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Language of Audio/Video Content

When to use sign language interpretation and bilingual videos, tools and samples of accessible videos. 

The first rule is to avoid bilingual videos.

Sign language interpretation

Closed Captions and transcript are enough for a unilingual video with audio to meet WCAG 2.1, but to reach everyone you need to add sign language interpretation (WCAG AAA).

Bilingual videos

Bilingual video is a subject to the Official Language Act and needs to include the audio of the speaker's language, interpreted in official languages.

Closed captions have to be all in the spoken language, and they have to be synchronized with the speech. English speaker - English captions, and vice versa for French.

Sample accessible video

A good example of an accessible video, from the ESDC, Treasury Board of Canada’s live broadcast of the launch of Canada’s first public service accessibility strategy. ASL, LSQ, closed captioning and transcript included. Note that the event was bilingual, but in the end, we changed one bilingual video into two videos: one in French and one in English.

Bilingual video, French version: La première Stratégie sur l’accessibilité de la fonction publique du Canada

Screenshot of video including transcript and captions.

Bilingual video, English version: Canada’s First Public Service Accessibility StrategyScreenshot of video including transcript, captions and translated content.

Bad example

Here is a video that has the overlay of the subtitles over captions, which creates an obstruction of text, and makes it not accessible: Linguistic Duality Day, from 2017. Page 2** of 2**

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