By Carolyn Stern
Assistant Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives
Carolyn Stern, Asst. Dir. of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives
While Zoom is probably the most popular videoconferencing platform, currently it does not provide automatic captioning of live Zoom meetings. Anecdotally, testing of an integrated automatic captioning feature is underway, but a release date is not known at this point. Until it is made available, here are some options for captioning your Zoom sessions.
3 Ways to Caption a Zoom Meeting
#1. Hire a Remote Live Captioner
The first approach for captioning a video conference in Zoom is to hire a remote CART reporter to provide captions displayed within the Zoom platform. The remote captioner can stream the translated text through a dedicated caption URL generated by the Zoom system. The drawback is the window within the Zoom platform for displaying captions is small, showing only one or two lines of text at a time.
Another approach is to have the paid CART provider stream the captions to a web browser separate from the Zoom platform. The captioner provides a link to a StreamText or 1CapApp feed that displays the transcribed text in real time. Then, either open the link on the same screen as the Zoom call and resize both windows to fit or open the captioning browser on a second device such as a second computer monitor, laptop, tablet or smartphone. For example, you could watch the Zoom meeting on your desktop and view the captions in a browser on your tablet. Many people, including myself, prefer this option because it allows the user to see several lines of text at once, scroll through it and review, if needed. The other benefit is the user can save the transcript afterwards for later review.
#2. Use a Web-Based Speech-Recognition Tool
Another way to provide captioning of your Zoom meetings is to use an automatic speech recognition tool that’s web-based. Web Captioner and Otter.ai, two web-based services that I recommend, can each be used in conjunction with Zoom. A note about each:
- Web Captioner does not charge for its service and does request a donation after each use.
- Otter.ai offers 600 free minutes a month. Once that is used up, the fee is $9.99 for up to 6,000 minutes a month.
Here’s how to set this up. Open the Zoom meeting invite and in a separate browser open the web-based tool, Web Captioner or Otter.ai. Then, re-size both the Zoom browser and captioning tool’s browser so that both windows can fit on one screen. Be sure to turn on your computer speakers. Alternatively, you can also open up the captioning tool on a separate monitor or screen device and place it close to the speakers. To adjust the font size and color for Web Captioner, go to settings on the web page. For Otter, adjust the font size by pressing the Ctrl and + or – keys at the same time to make the font bigger or smaller.
The image above shows me (top center) using Web Captioner to caption in real-time a Zoom meeting with my team at CHC. The screenshot also demonstrates how the screen is split. The Zoom browser is re-sized and placed at the top half of the screen and the Web Captioner browser is re-sized to fit on the bottom half of the screen.
#3. Use a Speech Recognition App on Your Smartphone
The third option is to use a speech recognition smartphone app positioned next to the speakers of another device such as a desktop, laptop or tablet. For example, set up the Zoom meeting for viewing on a desktop computer and place the smartphone with the captioning app activated next to the speakers. The best apps for this are either Otter.ai for iPhone or Live Transcribe for Android phones. One last tip: If you’re using an iPhone, turn off auto-lock in the phone’s settings to keep the screen open. Remember to turn on auto-lock when done.
The image (upper right) demonstrates a Zoom meeting on a computer monitor and a smartphone propped next to a computer speaker displaying captions in real-time (shown is a Google Pixel 3 phone with Live Transcribe activated and placed next to a computer speaker).
Pinning the Speaker for Better Viewing in Zoom
Finally, an important tip in Zoom is to “pin” a participant. This enables you to prominently feature the person speaking on the center of your screen, which will allow for better speechreading and picking up on facial cues. To “pin,” click on the three dots on the upper right hand corner and select the pinning option. Ask the speakers to pause to give you time to “pin” because it takes a few seconds to find the screen of the person you need to “pin” and set it up.
Two other platforms you might want to explore that provide automatic captions and are easy to use are Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
Now, if only I can figure out how to prevent my school-age children from crashing my Zoom calls! No matter how many snacks, ample warnings and iPad sessions I provide to distract them, it doesn’t seem to work. Let me know your tips, if you have any.
More Videoconferencing Tips for Zoom and Other Platforms
This post is just one in a series from CHC to help you Hear and Connect better through communication strategies and technology solutions that you can use at home. Click below to check out these related posts:
Improving Audio Quality on Videoconference Calls »
Hear and Connect Better on Videoconference Calls »
Making Videoconferencing More Hearing Loss Friendly »
Contact Us
Remember, CHC is here for you. If you are having difficulty hearing well with any aspect of your remote work set-up, or are looking for support in any way, please contact your CHC audiologist.
If you prefer, you can call our main number in New York at 917-305-7700 or in Ft. Lauderdale at 954-601-1930. Or click here to email us and we’ll direct your message to the appropriate clinician.
If you’re not currently a CHC client, but need assistance, we’re happy to help. Also consider reaching out to your hearing aid manufacturer’s help line which is also readily available to aid as well.
15 responses to “Hear and Connect: Zoom and Captioning for Hearing Loss”
I had no idea about any of this.
Thank you for your response. CHC’s mission is to help people with hearing loss hear and connect better in all aspects of their lives. We hope everyone reading our blog feels encouraged by all of the tools now available and tries it out! Let us know if you have any questions or need assistance.
Thank you, thank you, Carolyn. I just signed up for an online chair yoga class through my senior center. It starts next week via Zoom so I will print out your instructions for captioning and try my hand at using my desk top and my iPhone.
Hi Ellen – It is so good to hear from you and we miss seeing you! That’s great you’ll try out the tips with your online chair yoga class. Let us know how it goes and please do share any other tips you think could help in that type of class once you give it a try. Warm regards, – Carolyn
Is the approach user the web based speech to text approach one that shows captioning for all on the zoom session, or just for the one person who sets it up for herself? I’m looking for a solution that allows me to do conferences and webinars on Zoom that is captioned for all participants such as HLAA meetings or OLLI classes.
Thanks for this helpful article.
Can any speech recognition apps work via the headphone socket or do they all depend on loudspeakers? I’m so deaf that I have to plug a Roger Pen (a radio aid) into the headphone socket but still can’t follow very well without captions. Captions aren’t reliable enough to be relied on solely, without sound, and using the headphone socket for my Roger Pen means the speakers don’t work.
I have a splitter I can plug into the headphone socket on my laptop so I could plug both my Roger Pen and smartphone into that. Will any of the apps work that way?
I’ve tried experimenting with Ava but so far not getting anywhere.
I am happy to have discovered your website, and instructions. I have been hearing impaired over 55 years – nerve damage for my Air Force aircraft engine days – and the current technology is much appreciated. But as is apparent here, improvements are always happening. Oh, I am technology geek :-)
I am using zoom for meetings – and will gladly implement your recommendations here.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the post and that you will try some if these strategies. Do check out some of the posts in the blog for improving videoconferencing with a hearing loss. If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know. Great to hear from you – Carolyn
These are all great suggestions, but they really are tedious. When can we expect Closed Caption’s to be built into Zoom? What is the timeline? Would really appreciate hearing your response.
Thank you,
R K
Amen to that. I would like to see Zoom have a built in feature with CC or have the CART writer b e able to provide the captions on the screen.
Carolyn, thank you for taking the time to conduct this utmost vital webinar at a time we desparately needed it. This addresses several items I overlook in my research. Applaud your work and dedication like many of our N-CHATT colleagues.
Thank you so much for your comments about the webinar. I’m happy to know it provided additional information that can help with all of your incredible outreach and advocacy work in PA.
Any idea if ZOOM will finally provide captions?
Shari Eberts started a petition to get captions on all video conferencing sites. So far, only GOOGLE MEET added the captions for free!
Why not Zoom?
I need captions in order to Zoom with my family or with members of my hearing loss support group!
Another solution: If you have a CapTel Captioned Telephone, you can use the CapTel to caption the zoom meeting. All you need to do is join the Zoom video on your computer or device, and also join the Zoom audio-only call-in phone number from your CapTel. You’ll get the captions on the phone. . (You’ll need to mute the audio from one of the devices so there’s no echo.) If you don’t know about CapTel, go to OEIUS.ORG for information. OEI does outreach for CapTel and can help people with hearing loss get one at no-cost.
Thank you so much for the information, I found it to be very helpful, I have a sensor neural hearing loss and would invest in something to understand zoom, I am with the commission for the blind, I would llike to see what they can offer as well. Betty Banks