Zoom, Live Transcription
Learn how to use Zoom's built-in Otter.ai live transcription tool to add real time subtitles or transcriptions to your Zoom Meeting or Webinar.
Overview: Live captioning within Zoom Meetings and Webinars come in two options:
- Subtitles: these are captions that appear at the bottom of the Zoom window
- Live Transcript: full meeting audio converted to transcripts in real time. These are time stamped and tagged with who was speaking.
Client requirements:
Starting the Live transcription feature has been confirmed to work with the following Zoom clients:
- Zoom Desktop Applications for Windows and macOS version 5.0.2 and higher
- Zoom Mobile Applications for iOS and Android version 5.0.2 and higher
- Note: Live transcriptions cannot be started using the web client (browser) regardless of type or the Linux Desktop Application.
Viewing the Live transcription feature has been confirmed to work with the following Zoom clients:
- Zoom Desktop Applications for Windows and macOS version 5.0.2 and higher
- Zoom Mobile Applications for iOS and Android version 5.0.2 and higher
- Web client (browser)
- Note: Live transcriptions cannot be viewed using Chrome OS, or Linux Desktop Application.
Limitations:
- Only the host of a meeting can initiate live transcriptions. If you are scheduling a meeting that you will not be present for, you should designate an alternative host when creating the meeting. The "alternative host" will become the "host" if you are not in the meeting and be able to initiate live captioning. Instructions on "alternative hosts" can be found in this support article.
- Live Transcription is only supported in English.
- Accuracy depends upon: background noise, speaker's clarity, speaker's volume, etc.
- Live Transcription not supported in breakout rooms.
- Live transcription is not sufficient to meet an accommodation request where a student has a documented disability with DRES for live captioning.
Enabling within Zoom Meeting using the Zoom Desktop application
- Click the Live Transcript button in the bottom of your Zoom meeting window
- Select Enable Auto-Transcription
Note: to disable auto-transcription, just click the Live Transcript button once again, and select, Disable Auto-Transcription.
Enabling live transcriptions within Zoom Meeting using the Zoom mobile application
Note: The following steps and images are for iOS.
- In the Zoom meeting click the More button located in the in meeting control bar.
- Select, Enable Live Transcripts
In Meeting Controls
Displaying Live Transcripts in the Zoom Desktop App
- As the Host: Click the ^ (caret) key to the upper right of the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- As a Participant: Click the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- Select View Full Transcript
- The meeting's audio will be transcribed into a window in the far right of the Zoom desktop app
Saving the Full Transcript
- The meeting's transcript can be save as a .txt file.
- At the bottom of the full transcription window, select Save Transcript.
Note: Users will only be able to Save Transcript if the host has enabled Save Captions within their illinois.zoom.us settings page.
Displaying Subtitles in the Zoom Desktop App
- As the Host: Click the ^ (caret) key to the upper right of the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- As a Participant: Click the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- Select Show Subtitle
- Subtitles will be displayed at the bottom of your Zoom meeting client.
- Note: you can hide the subtitles at any time by clicking the ^ (carat) key, and selecting Hide Subtitle
Editing Subtitle settings in the Zoom Desktop App
To change the subtitles font size please follow the steps below.
- As the Host: Click the ^ (caret) key to the upper right of the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- As a Participant: Click the Live Transcript button within your Zoom meeting.
- Select, Subtitle Settings
- Use the slider at the top of the Accessibility tab in the Zoom application setting's window to adjust the font size of the subtitles.
Viewing the full Transcript in the Mobile App
- In the Zoom meeting click the More button located in the in meeting control bar.
- Select View Full Transcript
- A new window will open displaying the full tagged and time stamped transcription for the meeting.