| Since Google acquired YouTube back in 2006, it | | | | content with captions. If pressed, the technology |
| gave the video sharing giant greater opportunities | | | | is fully automatic and able to process already |
| for its users to interact with each other and aid | | | | available videos synchronising sound to text using |
| Google in its goal of 'organising the world's | | | | the existing audio feed. The feature is an |
| information'. | | | | adaptation of the speech technology currently |
| Google introduced closed caption technology back | | | | available in Google based android mobile phones. |
| in November 2009. On March 4th 2010 YouTube | | | | The technology is still relatively new, and does |
| announced it has moved its automatic speech | | | | have some teething problems. With the resources |
| recognition and closed caption technology from | | | | available to Google through YouTube users |
| beta testing and made it fully available to all users. | | | | videos; accents, languages, background |
| Tagging and captioning has been around for a long | | | | interference etc. The technology can only improve |
| time, but video up loaders were responsible for | | | | and prove useful to the hearing impaired or |
| adding manual captions. For people with hearing | | | | others who don't speak English as their first |
| loss in particular this meant if you missed | | | | language. |
| something and captions weren't available then you | | | | Users are able to assist in the editing process to |
| would have to rewind and pump up the volume. | | | | clean up the captions if necessary. |
| Not anymore. | | | | At present Google have only made the |
| According to Google executives "very soon" | | | | technology available to videos in spoken English. |
| eventually most, if not all, YouTube videos will | | | | Google are planning to expand this and say it "is a |
| include a 'CC' button on the video player controls | | | | priority" - Mike Cohen a speech technologist at |
| allowing users to choose if they want to view the | | | | Google. |