Google Launches Automated YouTube Captioning; AAPD Applauds

On Thursday, November 19, AAPD Board Member Cheryl Sensenbrenner and staffers Jenifer Simpson, Unique Webster, Peter Viele and Rebecca Panoff attended the launch of Google’s YouTube automated captioning system. This system uses some voice recognition technology, some automated time code programming code and other intelligent features that will allow YouTube video creators to include captions easily. While the technology inserts captions only in English-language speech, Google has added an automatic translation system for 51 languages. This will allow millions of YouTube videos to become available to people who do not speak English but could use the captioning technology to read subtitles in their native language. The captioning technology also allows search of the text, enabling research.

“This is a huge step forward for accessibility,” said Jenifer Simpson, “We applaud industry leadership such as this. We look to other companies to be as innovative in making their products and services accessible to people with disabilities.”

Full Story: http://jfactivist.typepad.com/jfactivist/2009/11/google-launches-automated-youtube-captioning-aapd-applauds.html

(Many thanks to Alexandra Volkerts – Disability Rights Montana
http://www.disabilityrightsmt.org for passing this along. Russ)