In May and June of 2020, Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF), the nonprofit behind Amara, updated the legal documents that govern all of its associated websites, software offerings, and professional services (including Amara). These changes are now reflected in the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Please read the documents in full, but we hope this … Continue reading Updates to PCF and Amara Legal Terms
Meet the Amararians | Jocelyn Chan: Reflections of My Internship Experience
The time I spent with Amara in the summer and fall of 2018 as a Marketing Intern has greatly inspired me in terms of movement toward improving equal access to knowledge. I didn’t picture myself interning at a nonprofit when looking for internship opportunities, but Amara opened another door for me! During my undergraduate program, … Continue reading Meet the Amararians | Jocelyn Chan: Reflections of My Internship Experience
The Importance of Subtitling: Accessibility for All
According to the American Press Institute, 85 percent of videos viewed on Facebook are watched without sound. This is often a choice for many users. But for others, this is a necessity in order to access the content. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, captions are the only way to enjoy, and … Continue reading The Importance of Subtitling: Accessibility for All
Amara and PCF have a new look!
We’re very excited to announce the newly redesigned homepages of amara.org and pculture.org! We hope the redesign better reflects who we are, and what we have to offer. For those of you who aren’t familiar with PCF (Participatory Culture Foundation), it is Amara’s parent organization, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to building a more open, collaborative … Continue reading Amara and PCF have a new look!
We stand with refugees, immigrants, Muslims, and any others affected…
Amara is dedicated to making the world a more inclusive and connected place. Last month, when Donald Trump signed an executive order for "extreme vetting" and banned citizens of seven Middle Eastern and African countries from entry into the US, we decided it was important for us to speak out publicly. We stand with refugees, … Continue reading We stand with refugees, immigrants, Muslims, and any others affected…
YouTube Automatic Captions Need Work: A Chat with Michael Lockrey
Michael Lockrey is Deaf, which means he depends on high quality captions for the videos he watches on the web. Unfortunately, many YouTube videos that are captioned use automatically generated captions. Automated captions are often inaccurate and, uncorrected, they can do more harm than good. This is partially due to the perception creators have, when … Continue reading YouTube Automatic Captions Need Work: A Chat with Michael Lockrey
A Powerful Superbowl Ad in Spanish – Subtitles in the Wild
If you haven't seen this PSA that focuses on violence against women, which aired during the superbowl, it's worth watching. Eme de Mujer, a website of the largest Uruguayan daily newspaper El País, shared the PSA (with Spanish subtitles) in this recent post. At Amara, it always excites us to see videos, such as this, … Continue reading A Powerful Superbowl Ad in Spanish – Subtitles in the Wild