HAVING TROUBLE HEARING OUR PROGRAM SPEAKERS?
A few Guild members have asked about closed captioning for our in-person program speakers. We investigated and discovered that, for various reasons (detailed here), the Guild cannot currently display captions on the large display screens at the Encinitas Community Center.
However, there’s another way for members to see captions of what’s being said. All newer cell phones have the capability to display captions of in-person speech.
Android Users
On newer Android phones (including Pixel), try Google’s Live Transcribe. Other apps are available by searching for “live transcription Android.”
iPhone Users
On newer iPhones, try Apple’s Live Captions. Other apps are available by searching for “live transcription Apple.”
Be Aware That:
• California state laws restrict the use of live transcriptions. These captions are for your personal use only “in the moment” and should not be saved as text or audio. If your phone automatically saves the transcript, you must not share it with any other person, post it online, etc.
• In addition to breaking State law, any recording or sharing of a program transcript goes against the terms of the Guild’s contract with our speakers. Please do not place the Guild in this situation.
• We have tested the Android and iPhone apps linked above during recent in-person Guild meetings and found the results helpful. Like the captions available during our Zoom meetings, the system struggles with knitting terminology – but we are used to that by now!
• Your phone must have Internet access during captioning. Please try to use your own cell data allowance, if possible (turn off your phone’s wifi to force it onto cell data). If you don’t have unlimited cell data, or your connection is weak, ask about signing onto the ECC wifi — but we don’t know how strong the ECC wifi system is.
• Your phone will transcribe everything it hears, including any “sidebar” conversations among members seated near you. The Guild will (as usual) ask members to refrain from talking during presentations. Feel free to repeat that request as needed.
We hope this information helps make our programs more enjoyable for all members.
— The Guild Board
