Manual Transcribing / Captioning Live Broadcasts

Basic requirements for an accessible live webinar, video conference, or other streamed broadcast:

1. A transcriber with access to hear all audio during the broadcast (e.g. phone, video conferencing software, in-person)
2. Video conferencing software or alternative solution that provide a minimum of two broadcast channels (can be on the same screen or separate windows):
   1. the live video broadcast
   2. the live transcription broadcast (there will be about 15 seconds of delay with the audio of the video broadcast)

Transcribers (paid or volunteer):

• should have a typing speed of 225 wpm (words per minute) accurately (e.g. spelling, grammar, punctuation)
• should be fluent in the language spoken (and provide spelling and meaning of jargon specific for the topic) as well as capable of understanding a variety of accents

The same things that affect live ASR, however, these occur less often.

Audio quality:

• Is there noise or music in the background?
• Is it over cellular service or Wifi/Internet connection?
• Is the audio equipment good?

Content:

• Is complex jargon used, like the terms in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics?
• Does it include words that are not easy to spell or have uncommon spellings, like proper names?

You should prepare your transcriber with the content that will be presented during the broadcast to improve the accuracy of the captions.

You should also consider recording your broadcast for later viewing. When you do, you can clean up mistakes made during the live transcribing. This is often done by processing the closed captions for the recorded content separate of the live transcribing process.

Technical issues do occur, such as slow Internet connection, lost Internet connection, or disconnect from the live transcription channel. Make best efforts to provide all transcription when these issues occur. Do audio and transcription checks with your audience. If they are only expected to last a short time, please pause the presentation, so all in attendance receive it at the same time. Otherwise, provide the content after the connection has been re-established.

Presentation Tip: Provide accessible slide decks and presentation files to all audience members beforehand, not just the transcriber. This helps everyone understand your content and follow along no matter their abilities or technical difficulties. If you cannot provide them beforehand, try to provide them at the beginning of your live presentation. If you have a moderator assisting you, encourage them to resend the files in the chatroom or email the audience.

If your web conferencing or online meeting platform allows your audience to turn on ASR during a live broadcast, it is a good minimum requirement, especially where no Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation has been requested.

However, if you do have audience members with known disabilities (e.g. students registered with the Disability Services Office, audience members requesting accommodations during an event) you should consider the items that can affect ASR accuracy and whether you need a live transcriber:

• If you tested the ASR on your web conferencing or online meeting platform, and it handled your terms well, then use ASR.
• If you are doing something performative where you need to use words that are otherwise censored, you may need to use a live transcriber instead.
• If it will be hard to identify speakers or translate jargon, you may need to use a live transcriber instead.

Instead of ASR: If you use a prerecorded video in a live broadcast, make sure it has closed captions, then play the video during the broadcast with the closed captions on for the whole audience to see. Otherwise, the live transcriber will also need to be prepared to transcribe the prerecorded video during that live broadcast. Tip: If you do go with closed captions, make sure the closed captions do not cover important areas on the video frame, since they cannot be turned off in these scenarios.

The difference is speed, accuracy, and cost for using the captioning service. CART stands for Communication Access Real-time Translation, and it is typically associated with faster live captioning.

These are professional court reporters and steno captioners who use stenography methods to increase the speed and accuracy of transcribing spoken speech into typed text. However, the training and certification is far more extensive, so the cost is higher for the better service.

Some people will specifically request CART services to accuracy issues that address both hearing and cognitive disabilities.

CART services provide content verbatim of what is said by the speaker(s). Text interpreting, or note taking, cleans that up. It is not verbatim or "raw" dialogue.

Think of your average conversation with someone. There may be some stops and starts in the middle of a thought. They may repeat themselves when they are trying to complete a thought. It can be confusing when reading the text. Text interpreting cuts out the confusing parts to create clearer sentence structure. 

Blackboard Collaborate is no longer licensed at TAMU-CC. However, you can attend meetings from external organizations using Collaborate. If you need accommodations, contact them for assistance.

Note that Blackboard Collaborate supports live closed captioning and allows Moderators to promote moderators or participants to captionist role. This gives them an area to type the captions in that others can read.

Cisco Jabber is more focused on one-on-one communications (see Cisco Webex options for live transcribing). Workarounds with Jabber:

1. Within the Jabber chatroom, use a screen share mode to get at least the presenter's side of the conversation captioned using an auto-captioning option. Note these are not 99% accurate and may still cause potential confusion during the conversation.
2. A live transcriber can be contracted to provide closed captioning in a separate application. The requesting department will need to assess funding for the transcriber.
3. Alternately, Jabber provides a chatroom where callers can text message each other. This is the most recommended, since communication for both sides of the conversation is displayed as more accessible text.

Cisco Webex is no longer licensed at TAMU-CC. However, you can use the guest option to attend meetings from external organizations. If you need accommodations, contact them for assistance.

Note that Webex Meetings allows your meeting host to assign an attendee to the role of Closed Captionist. The closed captioning window in Webex is visible to desktop or laptop devices. Yet, the closed captioning window in Webex is not available to Apple (iOS) or Android devices.

Microsoft Teams launched their CART services option at the end of 2021. The meeting organizer must adjust the settings on the Teams Meeting to turn on CART options and send that link to the transcriber.

For student use: Disability Services can provide a live transcriber with a minimum of 48 hour notice. They will use a separate browser window for closed captions. (see live caption demo) The transcriber should log in before the event begins to ensure the entire event is accommodated.

If a separate window is still difficult, a separate device can be used to view both screens synchronously.

Workarounds:

• Within the Teams chatroom, use a screen share mode to get at least the presenter's side of the conversation captioned using an auto-captioning option. Note these are not 99% accurate and may still cause potential confusion during the conversation.
• A live transcriber can be contracted to provide closed captioning in a separate application. The requesting department will need to assess funding for the transcriber.
• Alternately, Teams provides a chatroom where callers can text message each other. This is the most recommended, since communication for both sides of the conversation is displayed as more accessible text.

By accommodation request or for large and university-wide events: Division of Information Technology has contracted with captioning services providers who have live transcribers. Due to unprecedented demand during the pandemic, requests should be scheduled at least two weeks in advance of the event to ensure availability of a transcriber.

Zoom Meetings allow you to assign an attendee to the role of co-host as type "Closed Caption".

The closed captioning window in Zoom is visible to desktop or laptop devices as well as mobile devices.

For student use: Disability Services can provide a live transcriber with a minimum of 48 hour notice. They will use a separate browser window for closed captions. (see live caption demo) The transcriber should log in before the event begins to ensure the entire event is accommodated.

By accommodation request or for large and university-wide events: Division of Information Technology has contracted with captioning services providers who have live transcribers. Due to unprecedented demand during the pandemic, requests should be scheduled at least two weeks in advance of the event to ensure availability of a transcriber.

Note: Zoom does not currently provide live transcription in the breakout rooms. Meeting hosts should ensure that people needing the accommodation are in the main room with the live transcriber where they can continue to participate.