Subtitles in Podcasts Are a Sound Idea
IMAGINE SITTING IN A SMALL THEATRE filled with people. As the lights dim, a quiet settles over the crowd. The screen illuminates, but instead of seeing images of CGI superheroes or lavish mid-century landscapes, you just see words.
Big, stark subtitles start filling the black screen. They’re following along with the audio of a conversation between two women, one young and one old. At first, you’re a bit disoriented. You aren’t used to non-English speaking voices taking centre stage in mainstream spaces, but soon you’re transfixed. The sound is rich and the voices are filled with emotion. The words you’re seeing translate what you’re hearing. And just like that you’re in a new world, listening to a granddaughter struggling to explain her recent breakup to her grandmother.
