Language Options: Sign Language Interpreter

Meeting hosts can invite a sign language interpreter to their meeting/webinar to provide support to participants who require the services; the host can set up the meeting choosing from the options described below.

Sign Language Interpreter Feature

Sign Language Interpretation is a new feature released in September 2022.  Meeting hosts can assign participants as interpreters to provide real-time interpretations of one language into sign language. Each participant can elect to view and change to the offered sign language interpreter languages. The interpreter view opens in a separate window; each participant can resize and reposition the window.

Note:

• Interpreter video window is not included in recordings. If interpreter must be included
  in recording, use the Spotlight feature (see below).
• Cannot be used with the Personal Meeting ID (PMI) or instant meetings. Choose to generate the meeting ID automatically when scheduling.
• Zoom desktop client minimum version (Windows, macOs 5.11.3 or later) prerequisite applies to all users in the meeting or webinar, including the host, participants, and sign language interpreters.

Canvas Limitations: 
The feature is not available when scheduling through Canvas. However, there are two workaround options to enable Sign Language Interpretation for your Canvas class meeting:

• Schedule through Canvas; then edit the meeting in the website portal account to include the Sign Language Interpreter feature.
• Or schedule the meeting in the website portal then import the meeting into Canvas.

Enable the Sign Language Interpretation Setting

Log into your TechConnect Zoom account.

1. Cick on Settings.
2. Locate the Sign Language Interpretation setting to enable.
3. (Optional) Enable the additional option to have the feature enabled each time a meeting or webinar is scheduled.

Schedule a Meeting with an Interpreter Assigned

Pre-assign the interpreters and selected languages by adding email addresses and selecting the specific sign language in the corresponding fields; additional interpreters and languages can be added or changed in the live session. 

Once the event is saved, an email invitation will be sent to the interpreters with the language they will interpret for the event. 

Scheduling a Webinar with an Interpreter

When adding an interpreter to the Webinar schedule, by default the interpreter becomes 'Panelist'.  Each interpreter (Panelist) will receive an email with a unique link to join the Webinar. 

Start Interpretation in Live Session

1. Click the Interpretation icon on the tool bar.                                               
2. The Sign Language Interpretation window opens to display the pre-assigned interpreters are in the meeting and the signing language. The interpreter and language can be changed as well as adding additional interpreters.   
3. Click Start to offer the interpretations to participants.
   Participants will be notified that interpretation is available and to click to get started.

View Interpretations

Attendees can view the Sign Language Interpretations in the offered languages.

1. Click the Interpretation icon form the tool bar.
2. Select the language.                                                                                          
3. A new window opens with the language interpreter, with the selected language identified.

Spotlight/Pin Feature for the Sign Language Interpreter

The Spotlight and Pin features can be used as an alternative to the sign language interpreter feature if the feature pre-requisites cannot be met.

With the Spotlight feature, as the host, you can spotlight yourself and the sign language interpreter making the both of you primary active speakers for all participants. Your videos will be in view during the entirety of the meeting. More information on using the Spotlight feature: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362653-Spotlighting-participants-videos 

With the Pin feature, it is the participant that changes their own local view. The participant can pin both the host and the sign language interpreter. This doesn't change the view for others in the meeting. More information on using the Pin feature: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362743-Pinning-participants-videos 

Alternative Approach to Spotlighting/Pinning

Although both features are good options, it is important to remember that when non-spotlighted/pinned participants speak during the meeting, they may or may not be seen by the person needing the sign language interpreter. Variables such as if the person needing the interpreter is using speaker view or gallery view, and whether there is screen share occurring, will affect who is being seen during the meeting.

With this consideration in mind, an alternative approach that was provided by Jeff Pollock at Diablo Valley College, is to not use Spotlight or Pin at all (and if the host cannot use the sign language interpreter feature). Instead, the host would ask all participants to select gallery view, and turn off their videos, leaving only the videos of the host and sign language interpreter on. The person needing the interpreter would then hover over a non-video participant and select 'hide non-video participants'. When a participant wants to speak, they would turn on their camera, and their video would come into view, alongside the host and sign language interpreter.

View Jeff Pollock's tutorial on this approach here: https://youtu.be/6h5DxT-HDcg. His video nicely provides instructions, in-meeting examples, and further suggestions for including the interpreter in recordings and webinars.