𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦: 5 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘴🕒
The world of multimedia can be a little overwhelming to say the least.
And, when you’re new to dealing with multimedia content, there seems to be a lot of confusing acronyms to get your head around.
So, are you someone who doesn’t know their AD from their CC from their SDH? Fear not. Here at VoiceBox, for more than the last decade we’ve helped businesses to navigate the world of multimedia and accessibility.
And in this blog, we’ll cover SDH (Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing). In short, they are subtitles that provide more detail than other subtitles to enable audiences who are deaf and hard of hearing to enjoy media more.
Whether you’re a production company looking for a new multimedia agency to partner with, an independent filmmaker delving into the world of subtitling and captioning for the first time, or a marketer wanting to supercharge their video-led content, you’ve come to the right place.
Time to grab yourself a brew and settle in for our ultimate guide to SDH subtitles.
What do SDH subtitles mean?
Put simply, SDH subtitles are Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
You probably already know that subtitles are the process of displaying textual forms of aural content in videos. However, SDH subtitles are a type of subtitles specifically designed for those who cannot – or have trouble with – hearing the audio of a piece of content.
The text in typically runs along the bottom of the video screen. SDH subtitles will always display dialogue, usually indicating the different speakers’ names, as well as describing any other aural content or sounds.
For example, this may look like [phone continues to ring]. This provides the detail that the audience may not hear, and is also different to [phone rings]. Therefore, it may signal that a phone call is being ignored, which you wouldn’t necessarily know if the latter was used.
Why are SDH subtitles used?
SDH subtitles are important because everyone should be able to consume, fully understand and enjoy video content.
In the UK, 18 million people are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, according to data from the RNID. That’s almost one in four.
Meanwhile, worldwide, an estimated 430 million people have disabling hearing loss, and this number is expected to rise to 700 million by 2050. This is according to stats from the World Health Organization (WHO).
So whether you’re disseminating an informational video, a video-led advert for a small business on social media or an indie film due to be launched in cinemas, deaf and hard of hearing viewers are sure to make up a significant portion of your potential audience.
Not only are SDH subtitles important for ensuring that vital public information gets widely disseminated, but they also ensure that those who are deaf and hard of hearing can equally enjoy entertainment content.
These days, SDH subtitles are ever-more crucial for ensuring your content is accessible, inclusive and wide-reaching.
Who uses SDH subtitles?
Businesses, agencies and platforms that want SDH Subtitles do so because they like their final product to be as accessible as possible.
Also, they may like that the type of subtitles offer more details than typical subtitles.
By using SDH, businesses can access the Purple Pound (spending power of disabled households) which is around £274 billion per year.
What does the law say about SDH subtitles?
Not only is it good practise to ensure that you provide SDH subtitles for your content, but in some cases, they could be necessary to comply with the law.
Under the UK’s Equality Act 2010, which protects people against discrimintation, organisations and service providers have a duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure equal access for anybody with a protected characteristic or disability listed within the Act. It is a requirement that those with a disability, which includes those who are deaf, are treated ‘favourably and without bias’.
It is important to find out whether you need to provide SDH subtitles in order to comply with this legislation. If you’re not sure, it’s safest and more inclusive to provide them anyway. Or, you can always get in touch with us for advice.
How do I get SDH subtitles?
There are many companies out there that offer SDH subtitles, but we believe that we offer the best possible service.
At VoiceBox, we offer our clients SDH subtitles for a wide range of platforms, and we aim to make it as straightforward as possible to get started. We will strive to work collaboratively with you on your SDH subtitling project and achieve results.
Our Head of VoiceBox, Sophie Muller, believes that SDH should be the standard.
Simply give us a call or fill in our quote form for a free quote. Then, provide us with the video content you need us to transcribe (or even translate if you are looking for SDH subtitles in a foreign language). If you have the script already, then this could speed up the process.
Next, the script is uploaded onto subtitling software, where our talented subtitlers edit the content, insert time codes and sync the audio to the on-screen text. We always re-watch the video multiple times to proofread the captions, checking especially for spelling, grammar and accurate timing. Finally, you sign off on the project when you’re 100% pleased with the result.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide helps you to better understand SDH, why they are used and who by.
Contacts us today if you’d like to explore SDH subtitles.
FAQs
The difference is that SDH is a type of subtitles, and closed captions (CC) is a delivery method. SDH can be delivered in two ways:
Closed captions: Captions that can be turned on and off. Open captions: Captions that are burnt into the content.
SDH subtitles are the better choice whenever sound information is essential to understanding the content.
You should use SDH subtitles if:
• Music, tone, or sound effects affect meaning or emotion
• Multiple speakers are not visually clear
• The video includes background audio, announcements, or off‑screen voices
• The content is intended for broadcast, streaming platforms, or accessibility‑led audiences
Standard subtitles may be sufficient for simple talking‑head videos, but SDH subtitles provide a more complete and inclusive experience, particularly for drama, documentaries, marketing films, and training content.
Not reliably — and rarely compliantly. Automatic captions are designed for speech recognition, not SDH accessibility. They typically omit sound effects and music cues, fail to identify speakers clearly, misinterpret emotional tone or emphasis and contain accuracy errors that disproportionately impact deaf users.
True SDH subtitles require human‑led editorial decisions to convey non‑speech audio meaningfully. For professional video, broadcast, or public‑facing content, SDH subtitles should always be created or quality‑checked by trained captioners.