Your FYP is going global.
On Thursday, TikTok announced it will begin rolling out a feature update that adds auto-generated closed captions as well as new translation tools for “select videos.”
Users will no longer have to rely on creators to turn on auto-captions for their videos as the latest accessibility update enables users to turn on auto-captions themselves. The update, which was created in collaboration with captioning advocacy group the Deaf Collective, will make TikToks more accessible to the hard-of-hearing community.
TikTok first announced auto-captions in April 2021 and, within a month, most users had access to the tool. Prior to this, however, accessibility-conscious users mostly relied on the text tool and third-party captioning apps.
As part of the update, TikTok is also introducing its first translation tools. Now users will be able to translate video captions, descriptions, and text stickers. The first round of supported languages includes English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Turkish, with more to come.
Don’t worry if you’re not seeing the update hit your app just yet. TikTok plans “to expand availability in the coming months.”
