| Relevant to: | Guests | Speakers | Event Managers & Assistants | Account Owners |
| ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Want an easy way to capture conversations and follow along in real time?
With Real-Time Transcription, event hosts can enable live transcripts for their event so users can read what’s being said in real time.
This article covers how event transcription works on Events.com Virtual, how to enable it, and what attendees can expect when it’s turned on.
Table of Contents:
- What is Event Transcription?
- How to Enable Event Transcription
- How to Start and Stop Transcription during an Event
- Viewing and Using Transcripts during an Event
- How to Download Transcripts Post-Event
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is Event Transcription?
With our event transcription feature, you’ll get a live written transcript of all conversations and presentations happening during your event. This allows attendees to follow along in real time and review what is being said from the transcript panel while the event is in progress.
What’s the difference between transcription and closed captions?
| Feature | Event Transcription | Closed Captions |
|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Host-initiated | User-initiated |
| Where it works | Conversation Mode and Presentation Mode | Presentation Mode only |
| What users see | Full live transcript in the side panel | Caption overlay on screen |
| Can users view past text? | Yes, while transcript is available | No, captions only appear live on screen |
| Can hosts download it after the event? | Yes | No |
Unlike closed captions, which display spoken content as on-screen captions for the current speaker or session, event transcription provides a fuller live transcript experience across the event. If you’d like to learn more about Closed Captions, check out this article.
Both Real-Time Transcription and Closed Captions are available as an add-on. If you’d like access, please reach out to support@virtual.events.com.
How to Enable Event Transcription
Event transcription can be enabled or disabled per event by an event host. By default, event transcription is disabled for events.
To enable event transcription:
1. Go to your My Events dashboard and locate the event you want to enable transcription for
2. Click the pencil icon on the event card to open event settings
3. Click on “Advanced” and then “Feature Toggles”
4. Turn the “Enable Event Transcription” toggle to ON
5. If you would like transcription to auto-transcribe once the event starts (i.e. you do not have to remember to start the transcription), check the box for Auto-transcribe
6. Then select your event’s primary language from the dropdown below. This is the language that will be used as the transcription language.
Only one language can be selected per event.
Supported languages include: English (United States), English (Australia), English (United Kingdom), English (India), Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin, Traditional), Danish, Dutch, French, French (Canada), German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese.
That’s it! Transcription is now set up and configured for your event.
How to Start and Stop Transcription during an Event
Event transcription can be started automatically or manually, depending on whether Auto-transcribe was enabled when the event was set up.
If Auto-transcribe was selected, transcription will begin automatically as soon as the event starts and someone unmutes (no additional clicks needed.) This is a helpful option if you want the entire event to be transcribed and do not want to remember to turn it on yourself.
If Auto-transcribe was not selected, an event host can start transcription manually during the event (in both Conversation and Presentation mode):
1. Click “Transcribe” under the video tiles
2. Click “Start Transcription” on the confirmation dialog
To stop transcription during the event:
1. Click “Transcribe” to open the transcript on the right side panel
2. Click “Stop”
Only event hosts (account owners, event managers, event assistants) can start or stop event-wide transcription. Guests and speakers cannot control transcription.
Once transcription has started, it will continue for the rest of the event until an event host turns it off. For example, if transcription is started in Conversation Mode and the event later moves into Presentation Mode, transcription will remain on unless it is manually stopped.
Viewing and Using Transcripts during an Event
When transcription is turned on, attendees can view the live transcript from the right-side panel during the event.
Users can access the live transcript by either:
- Clicking the “Transcribing” indicator* underneath the video tiles
- Clicking the “Transcript” tab in the right side panel
*For transparency, when transcription is active, users will see a Transcribing indicator underneath the video tiles. In Conversation Mode, this appears for all users because conversations at all tables are being transcribed. In Presentation Mode, it appears only for speakers on stage, since those are the users currently being transcribed.
Each table in Conversation Mode and the Presentation Mode stage has its own transcript. For example, Table 7 in Conversation Mode will have its own transcript, while Table 8 has its own, and the main Presentation Mode stage has its own transcript.
In Conversation Mode specifically, transcription applies across all tables in the event. Hosts cannot choose to transcribe only specific tables. However, attendees can only view the transcript for the table they are currently sitting at.
How to Download Transcripts Post-Event
After the event ends, hosts can download their event transcripts for later reference:
1. Head to your Event Settings
2. Click “Post-Event”
3. Scroll down to the Transcripts section
4. Click “Download”. This will download a ZIP file of all event transcripts
Transcripts are exported as separate files for each table in Conversation Mode and Presentation Mode. This makes it easier to review conversations from different parts of the event after it ends.
5. If you wish to delete a transcript, you can click the trash icon next to that specific file
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who can turn event transcription on or off?
Only event hosts can enable, start, stop, or disable transcription.
- Is transcription turned on for the whole event or just selected sessions?
Event Transcription is an event-level feature. Once it is turned on, it is on for the entire event until it is turned off. If you only want to transcribe specific sessions of your event (e.g. just Presentation Mode), do not select to auto-transcribe, simply manually start and stop transcription according to your event agenda.
- Can I select which tables in Conversation Mode to transcribe?
No. If transcription is enabled in Conversation Mode, all tables are transcribed.
- Can attendees view all transcripts?
Attendees can view transcripts for both Conversation and Presentation mode through the right-side panel. However, in Conversation Mode, similar to table chat, attendees can only view transcripts for the table they are currently sitting at.
- Can I choose more than one transcription language?
No. You can only select one primary language for transcription per event.
- Is transcription included in all plans?
Event transcription is available with our Closed Captions add-on. If you’d like access, please reach out to your account representative or support@virtual.events.com.
As a limited-time launch offer, some plans will receive 1 month of complimentary access to transcription and closed captions, so you can try the full experience in smaller events first. After the trial period, continued access to transcription and closed captions will require the add-on. You can reach out to your account representative or support@virtual.events.com for more information.