Auto-captioning now available in Zoom (but not a substitute for closed captioning)

February 9, 2021

Zoom now provides artificial intelligence (AI)-powered live transcription. This can be enabled by the host and any participant can view the captioning as needed. Only English is supported at this time, and for the best results, the speaker must speak clearly.  

Important legal reminder: AI-powered live transcription is NOT a substitute for professional real-time captioning services for individuals with disabilities.  Students will need to request real-time captioning from the Student Disability Resource Center.  Faculty and staff wishing to request real-time captioning for events should contact Human Resources for more information.

AI-powered live transcription can be a valuable tool for Universal Design.  Many people benefit from captioning who may not have documented disability including:  individuals for whom English is not their first language, situations where background noise is present, situations where the volume and clarity of the speaker’s voice is not optimal, and if the speaker has a heavy accent.  We encourage you to use transcription when appropriate outside of disability accommodations.

For help contact the Technology Help Desk at (707) 826-4357 or submit a ticket

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