Videoconferencing Captioning Tools for Zoom

Overview

There are three captioning/transcription tools that should be considered when using Zoom meetings and webinars. Based on your specific need, this guide can assist with the process of finding the right tool for your audience. The transcription tools include:

Automated Captions

Important: Automated captions do not automatically qualify as an ADA accommodation. If ADA accommodations are required, the CART transcription service is the best recommendation. 

Automated captions use automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology to caption meetings/webinars in real time. This feature supports several languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and more. It also can be used in breakout rooms.

Helpful for: Hosts interested in enhancing the general accessibility of their meeting in real time for the benefit of participants, such as:

  • Hearing individuals who benefit from audio prompts
  • Individuals who speak English as an additional language
  • Situations to compensate for low audio quality and enhance understanding

Refer to Getting Started With Automated Captions in Zoom for steps on enabling and using live transcription in Zoom.

Note: The accuracy of the feature depends on many factors, such as background noise, volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice, and the speaker’s lexicon/dialect. External microphones (separate from your laptop) can greatly improve audio quality, and speakers are encouraged to use one.

Communication Access Realtime Transcription (CART)

Communication Access Realtime Transcription (CART) involves human transcription in real time while someone is speaking or playing a video. Most D/deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals require the level of accuracy that CART provides.

Zoom supports professional CART providers through the built-in manual captioning feature, allowing an assigned meeting or webinar participant/attendee to share live captions. When this feature is enabled for a meeting/webinar, captions can be typed directly into Zoom or added via an integration with a third-party software/service.

CART providers are trained to:

  • Turn live audio into accurate captions in real time
  • Incorporate specialized terminology and proper names
  • Infer the right words and spelling from context
  • Compensate for noise and a range of voices

Helpful for: Hosts who know they have participants needing real-time and accurate transcription and/or are required to provide ADA-compliant accommodations. CART captioning is used by people who are D/deaf, have hearing loss, are less familiar with the language or topic, or process text better than audio.

Note: University departments and units are generally required to provide professional caption services (via CART) or American Sign Language interpretation (ASL) upon request by individuals with disabilities. Questions about this or other employee accommodations can be directed to the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX Office (ECRT).

Refer to Getting Started With Third-Party (CART) Captioning in Zoom for additional information on CART providers at the University of Michigan and steps on enabling and using CART transcription services in U-M Zoom.

Audio Transcription for Cloud Recordings

Audio transcription for cloud recordings enables captions to be added to the meeting/webinar recording after it has concluded. If you require accurate transcriptions, we recommend using this option within Zoom to review and edit recordings and their transcripts before making them available to your audience.

Note: This feature only works with Zoom cloud recordings, as local recordings do not include audio transcripts.

Helpful for: Hosts who have used some form of real-time captioning and/or whose content is to be made available to individuals after the meeting/webinar has ended, such as: 

  • D/deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
  • Hearing individuals who benefit from audio prompts
  • Individuals who speak English as an additional language
  • Situations where transcription must be 100% accurate (this will require editing)

If audio transcription for cloud recordings is not already enabled, learn how to enable it for your U-M Zoom account.

Refer to Zoom Support to learn more about audio transcription for cloud recordings.

Related: MiVideo, U-M’s cloud-based media streaming service, allows file owners to order, edit, and delete captions for audio and video files, including Zoom recordings. If long-term retention (i.e., more than 150 days) of cloud recordings and their audio transcripts is needed, this is a great resource.

Language and Sign Language Interpreters

Zoom offers language interpretation features, including sign language interpretation:

Tags: 
Zoom
Accessibility
Last Updated: 
Friday, February 7, 2025