated to cover acres of music.) And of course when certain infelicities of translation occur, you can be jerked abruptly from the internal reality of the play. ..."

Mentioned by Lauren Storck in a Google group discussion.

"FROM THE CCAC AND YOU: DEAR EDUCATION LEADERS, PARENTS, STUDENTS AND SCHOOL SYSTEMS, Equal Communication Access includes Captioning and CART in Education: One Good Example? Include CART at Graduation this year! Why plan for inclusion of quality captioning now? Let us count some of the good reasons. CART and captioning is needed for: 1 Learning to read 2 To learn languages 3 For transcripts and record-keeping 4 For "search" and knowledge-building online 5 For "equal communication access" for millions of students of all ages with different hearing loss and deafness. Captioning is our "ramp" for equal access Too many educational materials today, e.g. videos of all sorts, do not have full verbatim captioning. Too many school events do not plan for CART (full quality real time speech-to-text provided by a professional on site, or remotely). Too many students and teachers have insufficient knowledge about this need and choice --to understand the benefits of captioning inclusion."

"CCAC Letter for distribution. If you copy and use this, please credit this website and the CCAC. Below the letter is more information about why captioning is needed in this "category of life." For immediate distribution (March 2011) (...) Due to the importance of this assistive technology, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) recognizes CART as an auxiliary aid that is considered an effective communication access for those who depend on it. Not only is it an effective assistive technology for those with hearing loss, but also, captioning is useful for people who are learning "English as a second language, children learning how to read and visual learners". (...)"

"See this also: http://www.ada.gov/hospcombr.htm from the ADA, it's the law. Communicating with your physician or any healthcare provider is always vital, and sometimes also a matter of life and death. Could there be a better reason for full verbatim real time text (CART) for those who require it? Even if it's a "routine" check-up, one "usual" follow-up visit, a first meeting with a new provider, a conference to help care for a loved one, an emergency room visit, or a health education video handed to you for cancer treatment, CART or captions will serve thousands if not millions. Why? 37 million is the current estimate of people with deafness or hearing loss in the USA alone. Not all need CART. Some use hearing aids or other listening devices for full speech comprehension. (Keep in mind many hearing aids wind up in drawers, never to be seen again, because hearing aids do not cure hearing loss, and are uncomfortable for many; the result is that some deny any hearing loss and learn to "bluff" extremely well). CART is a universally appropriate language (in whatever language you use) for all who can read. It is used by people who are deaf also (though some prefer sign language). CART provides an easy record (transcript) of what is said for best health and for proper treatments. While talking with your provider, while you or the nation is paying for the best healthcare one hopes to find, it's essential not to miss a word."

"BROADCAST CLOSED CAPTIONING Closed captioning can be extremely helpful in at least three different situations: It has been a great boon to hearing-impaired television viewers. It can also be helpful in noisy environments. For example, a TV in a noisy airport terminal can display closed captioning and still be usable Some people use captions to learn English or learn to read. For one good video on this, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROk7fkY-OE&cc_load_policy=1 Closed captioning is embedded in the television signal and becomes visible when you use a special decoder, either as a separate appliance or built into a television set. The decoder lets viewers see captions, usually at the bottom of the screen, that will tell them what is being said or heard on their favorite TV shows. Since 1993, television sets with screens of 13 inches or more that are sold in the United States must have built-in decoders, under the Television Decoder Circuitry Act. Set-top decoders are available, too, for older TV sets. (...)"