Captions like “[ upbeat music ]” or “[ computer beeps ]” signal to deaf listeners information about the program that they cannot sense. There is no need for tho

Captions like “[ upbeat music ]” or “[ computer beeps ]” signal to deaf listeners information about the program that they cannot sense. There is no need for those when adding subtitles to a foreign-language program made for a hearing audience. Similarly, subtitles are necessary for on-screen foreign language text (e.g., signs or documents), but not when the text is in the language that a deaf viewer understands. For example, you wouldn’t have an English subtitle for an on-screen sign in English, but you would for an on-screen sign in Chinese. The BBC produces content exclusively (or nearly exclusively) in English, so these guidelines are surely directed towards captioning of English-language content for hearing-impaired, English-reading audiences.