Music isn't just “[MUSIC]”

Learn to describe the score and render lyrics so deaf viewers get the mood, not just the plot

Describing music and rendering lyrics are two different problems, and this course covers both. 

You'll learn how to handle each, then put it straight into practice: listen to real clips and have a go at describing them, with a sample key and discussion to measure your answers against. 

There's a quiz to pull it together, and an interview on music in SDH to finish, ten short lessons in all.

Who is this course for?

Your career in closed captioning starts here

  • Subtitlers moving into SDH. You already know your way around subtitles. This adds the captioning skills clients increasingly expect, one piece at a time.

  • Translators and linguists eyeing media accessibility. A low-commitment way to test the water and add a genuinely in-demand skill to what you offer.

  • Anyone curious about SDH but not ready for the full course. Each mini course takes about an hour, so you can try one part of the job before deciding whether to commit to the whole thing.

How the €49 back works

Finish the mini course and you'll get a coupon code inside it.
Enter that code when you buy the full SDH course or Become a captioner bundle, and we'll knock €49 off, so the mini course costs you nothing if you decide to go all in.

  • Subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH)

    Want to learn all aspects of subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing & closed captioning? Choose the full course!

    €399,00

    Buy the full SDH course now

  • Become a captioner

    Want to learn how to time subtitles and captions too? Don't miss our course "Timing Subtitles 101"!

    €499,00

    Buy our bundle

What's included in the course?

  • Video tutorials

    Engaging video tutorials with lots of examples

  • Hands-on exercises

    Hands-on exercises to help you practise what you have learnt. You also get a sample answer key!

  • Quiz

    A short quiz to consolidate what you have learnt

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome!

    2. How to describe music

    3. How to render lyrics

    4. Quiz on describing music and lyrics

    5. Let's listen to some music

    6. Let's listen to some music (KEY)

    7. Exercise on describing music

    8. Exercise on describing music (SAMPLE & DISCUSSION)

    9. Music in SDH - an interview

    10. What's next?

About this course

  • €49,00
  • 10 lessons
  • This course is a module from our full course on SDH & CC
  • If you like this mini course, you can get your €49 back when you purchase the main course :-)

Meet your instructor

Łukasz Dutka is an audiovisual translator, subtitling trainer and media accessibility expert, and one of the founders of AVT Masterclass. He has spent years as a freelance subtitler, template author and QC'er on high-profile titles for leading localisation companies, and he pioneered live subtitling through respeaking in Poland, from the first accessible public events in 2013 to the first television broadcast with respoken subtitles in 2017. With years of experience running corporate training and teaching university courses on audiovisual translation, subtitling, SDH and interpreting, he has helped shape how live subtitling is done in Poland. He is a member of the Polish Association of Audiovisual Translators, the University of Warsaw's Audiovisual Translation Lab (AVT Lab) and the European Association for Studies in Screen Translation (ESIST). Born by the mountains and now living by the ocean, he shares a multilingual family, a serious coffee habit and an unreasonable amount of chocolate.

Łukasz Dutka

AVT Masterclass Co-founder

Showcase your skills

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Once you complete the course, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion. Certificates are a great way to document your learning! You can share them on social media and use them with clients, employers or colleagues.
A woman holding a university diploma

Our guarantee

We are confident in the quality of our courses, which has been confirmed by many satisfied students. That’s why we are able to offer a 100% money-back guarantee.

If you buy the course and find that you did not learn anything new or that you think the course is not in line with its description or syllabus, we will refund you 100% of what you paid. [See “Terms of use” for details.]
We offer 100% money-back guarantee.

FAQ

Any questions?

  • How long does it take to complete the course?

    Under an hour, plus however long you spend on the exercise. It's self-paced, so that hour is yours to break up however you like.

  • Will I have to turn up to live classes?

    No. Nothing to put in your diary. You do it when it suits you, as much or as little at a sitting as you want.

  • Do I get subtitling software with it?

    Not with the mini course, this one is purely the teaching. The full SDH & CC course is where you get three months' free access to professional subtitling software.

  • Is this the whole course or part of a bigger one?

    Part of a bigger one, and happily so. This mini course is the music module from our full SDH & CC course, pulled out on its own. Music and lyrics are the bit most people find fiddly, so it also works nicely as a standalone.

  • So what happens to my €49 if I go for the full course?

    You get it back. If you enjoy this mini course and decide to buy the full SDH & CC course, we'll take the €49 you paid here off the price. Worst case, you've spent an hour learning to describe sounds properly. Best case, it costs you nothing.

  • Can I get an invoice for the course with my company/organization details?

    Of course. Send your organisation details (name, address, VAT number) to [email protected] and we'll sort it out.

  • Does it cover lyrics as well as music?