Flanders is developing its own automatic subtitling system, which will ensure accurate subtitles of Flemish dialects and colloquial language, but also make content accessible to non-Dutch-speakers. In total, the Flemish government will use a budget of over €1 million to make video content more accessible for everyone, from the deaf, the hard-of-hearing and non-native speakers. The project is a collaboration between media companies VRT, Play Media, DPG Media, and NORTV, together with the Flemish universities and several technology partners.
Flanders pledges €1mn for automatic subtitling system for non-Dutch-speakers, the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Colin Clapson
Published:
Video is becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. Platforms such as VRT MAX, Play.tv, news sites, and social media offer a sea of content every day. But that amount of content is growing faster than professional subtitlers can keep up with it!
Automatic subtitling systems far from always provide a solution. The main difficulty in Flanders is the wide range of accents and dialects across Flanders.
“Anyone who watches online video or television is familiar with the problem: automatic subtitles that misrecognize words, don't understand dialects, or convert sentences into unreadable text,” says Flemish culture and media minister Cieltje Van Achter (Flemish nationalist N-VA).
Over €1 million in investments
That is why Flanders is investing in its own automatic subtitling system, adapted to the Flemish version of the Dutch language. The project’s total budget amounts to €1.027 million, of which €749,000 is being financed by the of media minister.
The ‘Automatic Subtitling Project’ will take two years to complete and brings together media companies, universities, and technology partners. VRT is also participating in the development, together with DPG Media, Play Media, NORTV (the umbrella organisation of regional broadcasters), the universities of Leuven and Antwerp, and the IMEC research institute.
“As a public broadcaster, we want to make our content as accessible as possible to everyone in Flanders,” says Lieven Vermaele, Director of Partnerships, Data & AI at VRT. “Subtitles are essential for many people, especially those who cannot follow sound.”
“At a time when more and more Flemish people are watching videos with subtitles – from the hearing impaired to young people watching videos on the go or non-Dutch native speakers – this problem is becoming increasingly urgent,” adds minister Van Achter. “This investment means we are finally tackling this issue, together with all our media partners.”
Inclusive innovation
The project is being launched because there is increasing pressure to make media accessible to everyone. European and Flemish regulations require, among other things, clear and accurate subtitles. “And viewers themselves also expect subtitles to be accurate and easy to read,” Van Achter noted.
The ultimate goal is innovation in three areas.
Firstly, a Flemish speech recognition model that converts the wide variety of dialects, pronunciations, and expressions into text. Secondly, a subtitling model that makes these automatic transcriptions easy to read. And finally, a system to test and improve the quality of subtitles.
“Subtitling is always a balance between accuracy, readability, and natural rhythm,” explains Lieven Vermaele. “Carefully translating that into a reliable automated process is a big step forward. In this way, we are building a future in which accessible, innovative media are the norm.”