Zoom Adds Otter’s Video Captioning Tool to Eliminate ‘Miscommunication’ During Live Calls and Webinars

Zoom, the video conferencing platform, is adding a new tool that aims to eliminate miscommunication during live video calls. Dubbed as live video captioning, the feature is provided by online transcription service company Otter.ai that already has its Live Notes integrated to platform for users with premium plans. Otter in a blog post has said that the live video captioning feature would essentially remove any barrier to “digital business communications” that companies often face during online video calls and webinars via Zoom. The tool is currently available for Otter for Business users and Zoom Pro subscribers or higher.

Otter also adds that the live video captioning would enable organisations to meet accessibility requirements that are in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Users with Otter for Business will get this feature for no additional cost. The live video captioning feature works for those Zoom users who have Otter Live Notes integrated with the platform. The Otter Live Notes was launched in April and provided a transcript of the live video calls in a separate window, next to the Zoom web platform. Therefore, the new feature is an extension of Otter’s previous technology, and now, captions will be displayed at the bottom of the video-call screen, as showcased on the Otter website.