August 29, 2024
Technology opens new doors: live sports experience for everyone with AI subtitles
Technology opens the doors to an inclusive VRT experience for every Flemish person! In addition to providing audio description and using Flemish Sign Language interpreters, the public broadcaster subtitles nearly all its programs and videos. That takes quite a bit of time. During live broadcasts, there often isn’t time. If subtitles are generated manually, the text will always appear with a delay. But you want to experience sports live, so that you can fully enjoy the moment when someone scores a goal.
For that reason, VRT is taking the next step, with AI subtitling during broadcasts of the Vuelta, the multi-day bicycle race in Spain. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing, or people preferring to tune in on mute on a crowded train, will also get the explanation they need when the peloton launches an attack on the lead group. Automation limits the delay between the spoken words and live subtitles. What’s more, the system is a welcome tool during a peak moment like the summer of sports, when the workload for the subtitling department is exceptionally high.
Femke Van Overbeke, Team Leader, Translation & Subtitling:
“For years, the deaf and hard of hearing have been asking for synchronized subtitles for live broadcasts. With this experiment, we are attempting to meet their needs.”
To do this, VRT is making use of advanced AI technologies for speech recognition and automatic translation to text. They have been carefully selected and tested by the AI Core Team, in order to guarantee their quality and reliability. Of course, these systems are not infallible. Professional subtitlers’ expertise is still of vital importance for quality control and during complex broadcasts. AI systems are the assistants.
The goal of the Vuelta experiment is to look for the best viewing experience for everyone. Viewers will be asked for feedback. With that valuable input, the AI team can improve and refine the technology. In the future, VRT’s wider (sports) offering will be subtitled increasingly quickly and efficiently, thanks to a smart combination of VRT professionals and artificial intelligence.
