Instructor - Editing Transcripts and Captions in EchoVideo

Video Captions

WCAG 2.1 and ADA Title II standards require accurate captions for all captured media. Accurate captions ensure all students can learn equally including learners that have low vision, auditory impairments, and cognitive processing challenges.

The transcript editor is easy to use and provides tools to help you streamline your editing. Other built in accessibility features include live captions, audio description, alt text for polls and an accessibility widget which gives all users control on how they view content. 

Table of Contents

• Does my video have a transcript?
• Media Editor (make edits first before editing a transcript)
• Make your Media Accessible
• Using the Transcript Editor
• Accessing the Transcript Editor
• Transcript Version History
• Editing a Transcript
• Can someone else help edit a transcript?
• Downloading a Transcript for Offline Use
• Applying Closed Captions (CC)
• Showing Closed Captions (CC)
• Upload Transcripts created in Teams Meetings/Classes

Does my media have a transcript?

Note: All recordings from Fall 2023 onward have transcripts. For older recordings, you will need to manually check if a transcript is available (see above). If you have older recordings that don't have a transcript please fill out our Transcript Request form.

Machine generated transcripts are not accurately transcribed. Always review and edit auto-generated transcripts before sharing your content with students. ADA Title II requires audio and video content to have accurate captions.

1. To confirm if your video has transcript, open your recording from where you have it published. There are various locations to access the Transcript Editor. 
2. On the left menu, click the "Transcript Editor" button. If you see a drop down menu that displays "Original" and date created to the right, your video has a machine generated transcript. This also indicates your transcript needs to be reviewed for accuracy. 

Please click on the image below to view how to access the transcript editor.

Make Media Edits First before Editing a Transcript (so the video and audio stay synced)

Edit your video (trim or cut out segments) first before editing a transcript. Other features include combining, removing tracks, and adding thumbnails.  

Make your Media Accessible

EchoVideo enhances accessibility by automatically generating transcripts using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). Machine generated transcription, is not perfect and it should be reviewed by a human to ensure that the transcript is 99% accurate. The built-in transcript editor provides built in options to edit your transcript and apply closed captions. 

The correctness of the transcript depends on a number of factors like audio clarity, background noise, the instructor's accent, discipline language, and the speed you talk as a screen reader will read aloud your transcript word for word. All spoken content must be correct to what is being said.

Steps to making a transcript ADA Compliant

1. Make sure your video has a transcript. Autogenerated transcripts are not compliant.
2. Edit the transcript for accuracy ensure:
   • Audio description (e.g., non spoken sounds anything that is not verbal) should be included: Upload audio description
   • All spelling, punctuation, grammar is correct. 
   • Speakers are identified including yourself: Edit speakers in a transcript 
   • Filler words like “Um” or “uh” can be omitted with the Search and Replace tool.
   • Save transcript as a new version. 
3. Apply closed captions after you have ensured accuracy of the transcript.
   Tip: The new version and captions applied will update to any published location you have your media posted in Canvas or to an EchoVideo course.

Media with a accurate captions make your content accessible for all learners. Students can open and read the transcript in the video player, search for keywords allowing them to jump to specific locations in the video. With accurate captions, you are supporting students in various ways with:

• hearing challenges (watch the video with close captions)
• visual impairments (listen and hear the text via a screenreader)
• a noisy environment
• slow or intermittent Internet connections

Using the Transcript Editor

The transcript editor in EchoVideo will keep the original data and any edited versions. The most recent transcript version will always appear by default on your video. No matter where you video is published it will update to the most current version. 

Accessing the Transcript Editor

You can access the Transcript Editor a few ways, from your media in your Library or from the Classes list page from a EchoVideo course. 

Transcript Version History

1. Inside the Transcript Editor, (upper-left) there is a drop-down menu where you will see the version of your transcript. 

2. If you only see Original (sample image below) this means that you have not edited the transcript. You will either see Speechmatics or Amazon, this depends on how old your video is.

3. If you see Version 1, 2. 3. etc. in the drop-down menu, this indicates that your transcript has been saved with edits. The most recent transcript version is shown by default. 
    
   
4. The newest version of your transcript replaces the previous version and becomes the closed caption file when applied by the instructor as shown in the section below applying closed captions.
5. Once your videos have transcripts, they remain on your video unless you delete them. 

Editing a Transcript

In the main window, on the left is where you can playback your video, on the right is your transcript and timed cues on the right. The current version of the transcript shows by default. To edit the transcript text, click Edit transcript.

While editing the transcript, a confidence slider (top menu), identifies text within the transcript to review for accuracy. Playback the video and edit the transcript directly at the text cues and fix mis-transcribed words or you can use the search and replace feature.

• Interactive tutorial
• Use the Confidence Slider to Streamline Transcript Editing
• View All Transcripts Articles

Can someone else help edit a transcript?

Yes, if you would like someone to assist with reviewing and editing a transcript. You can create a Collection give the individual(s) permissions. If another user has permission to edit your transcript and has saved the edits, you will be asked to compare the differences and merge the conflicts, you can approve or reject each text cue where edits were made.

Downloading a Transcript for Offline Use

If you need to download your transcript or script for offline use, click the Export button. From the menu, select WebVTT (.vtt) or Text (.txt). View instructions in this article: Exporting a Transcript for Offline Use.

Applying Closed Captions

Once a transcript has been edited and you have ensured all grammar, punctuation, spelling is 99% accurate, you can apply the closed captions. Click the Apply to CC button, the current version of the transcript will be applied as closed captions to all published locations in Canvas. View instructions in this article: Applying Updated Transcripts as Closed Captions.

Showing Closed Captions (CC) 

To turn on closed captions, click the CC icon on the video player. 

• The subtitle/cc options (e.g., location, font size, contrast) are found in the gear icon.
• The video and transcript text are automatically synced when playing, pausing, or skipping forward or back in the video.
• A transcript can be searched by keyword, if a match is found the count is identified with previous/next buttons, and are underlined in the transcript.

Upload Transcripts created in Teams Meetings/Classes

If you have recorded with Microsoft Teams and want to use that transcript with your video, you can upload the transcript to EchoVideo. Alternatively, all media uploaded to EchoVideo will process a transcript automatically and you can use the Transcript editor to review and edit it for accuracy.

1. In the Teams chat or Channel, click on transcript button.
2. Click the Download menu.
3. Select Download as .vtt
4. Upload the downloaded .vtt file to recording in your Library.

The uploaded file must be a webVTT file and meet the WebVTT specifications as defined by the W3C: https://www.w3.org/TR/webvtt1/. As long as your VTT file meets the specifications, EchoVideo will accept it. (Echo360 Support)

View instructions instructions in this article: Adding/Uploading Transcripts to EchoVideo