Closed Captioning

There are two primary methods for event captioning. CART (also called real-time captioning or live stenography) uses trained stenographers who type speech at 200+ words per minute on specialized equipment, achieving 98-99% accuracy. CART is the gold standard for accuracy but costs $100-$250 per hour. AI-powered captioning uses speech recognition technology to generate captions automatically, offering lower cost and scalability but with lower accuracy (85-95%), especially with technical jargon, accents, and multiple speakers.

Caption display options for in-person events include dedicated screens near the stage, projection onto existing screens, or personal device access via a URL. Virtual events display captions as on-screen text within the video platform. Best practices include using a clean audio feed (direct from the mixing board) for higher caption accuracy, providing speakers' names and technical terms to the captioner in advance, positioning caption screens within easy view of the stage, and offering caption language options for multilingual events.