Overview

Zoom now has automatic Live Transcription (closed captioning) available in English. Once enabled, this automatically adds text to the bottom of the video reflecting what the host and others are saying.

Hosts must manually enable Closed Captions - Live Transcription for closed captions to be available to your participants. This article will explain how to enable the automatic live transcription (closed captioning) settings and how to use them within a meeting.

Critical Concepts

There are two parts to using Live Transcription/Closed Captioning:

1. Host - Enable "Auto-Transcription" after you've started your meeting.
2. Participant - Click the "Live Transcript" button from the in-meeting Zoom toolbar and select one of the options from the pop-up menu.

Steps to Take

Enable and Disable Auto-Transcription (In a Meeting) as a Host

Live-transcription (closed captioning) is not automatically enabled for all of your meetings by default, you must enable them in order for your participants to have the ability to view them.

1. To enable live-transcription, first start your meeting
2. Click on the "CC - Live Transcript" button in your Zoom meeting controls.
   
   

   Note: If you cannot see this button, click on the "More" icon.

3. From the pop-up panel, click the “Enable Auto-Transcription” button
   

   

   Note: Once enabled, you will see the live-transcript below your video, but they DO NOTautomatically appear for your participants. Participants must click the CC button to view the live-transcription (closed captioning).
   
   If you are hosting a meeting with live-transcription, it is recommended that you make a comment at the beginning of your meeting informing participants that live-transcription is available and a note about how to enable them.

Enable/View Live Transcription (Closed Captions) as a Participant

Participants may see a "Live Transcript is available" message above the "CC Live Transcript" button when a Zoom host has enabled live transcriptions.

Once the host enables live transcription, participants  can choose how they want to view the transcription by clicking the "CC Live Transcript" button. As a participant, click on the "CC" (Closed captioning) button to view your options:

1. Click the "CC - Live Transcript" button.
2. Click one of the following:
   • Show Subtitles - Displays captioning on the bottom of the video. You can also select Hide Subtitle once subtitles are selected to hide them.
   • Subtitle Settings - Opens a window where you can adjust the font size of both the subtitles (captions).

   

Additional Information

• If a host enables live transcription (closed captioning) during a meeting, they do not automatically appear for the participants. Participants must click the "CC Live Transcript" button and select one of the options to enable/view them.
• Live transcription does not work in breakout rooms or chat, only within the main session.

Best Practices

• Consider using a headset that has a microphone built-in for better audio quality.
• Turn down/off anything that makes a considerable amount of background noise.
• Speak slowly, this will help the system capture the words you are saying.
• If there are any loud disruptions pause until the noise passes.