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Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations
Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations

Use our built-in captioning solution, included with Webex Events Production Studio, Webex Events RTMP Player, Simulive, and Video on Demand

Emily van der Harten avatar
Written by Emily van der Harten
Updated over a week ago

Providing closed captions and translations during your live stream gives attendees an accessible experience and opens the door to a global audience. While setting up captions and translations with a third party often involves added cost and coordination, Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations is included with Webex Events streaming options at no extra cost!

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations uses machine learning to generate live stream captions and translations in over 30 languages in Agenda Sessions and Live Stream features. In the web version and Mobile App, captions automatically display the language that attendees set in their app profile settings.

Webex Events Closed Captions and Translations on the Web App and Mobile App.

Keep reading to learn how to set up and use Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations, and don't miss the FAQ at the end. 📖

Activate Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations is compatible with the following live streaming platforms:

  1. When creating a Live Stream feature or Session, select either 'Production Studio', 'RTMP Player', or 'Simulive' as the Stream provider.

    💡 Keep in mind, for Sessions, you must activate the 'Enable Live Stream' toggle before selecting an option from the Live Stream drop-down.

  2. Next, activate the 'Enable Closed Captions' toggle.

  3. Select Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations from the Closed Captions Provider drop-down menu.

    The Webex Events Closed Captions and Translations in a live stream on the Web App.

    ⚠️ Caution! Deactivating or switching to or from Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations generates a new Studio URL and speaker URL. Be sure to send speakers the new speaker URL after saving your changes.

  4. When you're done, click Save Changes. It's that easy!

Now attendees can activate closed captions and choose a language while viewing your live streams.

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations in practice

Now that you know how to activate Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations, let's explore the attendee experience on the web version and the Mobile App.

Closed Captions & Translations on the Web App

When attendees join a live stream on the Web App, they click the 'CC' icon below the lower right corner of the live stream and select a language from the drop-down. Captions then appear below the live stream.

The Webex Events Closed Captions and Translations in a live stream on the Web App

Closed Captions & Translations on the Mobile App

When attendees join a live stream on the Mobile App, they have access to a 'CC' icon and a 'Language' icon.

The Closed Captions language menu on the Mobile App.

To activate captions, attendees tap the CC icon, or they can select a language. Tapping the Language icon opens a window with a list of supported languages. Selecting a language automatically turns captions on.

The Closed Captions language menu on the Mobile App.

The Mobile App displays closed captions in a few formats. By default, captions appear under the live stream. To show full caption mode without video, attendees simply swipe up on their mobile device. They can also display captions in landscape mode by rotating their phones horizontally.

Webex Events Closed Captions and Translations full caption mode and landscape mode on the Mobile App.

💡 Keep in mind, landscape doesn't support full caption mode.

Now you know all about setting up and using Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations. Read the FAQs below to learn even more!

FAQs

Here are some common questions and answers we've gathered to help you learn more about Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations.

What live stream providers does Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations work with?

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations works with the following stream providers on the Mobile App and web experience:

  • Webex Events Production Studio

  • Webex Events RTMP Player

  • Webex Events Simulive

  • Video on Demand

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations isn’t available for the following:

  • Video Rooms

  • One-on-one video chats

How much does Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations cost?

It's included for free with all Webex Events Streaming options noted in the section above.

How many languages can be translated in a single stream?

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations supports 35 languages — for now. 😉 Read our full list of available languages for more details.

How accurate are captions and translations?

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations uses the same technology as Webex Meetings, so you can expect the same level of accuracy described in this Webex blog post. In summary, machines aren't perfect, so Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations aren't as accurate as a human can be.

If you need the accuracy of human captioning and translation for your live stream or simulive content, use an alternative third-party provider like Syncwords. Learn more in our Third-party Captions & Webex Events Streaming article.

Are captions supported on both the Mobile App and the Web App?

Yes! Both the Mobile App and Web App support Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations.

Can attendees activate captions for videos on Sponsor, Speaker, and Custom List items?

Yes, if you upload the video to the Video Center and you activated Closed Captions for the video when you uploaded it.

Do Webex Events Production Studio recordings in the Video Center automatically have Closed Captions?

No. Even though recordings from any Webex Events Production Studio streams are automatically added to the Video Center, closed captions aren't available for those recordings. To add captions to a Production Studio recording, download the recording, then re-upload it to the Video Center, making sure to activate Closed Captions in the upload modal. Learn more in our Video Center article.

Are audio translations supported?

At this time, Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations doesn't supply audio translations. If you need audio translations for your live stream or simulive content, use an alternative third-party provider like Interprefy. Learn more in our Third-Party Captions & Webex Events Streaming article.

Does Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations add a delay to the live stream?

When you activate Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations, the stream starts with a 30-second delay to allow for caption processing time. This affects in-person speakers addressing Q&A with a hybrid audience. In-person attendees at the session who use captions in the live stream will also notice this delay.

What spoken languages are supported?

Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations currently only translates from spoken English. For captioning to work, everyone in the session needs to speak English.

We recommend using SyncWords or Interprefy for sessions and live streams with multi-lingual speakers. For more information about our recommended third-party caption providers, refer to our Third-Party Captions & Webex Events Streaming article.

Do viewers have to reselect their language if they leave and then rejoin a live stream?

If an attendee leaves a live stream and rejoins it, the language they initially chose will remain the selected language option. They will, however, need to activate closed captions again.

Will speakers have access to live captions in the Webex Events Production Studio?

Speakers and event organizers can't use live captions in the Webex Events Production Studio. Only attendees in the Event App can use closed captions in the live stream.

Can I download a transcript of the captions from a live stream?

At this time, Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations doesn't support caption transcript downloads.

Now that you know all about Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations, read our Live Streaming Best Practices article for tips on hosting an amazing live stream!

Questions? Chat with us or email support@socio.events.

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