Caption Writers Career

Why Choose a Caption Writers Career?

A career as a Captions Writer has become very lucrative in recent times. Audiences who do not follow English such as natives of non-English speaking regions and persons with disabilities such as the hearing impaired are some who require closed-captioning for viewing films and public television in both taped and real time broadcasts. If you have strong language skills in English and one other language, can be descriptive in your prose, and interested in translation, then a Caption Writers Career may be most suitable for you. Caption Writers can also work as Photo Caption Writers and provide impactful captions to photographs to be published in newspapers, magazines and other media. Caption Writers also work in courts.

Caption Writers Career Requirements

The essential career requirement that will help you compete in today's global marketplace may include:

• The right educational credential that includes a bachelor’s or a master’s in business administration or related field
• Demonstrated translation skills that include translating foreign language into English or English into a foreign language along with knowledge of the structure and content of both languages, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation
• Ability to operate computerized captioning system and knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming
• Good diction and pronunciation
• Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods, including different ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media

Online Degrees for Caption Writers

While no single course of study exists for the Caption Writer, related fields of study provide an adequate grounding to the aspirant, fields you can find in the online area too, online programs which will make it all easier for you. One such is the News Editing Course which teaches headline writing, page layout, copy editing and page design, along with caption writing. Lessons in Caption Writing stress on the use of the active voice for great photo captions; they also emphasize on making the content factually accurate and addressing the five W's: who, what, when, where and why. Participation in editing the school newspaper and providing captions for news photos is encouraged to instill practical skills and provide real-world experiences.

Basic News Photography Course is another program that typically includes lessons on how to write great captions. Since it is believed that photo captions are the most read body type in publications, students are taught to write captions that are clear, concise, accurate and readable. Special caption writing lessons instill the ability to write captions that deliver the vital information that pictures with their limited canvas cannot provide. It is expected that students will be able to write informative and entertaining photo captions by the completion of the program. Newspapers and yearbooks require the services of News Photography Caption Writers.

Some other aspects to bear in mind while pursuing academic credentials to prepare for a Caption Writers’ career are listed below:

1. Certification is essential for closed-caption writing. Other than an NCRA certification, you can also apply for the Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC) certification that professionally recognizes the closed-captioning field, and indicates that additional requirements for a career in this field have been met.
2. During your education period, if you can find a temporary transcription job, it will round off your credential with some experience and prepare you for an upward career path. Many jobs for online content can be identified.
3. Experience mentioned in your resume is most attractive for recruiters and most companies seek at least two years experience in closed-caption or real-time writing. A job as a captioning assistant will afford the necessary experience; the NCRA has job listings for closed-caption jobs, including captioning assistance jobs.
4. If you are seeking to provide captions for films, it is a good idea to become familiar with the deaf and hard of hearing community to understand the disability and gain valuable insight regarding their special needs vis-à-vis a closed-caption writer.
5. Also in the same vein, you may consider learning about the other viewers in different demographics who need captions such as the non-English speaking populace and children. The perspective gained by this will be invaluable in your career.

Caption Writers Career Fields

The career field of Caption Writers has blossomed for two reasons: one that The American Disabilities Act (ADA) has mandated that broadcasting networks produce closed-captioning for those with disabilities. Secondly, new technology such as HDTV and on-line television broadcasting has created increased demand for these writers which is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.

What Degree Do I Need?

• Writing
• Technical Writing