Spoken instructions and video

A spoken explanation must remain understandable as the demonstration moves. Plan the words and visual actions together, then check that captions, descriptions, and transcripts convey the information needed to follow the task.

Write the sequence

Keep the recording focused on a task or question, and name it in the title. Make a trial recording to check intelligibility, timing, and whether the demonstration supplies the context the script assumes.

Introduce the task and its starting state before the first action. Name a control before activating it so the listener has time to find it. Keep a condition with the action it governs, and pause where the listener needs time to inspect the result.

Match the narration to the actual demonstration. If a process takes longer in normal use than it does in the recording, disclose the edit. Do not let accelerated footage imply a performance result that was not measured.

Remove greetings, recaps, and repeated directions when they delay the task without helping someone follow it. There is no fixed opening duration or universal speaking rate. Test the pace with the intended audience, technical vocabulary, and target language.

Make references work without pointing

Name the object in an instruction rather than relying on “this one” or a moving pointer. If appearance is the subject, describe the relevant difference: the changed contour, added node, or selected region. Visual emphasis should support the words rather than carry the only explanation.

Keep commands and exact values available as copyable text beside the demonstration. A listener should not have to transcribe a long path or infer a character from its spoken name. For a technical symbol, show the symbol and explain how it is read.

Provide the right alternative

Choose the alternative for the information it must convey:

• Captions follow the video's audio in time. Include speech, speaker identification where needed, and sounds that carry meaning. A translated dialogue subtitle may omit sounds and therefore need additional information.
• Audio description conveys essential visual information to someone listening. Integrate it into the narration when possible; otherwise provide a described version or a supported description track. Captions alone do not explain the visuals to a blind listener.
• A transcript provides a separate text version. For audio-only material, capture the meaningful audio. A descriptive video transcript also explains relevant visual actions and displayed information. It complements timed alternatives rather than making every media format interchangeable.

For example, a fictional demonstration shows three selected shapes becoming blue while the speaker says only “Apply the change.” Caption those spoken words; add “The three selected shapes turn blue” to the narration to explain the result. Do not invent what happened to objects outside the demonstration.

Review automatic captions against the recording. Check names, technical terms, numbers and negation, then inspect timing and whether captions cover a control the viewer needs. The availability of an automatic track does not establish its accuracy.

Prepare the local version

Use the target language's natural word order and forms of address. Explain which product names, acronyms, and technical terms remain untranslated. Record the intended pronunciation when a reader cannot infer it reliably from the spelling.

Do not prescribe one pronunciation for every language or force a translated script into the English recording's duration. Revise the timing or visuals when the translation needs more space. Keep the required facts and actions intact when shortening a line.

Provide an editable script, captions, relevant on-screen strings, and enough visual context for the translator. Check caption timing and line breaks in the finished version. Spoken text and captions can differ slightly in phrasing, but they must not contradict each other or omit necessary information.

Review the result

Listen without watching and watch without sound. Identify information available through only one channel and supply an appropriate description, caption, or transcript. Review at normal speed and on a small screen; tiny labels and rapid pointer movement can make a technically correct recording unusable.

Check product labels, pronunciation, pause lengths, and the order of actions. When the interface changes, review the spoken directions and captions as well as the images. See accessible content for alternative descriptions and localization review for preserving meaning.