Closed captions and translation using Wordly

Easily connect your virtual or hybrid live streamed session to Wordly, to provide your virtual audience with simultaneous AI-powered closed captions or translations.

Once set-up, attendees on the web app can enable the closed captions or translations as soon as the live stream is broadcasted "Live", and can choose between over 30 different languages.

Notes: You will need access to Backstage and to Wordly in order to set this up. This is a paid integration, please contact your SpotMe account manager for more information.

Tip: Compare your options, check out our overview of live simultaneous translation options.

How does this look in the app?

When the live stream begins, the attendees will see a Translations button, available in the side panel in the live session (to the right of the player).

Clicking on this button will open the Translations & Captions panel to the right:

Here the attendee can:

• See the language that is being spoken, beneath the Translations & Captions text (for example above it is "Speaking: ENGLISH").
• Open the dropdown list located in the bottom right of the screen, and select the language that they want to see for the text. For closed captions, they will need to select the same language as the one that is spoken.

After selecting the language, the closed captions or translation will immediately start to appear in the panel to the right. The text appears in real time as the speakers are talking on stage, and users can at any time change the language output using the dropdown.

Read on below to find out how to set this up on your live sessions, by connecting your SpotMe live session to a Wordly live session.

How to connect your SpotMe live session to a Wordly session

1. Create your virtual or hybrid live session, in your workspace in Backstage. Make sure you are using RTMPS or SpotMe Studio as the stream provider.
   
   
2. Create a session in Wordly, by filling in the fields below and clicking Save.
   You will need to create a separate session in Wordly for each SpotMe session that you wish to add closed captions/translation to.
   
   Important: Select the correct Language here. This is the source language for the translation or closed captions, and needs to correspond to the language that will be spoken live on stage.
   Tip: For an improved accuracy of your captions during the session, we recommend that you use the "Glossary" dropdown to upload a glossary of technical or specialized terms that are used.
   
   
3. Once you have created the session, open it in Wordly, by selecting it in the list.
   In the Streaming shortcuts section, locate the URL and Key:
   
4. In another tab in your browser, open the Live session in Backstage, and go to the Settings > Captions section:
   
   
   
5. Copy the URL and Key from the Wordly session (see step 3 above), and paste them into the URL and Key fields in the live session in Backstage:
   
   For the Session ID field, please copy it from the session in the session list in Wordly, or from the prefix of the URL:
   
6. Click on Save after adding the URL, Key, and Session ID to the live session in Backstage.
   
   Testing: To test whether the set-up is working, go to the Live session in Backstage, open the room in Studio and add yourself or a speaker to the stage (without going live).
   Now, access to the Page link via your browser. The link is available in the Wordly session, visible in the Streaming shortcuts section, beneath the URL and Key information.
   At this point, if you speak while on stage you should see the audio transcription appear in the Page link in Wordly.
   The Translation button will only become visible to attendees in the web app once you go live in Studio.
   
   Important: Wordly minutes start to be consumed as soon as the live session is in "Preview"
   
   
7. Once you go live with your live session in Backstage, the closed captions/translations will become available to your attendees. The Translations button in the web app will not appear until you go live.

Technical notes

• Wordly minutes start to be consumed as soon as the live session is in "Preview".
• For an improved accuracy of your captions during the session, we recommend that you use the "Glossary" dropdown to upload a glossary of technical or niche terms that are used.
• Closed captions and translations with Wordly also work when prerecorded videos are played in your live stream (for videos imported into Studio).
• Please be aware that closed captions and translations generated by Wordly will not be present in the live session on demand recording.
• Closed captions and translations powered by Wordly are supported in mobile apps.
• Closed captions and translations powered by Wordly can be enabled together on the same live session with Interprefy live interpretation.