Zoom enables automatic transcription for free users

Zoom is now thinking of free users by offering them automatic transcription. This was initially a feature that was only available to users with the paid plan.

Automatic transcription for all Zoom users

Zoom previously only offered automatic transcription (assisted by artificial intelligence) for its paid accounts, which drew criticism from accessibility advocates who noted that the ubiquity of video calls during the pandemic left deaf users with limited options. Without automatic captions, Zoom meeting hosts had to either use a third-party captioning service or manually add their own captions.

“It is important to us that everyone can successfully connect, communicate and participate using Zoom”said Theresa Larkin, the company’s chief marketing officer. “Without the right accessibility tools, people with disabilities face enormous barriers when using video communication solutions.”, she adds.

There is one limitation for now: Auto Transcription on Zoom only shows English subtitles. But the platform ensures that it does what is necessary to support other languages. However, we will have to be patient, Zoom does not say when the other languages ​​will join English. Users can hope that this will not drag on too long given the success of the online service.