Live Captioning

Video meeting platforms have become the tool of choice for teleworking. The Zoom and Google Meet platforms used at the Lab allow far-flung teams to connect, but video platforms often have limitations. Like conference calls, a downside of video in lieu of in-person meetings is low sound quality. Participants can be left at a disadvantage when it comes to hearing what is said, especially if they are deaf or hearing-impaired, the speaker is soft-spoken, or they are working in a noisy environment. Remote meetings can also be hard to follow for participants who are English language learners.

One solution that can improve meeting accessibility for participants is to enable live captioning.

The case for live captioning

Enabling live captioning in any meeting that you host is a best practice that allows all attendees to fully participate, and it’s now enabled at the Lab. John German, chief communications officer for Berkeley Lab, started using Google Meet for his meetings specifically because it has live caption functionality. “As leaders, it is among our responsibilities to ensure that the systems, platforms, and tools we use enable everyone to fully contribute. We should remind ourselves that we may not be aware of the struggles everyone we meet with is experiencing, and that individuals might not always feel free to speak up. That’s why it is important we find and adopt the most accessible tools available, when possible.”

Misha Gonzalez, Facilities architect and co-chair of the All Access Employee Resource Group, would like to see live captioning used in all video meetings. She explains, “Individuals for whom English is a secondary language, those experiencing situational deafness (leaf blower, speaker set-up issues), and those with learning disabilities may all find their comprehension and ability to participate in the meeting greatly improved by captions.”

The All Access ERG works hard to make Lab workplaces and activities accessible and promotes disability inclusion for all employees. The group has focused on improving accessibility in many ways, and a particular area of strength has been to improve accessibility for those who are deaf or hearing-impaired.

In conjunction with the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) Office, All Access developed a great resource called "Making Meetings More Inclusive and Better for Everyone", which can be found at berkeleylab-erg.lbl.gov/all-access. All Access ERG also successfully placed enhanced audio systems in large conference rooms (like the Building 50 auditorium) so those who are hard of hearing can wear special headphones and are then able to hear what is going on.

IT makes it happen

It was a member of the All Access ERG who alerted the Lab to try to get live captions in Zoom meetings (they already existed in Google Meet, but most people at the Lab use Zoom).

“I’m so grateful to people like Miles Green and the Lab’s IT group who take our needs seriously and really listen when we have a concern,” said Karyn Houston, manager of communications at the Energy Technologies Area. “That’s what’s great about working at the Lab -- when you ask for help, people listen and respond.”

Live captioning has been available as a feature on Google Meet since 2019. It was not available on the Lab’s primary video platform, Zoom, until this month. In fact, Zoom’s live captioning feature - called live transcript - is currently available only to educational institutions… and now, Berkeley Lab.

The IT Collaboration Services Group became aware of the need after fielding requests for third-party live captioning applications to assist Lab employees with hearing loss. Zoom was testing a live captioning feature but wasn’t ready to roll it out to enterprise clients. However, the Lab’s IT team was persistent and Berkeley Lab became the first non-educational institution to have the feature enabled.

IT always works closely with the Lab community to identify features, options and upgrades that will enhance the virtual meeting experience. Reach out for advice or to share your ideas at collaborate@lbl.gov.

Using live caption is easy

Live caption has been enabled on all Lab Zoom accounts and can be enabled by the meeting host. If a meeting host is using their Lab Zoom account, they can enable live captioning for all attendees, even for those that do not have a Lab account.

For directions and best practice tips on using this new Zoom functionality, go to zoom.lbl.gov, select the Frequently Asked Questions menu, select Advanced Options, and then select Enable Live Auto-Transcription.

To enable live captioning in Google Meet, begin your meeting and then click the ‘Turn On Captions’ button on the right side of the toolbar.