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US SDH Subtitling Rules: Overview of the Standards Used by Netflix
12 April 2024
Subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) is an essential component of audiovisual content, providing equal access for all viewers. Each country applies different rules, albeit with the same objective of guaranteeing the inclusivity of content.
If you're a fan of Netflix, Apple TV and other streaming platforms, you'll notice, for example, that the SME subtitles on programmes don't look like the French SME versions: no colour, no positioning under the characters, different treatment of sounds, and so on.
And with good reason: most platforms follow the American SME rules, governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which differ from French standards. Here's a quick look at these standards and how they differ from our French EMS rules! Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
1. A little background
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Subtitling in the United States dates back to the early 20th century with the first silent films.
At that time, subtitles were intertitles, text boxes displayed between scenes to describe dialogue and narrative information, as films did not yet have a soundtrack. Damien Chazelle's film Babylon talks very well about this transition from silent to talkies, and some of the consequences for the audiovisual industry!
With the advent of sound cinema in the 1920s, subtitles evolved to include translations of spoken dialogue for foreign films 🌍. The most emblematic case is that of the musical film Le Chanteur de Jazz, whose intertitles were translated into French when it was broadcast in France.
However, these translations were often reserved for specific films and limited to film festivals or special screenings.
Regulation on TV ads for retailers
In the 1950s and 1960s, subtitling was extended to American television to make programmes accessible to the hearing impaired. The first subtitled television programmes were broadcast in the United States, but these subtitles were often transmitted by analogue means, requiring special receivers to display them.
In the 1970s and 1980s, with the advent of home video, subtitles became more common on VHS cassettes and DVDs.
In 1972, Julia Child's cooking show, The French Chef, was the first programme to be broadcast with subtitles that appeared for all viewers and could not be turned off.
In 1979, the National Captioning Institute was created and played a key role in the development of captioning for television and films.
In 1980, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) established rules for subtitling on American television, requiring greater accessibility for the hearing impaired. These rules include requirements for the amount of subtitled programming and the quality of subtitles.
In 2010, the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) was enacted, strengthening accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, including subtitles on television and the Internet.
Today, of course, subtitling is widely used in many fields, and advanced technologies such as speech recognition and automatic subtitling software have made it possible to make it more accurate and faster.
To find out more about the history of subtitling and the techniques used, we recommend this article from the National Captioning Institute. 👇
2. SDH subtitling standards in the United States: 4 main rules
In the United States, subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing must be created in accordance with the standards set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). These rules apply to all subtitled television programmes (with a few exceptions for pre-recorded programmes):
LOREM IPSUM
Accuracy: Subtitles must match the words spoken in the dialogue and convey background noise and other sounds as far as possible.
Synchronicity: They should coincide as closely as possible with the corresponding spoken words and sounds and should be displayed on screen at a speed that allows viewers to read them.
Example
EXAMPLE
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:05,000 [sounds of the street]
2
00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:10,000 WOMAN: Hello, how are you?
3 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:15,000 MAN: I'm fine, thanks. And you?
12 Mars 2019
LLOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, CONSECTETUR
ADIPISICING ELIT SED DO EIUSMOD
In this example :
- The numbers at the beginning of each block of text indicate the sequence number of the subtitle.
- The time format follows the hour, minutes, seconds and milliseconds, indicating the start and end of each subtitle.
- Square brackets `[]` are used to indicate off-screen sounds or important audio cues.
- Dialogue is preceded by the speaker's name, followed by a colon
3. Differences between American and French EMS subtitling
Although the objectives of accessibility and clarity are similar, there are some notable differences between SDH subtitling standards in the United States and Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SME) standards in France.
IN SUBSTANCE
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In France🔴
SDh focuses on simplifying language and adapting content for maximum comprehension.
ON FORM
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Subtitles color🎨
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In France🔴
Subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing are colour-coded. For example, subtitle text can be white on a black background, with specific colours to distinguish different speakers or to indicate sound elements such as music or noises (read our full guide to SME subtitling)
In the US🔵
Subtitles are generally white with a black outline for better legibility, although colours can be used to distinguish speakers in some cases, but this is not as common as in French subtitles.
Subtitle positioning🔝
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In France🔴
SDH subtitles must be positioned dynamically to indicate who is speaking or to follow the action on screen.
In the US🔵
Subtitles are generally centred at the bottom of the screen, although there may be variations depending on broadcaster preference or specific content.
Subtitle display time⏳
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In France🔴
SDH subtitles in French may have a longer display time to take account of linguistic nuances and to ensure maximum accessibility.
In the US🔵
In the United States, the display duration of subtitles is generally shorter to keep pace with speech and to avoid overloading the screen with too much text at once.
LOREM IPSUM
These differences in form partly reflect the cultural preferences, standards and regulations in force in each country with regard to subtitling for the hearing impaired and deaf.
In conclusion, SDH subtitling in the US, as required by streaming platforms such as Netflix, is based on strict standards designed to ensure an inclusive, high-quality viewing experience for all viewers. While standards vary from country to country, the common goal remains to make audiovisual content accessible to all, regardless of linguistic or hearing differences.
Videomenthe, your partner for perfect subtitles
Subtitling requires linguistic and technical skills, as well as a good knowledge of the standards in force in each country and for each type of subtitling (e.g. SDH).
We offer subtitling solutions for the audiovisual industry and businesses:
- EoleCC, a collaborative platform for multilingual subtitling and SDH,
- a lab service, with subtitles reviewed by professional subtitlers and translators specialising in SDH