Enabling or disabling closed captioning and live transcription services during a Zoom meeting

How to start Closed Caption or Live Transcript in Zoom meetings

To start Closed Caption or Live Transcript in a Zoom meeting or webinar:

• In a Zoom meeting or webinar that you are hosting, click Closed Caption  or Live Transcript . Select one of the following options:
  • Enable Auto-Transcription: (Preferred) Allows the system to start providing live transcription. Participants will be notified that this service is available. This option is only available if enabled in web settings.
  • Assign a participant to type: Assigns a participant to type closed captions during the meeting.
  • I will type: Opens the closed captioning window for you to manually type closed captions.

How to make participant requests to enable live transcription

Participants of your meetings and webinars can also request to have live transcription enabled during the session. This option is available in the meeting controls, and avoids the need to request this verbally or through chat to avoid interruptions. 

1. Start a meeting or webinar as the host.
2. When a participant or attendee requests live transcription be enabled, you will be prompted with the request. This request can be made anonymously, so you may not see the name of the participant requesting this feature.
3. Choose one of the following options:
   • Enable: Enables live transcription for use of anyone in the meeting or webinar. 
   • Decline: Decline this request to have live transcription enabled. Other participants will be able to make their own requests. 
   • Decline and don't ask again: Decline this and all future requests to have live transcription enabled. 

The host can also disable the ability to make requests before any request is made when using the Windows or macOS desktop clients. 

1. Click Closed Caption  or Live Transcript  as the host in the meeting or webinar. 
2. Disable Allow participants to request Live Transcription. This disabled the ability for participants and attendees to make these requests.

Why Closed Captioning?

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require captioning on educational video that is available to students. But disability is not the only reason to turn on captioning for students.

Research shows that many students use closed captioning and find it helpful for learning, regardless of whether they have a disability. They may choose to turn on captioning when they cannot hear or understand the speaker. Or they might look at captions to help reinforce difficult language. Captioning helps learners to have another means to interpret and understand what is being said in a Zoom meeting.

Captioning helps students who may have difficulty understanding a meeting or lecture for several reasons. For example, some students may struggle with understanding technical terms, interpreting an accent that is different from their own, or when English is their second language. Technical difficulties with speakers or headphones can prevent students from understanding speakers in Zoom, but captioning provides a solution so that they can remain engaged in the meeting or lesson, despite these difficulties.

Live captioning supports student learning. Sometimes, students elect to turn on captioning to stay engaged in a Zoom meeting. Visual reinforcement or auditory cues is a proven strategy to facilitate learning for many individuals. Furthermore, for students who download the transcript of a meeting, a new tool exists for them to verify their notes and prepare for assessments such as exams.

For more info on Managing closed captioning and live transcription:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736#h_4cb4e874-d574-4e40-ab12-7d8fae1f71cc

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