Based on learner and instructor feedback from the initial rollout of these updates, we wanted to highlight the following changes:
- We are extending the deadline from August 15 to August 25 for re-enabling subtitles. You will also no longer be able to turn off native-language subtitles and captions for Udemy Business courses beginning August 25. If you’re affected by these changes you should receive a reminder email this week.
- We will be requiring subtitles or captions for all English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian courses in the Udemy Business content collection. This excludes Japanese, German, and language-learning courses with subtitles or captions.
- We will no longer be creating auto-generated subtitles for Mandarin courses due to accuracy issues reported by learners. We will also be unpublishing the subtitles already generated for these courses, but you are free to edit and republish them if you think they are sufficient.
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As we move into H2, we’re planning on making changes to the way we manage subtitles and captions on the platform to align closer with our accessibility goals. Historically, we’ve created auto-generated subtitles for all English, Spanish, and Portuguese courses on Udemy. This is because we believe subtitles and captions can make courses easier to comprehend with a larger audience, including learners who speak another language and hearing-impaired learners.
At a high level we are building upon what we’re doing today by making the following changes by the end of the year:
- We plan to expand our auto-generated subtitles to all eligible courses in German, French, Italian, Japanese, and Mandarin by the end of the year.
- We are investing in an improved auto-generation model to increase the accuracy of transcriptions.
- We will provide auto-generated subtitles for courses once they reach 20 enrollments in order to prioritize courses with learner engagement.
- We are requiring subtitles or captions for all courses in the Udemy Business content collection starting August 15th.
These changes are intended to help instructors cater to learners of all backgrounds and to move toward a high standard of accessibility for a growing global audience. To learn more about these updates, read on in the Teaching Center.
