Zoom’s Interpreter Feature Has Some Limitations
Using interpreters during Zoom meetings and webinars is easy, but it’s important to understand the limitations. For example, the built-in interpretation feature only works if participants are using a compatible version of Zoom.
To enable interpretation, select the Interpretation Globe icon in your Zoom meeting control. This creates a separate audio channel where your audience can listen to the translation of what you say.
Built-in interpretation feature
Zoom, a cloud-based video conferencing and collaboration tool, has become one of the most popular remote work tools for its simplicity and functionality. Its built-in interpretation feature is a great option for multilingual meetings and webinars. However, it has some limitations that should be considered before deciding to use it.
The interpretation feature allows a host to assign interpreters, who will perform translation on a dedicated audio channel. The meeting participants will hear the original audio of the meeting and the interpreted language simultaneously. They can also mute the original audio to only listen to the interpretation.
To use the interpretation feature, the host must start the Zoom meeting from a desktop computer and select the Interpretation button. It cannot be used in an instant meeting or on mobile devices. Additionally, the Meeting ID must be generated automatically and not a personal one. The interpretation feature is only available for scheduled and reoccurring Zoom meetings.
Machine translation tools
Using translation applications can help organizers and attendees communicate in multiple languages during Zoom meetings. This can save time and money, but it’s important to find an accurate and reliable tool that can handle simultaneous translation. Some translation apps provide file transcriptions while others offer real-time interpretation. For example, Worldly Zoom provides a live interpreter service that transcribes audio from a Zoom meeting into other languages. It also offers a free trial.
The language interpretation feature of Zoom allows the host to designate an assigned interpreter who performs translation on a dedicated audio channel. However, the interpreter must be added to the meeting as a participant, and the participants who need interpreting should select that channel in order to hear it.
Another option for Zoom users is to use a third-party interpretation platform, such as Interprefy, which provides more advanced features than the built-in translation feature. It uses professional interpreters to facilitate remote multilingual events, and it supports a large number of languages.
Captions
Captions, also known as closed captions or life transcriptions, are a type of video software that shows text in a meeting in real-time. They are very popular in video games and TVs and can be used to help hearing-impaired people understand what is being said. They can be displayed either live in-meeting or within saved cloud recordings.
To enable this feature, Zoom hosts must click the Closed Caption button on the meeting settings. They will then see a verification dialog and can choose whether to save the transcript. Once the host has enabled this feature, they can use a 3rd party service to provide captions for their meetings.
Translated captions are available via a paid add-on on the Zoom platform and can be used by all attendees, regardless of their license type. Organizers and attendees can process sound from the Zoom meeting concurrently and can view captions in their preferred language. They can also turn on subtitles to display the speaker’s name and time-stamp in real time.
Subtitles
During a Zoom meeting, participants can select a language from the list of available interpreters to hear a real-time interpretation. The interpreter will then translate the meeting audio into the selected language and display it on screen. Zoom users can access the translation by clicking on the Interpretation icon in the toolbar.
The company has also extended its multi-language automated captioning (available in the Business Plus and Enterprise Plus packages, in applicable countries) to support translated captions. The feature enables users to view captions that have been translated from English into one of the following 10 languages: Chinese (Simplified)(Beta), Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Ukrainian.
Zoom is a popular video conferencing platform that offers many features for users, including interpreting and subtitles. However, these features can be expensive if you use them frequently.
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