Marking Omitted Irrelevant Speech in Captions
Marking Omitted Irrelevant Speech in Captions records a distinct W3C-supported caption-writing task while keeping implementation mechanics and unsupported house-style rules outside the guidance.
When speech is not relevant and is intentionally left out, W3C WAI recommends indicating that the speech has been excluded rather than silently creating an unexplained gap.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Only omit speech when it is genuinely non-substantive for the content and the chosen level of detail permits it; legal or verbatim contexts may require fuller transcription.
Further guidance
Content
Use a concise bracketed omission note that tells the reader what kind of irrelevant speech was excluded.
Purpose
The note preserves continuity and makes the editorial omission transparent to caption users.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Transcribing Audio to Text — W3C WAI (opens in a new tab)World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative · W3C WAI guidance for identifying speakers and representing relevant audio information in transcripts and captions.