Systems and methods for summarizing captions, configuring playback speed, and rewriting the caption file for a media asset are disclosed. The system determines whether to display the original captions or a summarized version of the captions, which are based on user's language proficiency level, reading pace, and historical data, and can be generated either on-demand or automatically when rewinds and pauses are detected. The caption file which includes the original captions can be rewritten. The system determines whether to stream a caption or a rewritten file to a media device based on user or system selections. In the absence of a caption file, or when the caption file cannot be summarized, the playback speed of the media asset is slowed down to provide additional reading time to the user.