Claire Hill: Why speech-to-text reporting is easier in these Zoom times

As a speech-to-text reporter who specialises in theatre and conferences, the social distancing measures introduced in March, and then the full lockdown on 23rd March, meant all my existing bookings until September cancelled, as they were all public events, and as things stand there is still no certainty over whether gatherings of any kind will be allowed until the end of the year.  

So it was with some trepidation that I started accepting bookings for remote meetings, usually one hour slots, the content varying from webinars and colleague meetings to art workshops and birthday parties. 

I have worked from home on and off for years, so I was familiar with the setup I needed -comfortable headphones, a closed door and a cable to the router – but remote speech-to-text is only ever as good as the audio feed the reporter is able to hear, and this can vary from job to job, and it’s difficult to interrupt after a meeting has started if you’re not able to hear every speaker.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find that now everyone is using Zoom and Teams as individuals, facing their laptop microphone or even using a headset, I can clearly hear and see every speaker – not only that, their names are displayed underneath their faces, and they light up when they start speaking! 

It’s as if every speaker down a long boardroom table is suddenly standing right in front of me, spotlit like a soloist, with their name on a sandwich board around their neck!  I finish every job feeling like I have provided the best access possible, instead of having to apologise to my support client for putting in inaudibles for some of their colleagues.

I’ve heard other people on calls praising these elements of Zoom – as long as people are well lit, lip-reading is easier, and people who usually work from home have spoken of their relief at no longer being the odd one out (“oh, Sheila’s dialling in AGAIN?”).  It really feels like we’re all on a level playing field, even the ones who start every contribution while still on mute.  

There’s also the added bonus of being able to see the slides while the presenter is talking about them – previously if I was dialled into a call I’d have no chance of seeing them, and even if I was in the room, invariably they would be behind me or in some location where I’d damage my neck trying to crane round to look at them.  

Also the sweaty adrenaline rush of having to set up all my equipment (generally two laptops, three softwares, a steno machine and all the assorted power cables) in a frantic rush, because the previous meeting ran over, is a thing of the past – I can check my audio and video Zoom connections before I go into the meeting, so I’m a serene invisible spirit when I start. 

I change my name to “Claire Hill captioner” so it’s obvious who I am, and I’ve made my profile pic a big CC for closed caption, so it’s obvious what my role is.  Then I hunker down and write.  The client can choose to have a separate window with their captions, or one or two lines within Zoom with a running transcript down the side, so they can keep all their focus on the speakers.

I’m sure a lot of people are itching to get back into meeting rooms, so they can interact with their colleagues, pass bits of paper around, and be forced to wear trousers again.  And I’ll be glad too, because it will mean that social distancing is over and we’re past the worst of the pandemic. 

But I’ll look back fondly on these Zoom times, and hope that it might effect a little bit of a cultural change about how people make themselves heard in remote meetings.

Claire Hill is a speech-to-text reporter specialising in theatre and arts events.  She is based in London.