Generating an ASL file for a webinar recording

[OrangeFrog]

Our organization has been using the ASL interpretation feature for our webinars for over a year now. We record webinars to the cloud. We have been making the interpreters panelists so they can come into the practice session and then making them co-hosts so they can speak if necessary (I just noticed there is an "allow interpreter to speak" feature but I was not aware of that). 

The post-webinar download files have always included separate interpreter files, and although we couldn't use these in our LMS we were able to refer people back to the Zoom recordings as a workaround if they needed ASL. In the recording on Zoom they were able to enable interpretation and watch with ASL. 

Yesterday we set our webinar up as we usually do, however there are no ASL files available for download after the webinar and no interpreter feature in the Zoom recording. I was hoping interpreters would at least be visible in the gallery view recording, but the interpreters are not visible in that recording download once screenshare starts (even though they were visible to me throughout the webinar as a thumbnail right below the speaker. 

The only difference that I am aware of this time is that I as webinar host did not personally pull up the interpreters so that I could also see them in a separate window on my screen. I think I have always done this in the past. 

Is that why it did not generate recordings of ASL interpretation and did not make the interpretation feature available with the recording on Zoom? Is there something else that changed or something I need to do? I am using the most updated Zoom version: 6.1.6. 

Thank you. 

[colegs]

@OrangeFrog -  It sounds like there are a couple of things you should check.  

First, make sure that whomever hosted the meeting has the 'Record Sign-Language Interpreter' checked in the Recording Settings.  That would be my guess as to why you do not have the ASL Recording file.  

The second part is that if you have not set the interpreters up to be able to speak in the meeting, they are hidden from all the other participants, therefore not showing up in your gallery view.  If you enable them to speak, regardless of which method you use, they would show up in the gallery at least.

As an FYI, here is a complete breakdown of what I have found in regards to ASL Interpreters and Recordings:

1) Spotlighting is not working for cloud recording, whether interpreting or not.  

2) You can get the interpreter in Gallery view if you allow them to speak or make them a panalist, but of course you also get all the other panelists/participants, whether they are actively speaking or not.

3) If you start sign-language interpretation and are recording the sign-language interpreter, viewing the recording in the Zoom Viewer (i.e. Directly in the Zoom Recording page) will give you a little interpreter icon.  If you click on this and select the sign-language that you are interested in, the sign-language will be synced with your recording in the upper right hand corner of the browser where you are viewing the recording.

4) If you spotlight the interpreter and whomever is speaking and record locally, you will see the correct recording (local recordings capture exactly what you are seeing in your Zoom window).

[OrangeFrog]

@colegs Thank you for responding!

I did have it set to record sign language interpreter in record settings. I did NOT have it set to "Record active speaker, gallery view and shared screen separately" -- so I checked that now just in case for the future. 

I had the two interpreters set as panelists and co-hosts (they were not spotlighted. And I had not clicked "allow interpreters to speak"). I also had them both set as interpreters in the interpretation function. 

I did NOT pull them up for MYSELF by selecting watch sign language on>American (I usually do). 

I was the webinar host but not the presenter. The presenter was a panelist and screenshared.

Each interpreter turned off their camera as they turned over interpretation to the other. 

I saw the active interpreter throughout the webinar in the webinar (side by side gallery view I think.). I saw all other panelists or alternate hosts thumbnails as well with cameras off. The interpretation did not record as it usually does. Ie: No downloadable recording was produced of the ASL interpreters. And the function to enable ASL interpretation is not available in the Zoom recording. Also while the interpreters were visible throughout the webinar in my side by side gallery view, they go away in the "Record gallery view with shared screen" downloaded recording as soon as screenshare starts and return when screenshare stops (only the speaker is visible in that recording during screenshare) 

Again, this has been working for us for a long time and the only change this time that I am aware of is my not pulling up the separate interpretaters window MYSELF (watch sign language on> American).

I'm going to get our team to try out your other suggestion with a fake webinar and I will let you know how that goes. To be clear, though, are you saying that during a webinar I should go to "recordings" in the left hand menu in the web portal and I will be able to see what is being recorded in real time?

And to be clear, what is it I need to do to figure out in real time if the interpreter is being recorded? And do I do this in the Zoom app or in the web portal under recordings? 
Maybe this will be clear when we try it out. 

Thank you again!

[colegs]

@OrangeFrog - There is a lot to unpack there, so let me make sure I understand everything.  Once I confirm that, I will also try to revalidate my findings with your specific scenario.

1) You are saying that you had Sign Language Interpretation turned on as well as promoting both interpreters as panelists.  You spotlighted them as panelists, but we are aware of anyone actually viewing the interpreter window?  Were they set up as interpreters when the Webinar was created, or did someone actually assign them as interpreters once the webinar started?

The "Screen Share with Gallery View" did not record the gallery view, only the active speaker.  When you were not sharing the screen, did the gallery view record correctly?

So for the recording format, while we are having troubles recording spotlighted speakers, my recommendation is recording locally.  This will record whatever is in the Zoom window of whomever is doing the recording, not using the cloud recording settings.

If you are spotlighting the interpreters and recording locally, the interpreters will be on the local recording.  I think I verified that the interpreter window is not in the local recording since it is on a different channel, but I will verify again to be sure.  For the cloud recording, make sure you are able to see the separate interpreter window.  I have not heard of any issues with it not recording when people are watching it, but perhaps if you don't pull it up, it does not actually start the separate interpreter recording.

[OrangeFrog]

Thanks. 

We invited the interpreters as panelists (so they could join the practice session).

Once in the practice session (prior to opening the webinar/starting the recording), we made the interpreters co-hosts --so they could speak if necessary (and also to have someone off-site as a co-host in case we lost internet here-- we learned that the hard way)

Also once in the practice session, I, as webinar host, assigned the interpreters as interpreters. However, even though we had some deaf participants, I am not certain that anyone enabled the separate interpreter window (view sign language on > American). I did not do so (though I usually do), and the interpreters were visible in side by side gallery view mode so it was not essential.

It's correct that the "screenshare with gallery view" download recording starts with all panelists in gallery view (including interpreters). Then when screenshare starts, it shows only the speaker and the screenshare. Then when screenshare is over it shows all panelists in gallery view again. 

I really don't want to record locally. We always record to the cloud so that we can send on-demand viewers to Zoom as needed to view the replay with ASL. This is important for a range of reasons. We have a blind participant who has trouble with our LMS. Also it is much easier to refer deaf viewers to Zoom to view the recording with ASL than it would be for us to edit the video for picture-in-picture, sync the ASL to speech, and upload to the LMS for on-demand. 

I suspect that yes, somebody (possibly specifically the webinar host?) has to enable the separate interpreter window (watch sign language on > American) for Zoom to record the interpreters. 🤔

We will try to test this tomorrow. I'll let you know!

[colegs]

I verified that the interpreter window is not recorded in the local recording.  Also, until the host starts the ASL interpretation, the interpreters were panelists, but the interpretation recording was not started.  

[OrangeFrog]

I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you're saying. Can you clarify?

What do you mean by "host starts the ASL interpretation"? I did assign the two interpreters to American Sign Language before opening the webinar -- as I normally do. 

So by "starting the interpretation" are you referring to watching it (as if I were a deaf webinar participant)?

Also, what do you mean by "interpreter window is not recorded in the local recording"? 

Thank you so much for helping me sort this out. 

[colegs]

@OrangeFrog - Even after you assign the interpreters, either in the invite or when then webinar starts, you have to make sure you (the host) click on the blue 'Start' button to start the interpretation.  Otherwise, the interpreters are in the meeting but nothing triggers the logic to record them separately.  

And I just wanted to verify when doing a local recording that there was nothing recorded specific to the interpreter.  All you get is the main meeting window as the participant recording the webinar sees it.

[OrangeFrog]

OK. After testing this. I fear that you are right. I guess I must have failed to push the blue start button after adding interpreters. 😢

We determined: 

The ASL file recorded to the cloud when interpreters were assigned (including pushing start):

• and host enabled/pulled up the separate interpreter window (Interpretation icon >watch Sign language on > American)
• only a participant pulled up the separate interpreter window
• Nobody in the webinar pulled up the separate interpreter window. 

Basically it seems people pulling up that interpreter window is meaningless in terms of recording, EXCEPT that as host I will always do it from now on just to make sure I actually pushed START! 

Thank you much for your help. I am not sure I would have thought about this on my own. 🙏