Caption and transcript prompts: keep timing, speakers, and sound evidence

Last updated: 5 Oct 202611 min read

tutorial

Captions are synchronized text for speech and meaningful non-speech audio; a transcript is a text document that can also describe relevant visual information. Prompt them as separate artifacts. Give the assistant a time-aligned speech record, speaker labels where known, a list of meaningful sounds, visual facts needed to understand the clip, and uncertainty intervals. It may propose caption cues and transcript paragraphs. It must not fill an inaudible word merely to make the sentence smooth. A reviewer checks timing on the actual player, identifies overlapping speakers, and verifies the transcript's visual details against frames. Translation is another pass with its own reviewer; it cannot repair an incorrect source transcript.

Operational case

A 74-second Line K alert contains a dispatcher saying, 'Board at Cedar', while a second voice begins over the word 'Cedar'. The source transcript marks the overlap at 00:39 and leaves a two-word interval uncertain. The assistant initially assigns both lines to the dispatcher and omits an audible warning chime. The media reviewer replays that interval, separates the voices, records the chime because it signals a service alert, and leaves the unresolved words marked for review. The public transcript also describes the on-screen diversion diagram; the captions remain short, timed cues for the player.

00:37.200 dispatcher: Board at Cedar.
00:39.100 second speaker: [overlap; words unclear]
00:41.500 [service alert chime]
Caption gate: speakers, sound, timing checked against media.
Transcript gate: include verified visual diversion detail.

Performance and operating cost

Reviewing media duration D at ordinary playback speed takes at least O(D) wall time, and difficult overlaps can require several passes. With C caption cues, a cue-by-cue timing check is O(C) after the media is understood. Store the media hash, transcript version, cue times, and review decisions so a re-edit does not silently reuse stale captions. A model draft saves typing but cannot establish that all audio was audible or every frame was inspected. Sample audits are useful for routine changes; a changed spoken warning needs full review of the affected segment and neighboring cues.

Common Mistakes

Do not convert uncertain audio into confident words.
Do not treat a plain transcript as synchronized captions.
Do not omit meaningful sounds or visual facts needed to understand the clip.

Connected lessons

Continue with: Generated video release: inspect continuity, claims, and alternatives.

prompt engineering

accessible output