Introduction
Transcripts provide a text alternative to audio that provides viewers with additional ways to access content, improves overall comprehension, and supports audience variability. Transcripts are required for audio-only content like podcasts. Previously, transcripts had to be downloaded and made available to viewers as separate documents. While that is still an acceptable solution, audio and videos files within Kaltura now have an interactive transcript widget that appears as soon as the machine-generated captions or professional captions finish processing. When using the Kaltura video player in Canvas or Ensemble, the link to the interactive transcript will appear beneath the video player.
If the video player does not automatically show a link to the transcript, post the edited transcript in the same location as the video, for example, as a downloadable document on the webpage where the video is embedded.
This article covers transcripts. For other types of captioning, please see:
- Captioning Services - Ordering Closed Captions, Live Captions, and Transcripts
- Captioning Services - Ordering Live Captions
- Captioning Services - Ordering Post Production Captions
- Captioning Services - Ordering Transcripts
Contents
Instructions
Choosing Transcript Type
Free, machine-generated transcripts
Use My Media/Media Gallery’s captioning tool to generate an interactive transcript. Transcripts can be copied into other documents. See Viewing, Searching, and Downloading Transcripts.
Professional transcripts
For research-related recordings, the IRB determines which transcription service you can use. Please contact your IRB liaison for more information.
- Verbit captions: Order using the Captioning Services request form.
- Rev.com captions: Have your department order using HokieMart.
Transcript Costs
Free self-service
All available free captioning tools create machine-generated captions, which also creates a transcript file. Accuracy typically does not reach 90%. Conveniently, when using the Kaltura editing tools, correcting the captions simultaneously edits the transcript file. Any recordings that will be shared through a public-facing website or Canvas course should be edited for accuracy using the Captioning Key Guidelines and built-in captioning editor in Kaltura or by requesting 99% accurate professional captioning. Machine-generated captions are generated by default for any video uploaded to Kaltura. See Editing Captions to learn how to edit them.
All Zoom Cloud recordings are automatically captioned when they are moved to the meeting host’s My Media. The host can hide the captions/transcripts while they are being edited.
Centrally-funded
Captions and transcripts made by a human captionist are 99% accurate. They are ordered through a third-party vendor. The following event and recording types qualify for central funding:
- Accommodations for students with disabilities.
- Recorded teaching materials (not recordings of live lectures) that will be used for multiple semesters.
- Live, digital, public-facing events across the university (e.g., webinars, seminars, and town halls).
Videos stored in locations outside of Kaltura (such as YouTube or Vimeo) can leverage the capabilities of those systems to create captions or use the Kaltura captioning output and upload it to another location.
Ordering Transcripts
- Submit a request through Services for Students with Disabilities for:
- Accommodations for students with disabilities
- Submit a Captioning Services request form for:
- Accommodations for faculty/staff
- Captions for public-facing digital events such as webinars, seminars, and town halls
- Have your department submit an order using HokieMart for:
- Rev.com captions
Viewing Transcripts
Videos stored in Kaltura
You will be notified via your 4Help RITM or Incident when your captions are complete. You can locate your videos in Kaltura by going to My Media in Canvas or My Media at https://video.vt.edu. See Viewing, Searching, and Downloading Transcripts for instructions on how to use transcripts.
Videos stored elsewhere
If content is posted online and frequently updated, create a Verbit account so that captions get added automatically. Otherwise, the caption file that was created from your request needs to be uploaded to your video on the platform you're using.
Editing Transcripts
Videos stored in Kaltura
Please check your transcript for accuracy. See Editing Captions to learn how to use Kaltura's captioning editing tool to modify your transcript.
Videos stored elsewhere
Videos stored in locations outside of Kaltura (such as YouTube or Vimeo) can leverage the capabilities of those systems to edit captions/transcripts or use the Kaltura transcript output and upload it to another location.
Getting Help
- For help with accommodations for students with disabilities, contact Services for Students with Disabilities.
- For help determining whether your captions qualify for central funding, submit the Captioning Services request form.
- For help determining whether your event or recording requires captioning, submit the Captioning Services request form.
- For help ordering and editing machine-generated captions, see Editing Captions.
- For any other question about captioning, go to the 4Help Portal and click Get Help.