Starting July 1, 2020, per the Bowdoin Captioning Policy developed by the Accessibility Task Force, all videos shared, embedded, or linked from the Bowdoin website will require synchronized closed captions.
All audio files must include transcripts.
Both captions and transcripts must have an accuracy rate of at least 99%.
Tools and Services
There are many tools and services you can use to add synchronized closed captions and generate transcripts. You are, of course, free to explore different services on your own, but keep in mind that captions and transcripts must meet the 99% accuracy requirement.
YouTube
YouTube will automatically generate captions for you; however, these captions will not meet the accuracy requirement. You will need to edit your caption file before publishing your video or audio content to a public-facing Bowdoin website.
Panopto Video
We have an integration with the video platform Panopto that will automatically add captions to your videos and audio files. Like YouTube captions, these will likely need to be edited before publishing to meet accuracy requirements. We will post details here once this integration has been completed.
Faculty or staff member may log in to Panopto using this link — please contact Paul Benham in Academic Technology and Consulting with any querstions.
Rev
You may request captioning and transcription services through Rev, a leading third-party provider. Rev's pricing model is based on the length of the video or audio file, so please make sure you have a clear purpose for posting your video or file to a public-facing Bowdoin website and have edited it for length and clarity when possible.
There is no charge for departments to request the use of this service at this time, but that may change depending on the volume of requests across the College. Please contact Juli Haugen to request this service. The turnaround time is typically 5 business days.
Zoom
Zoom also offers automatic transcription services. If you have a Zoom event you would like to post to a public-facing Bowdoin website, make sure to enable this service before your event begins. Sign in to Zoom at https://bowdoin.zoom.us/.