Live translation is most useful when it matches the languages your residents actually speak. This article walks through a practical way to choose translation languages for each meeting.
What you can choose
SentraCaptions supports live translation in 75 languages, including:
- Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog
- Korean, Armenian, Persian (Farsi), Punjabi
- Arabic, Hindi, Russian
See the full list on the features page.
You choose the languages for each meeting, up to 8 per meeting. That means a city council meeting and a neighborhood-focused committee meeting can use different sets of languages.
Hmong and Khmer are not supported today, so plan interpreters or translated outreach if either matters in your community.
Start with your agenda languages
If your body is an eligible legislative body under SB 707, you will already be working out "applicable languages" for agenda translation. Under the bill, agendas (not the full packet) must be translated into applicable languages determined from American Community Survey data on residents who speak English less than "very well," at most three languages, and posted with the English agenda along with instructions in that language for joining by phone or internet. Most of these requirements start July 1, 2026. Confirm with your city attorney or county counsel whether your body is covered.
Your agenda languages are a natural starting point for live translation. A resident who reads the agenda in Vietnamese can then follow the meeting in Vietnamese on the chamber screen or their phone.
SB 707 does not itself require live captions or live translation. Using your agenda languages for live translation is a practical way to support the bill's language-access goals, not a requirement.
Then look beyond the agenda list
The agenda translation rule tops out at three languages. Live translation can go further, up to 8 per meeting. Some ways to decide what else to add:
- Ask the people who hear from residents. Front counter staff, library staff, community liaisons and council offices often know which languages come up.
- Look at requests. If residents have asked for interpretation or translated materials in a language, that is a strong signal.
- Think about the item, not just the body. A meeting about a specific neighborhood may call for a language that is common there but not citywide.
- Follow your outreach. SB 707 asks bodies to make reasonable efforts to reach communities that don't traditionally participate. If you are doing outreach to a community, offer translation in its language at the meetings you are inviting it to.
How many languages to show where
Choosing 8 languages for a meeting doesn't mean showing all 8 at once on the chamber screen. Think about the two places residents read captions:
Chamber screen
The chamber screen can show one or more languages side by side. Each added language makes the text smaller or the screen busier, so many agencies pick the one to three most-used languages for the room TV. Test from the back row before deciding.
Phone page
The phone page is where the rest of your languages shine. Residents scan the QR code and pick their language, at their own text size, with no app and no sign-in. This is the easiest way to offer a longer list without crowding the chamber screen.
YouTube Live
YouTube shows one caption language per stream, so you can send captions in one language to your YouTube Live stream. Translations are available on the chamber screen and the phone page. Point viewers watching online to the phone page link if they want another language.
Before you finalize the list
Cost and planning
Pricing is quoted based on hours of meetings and number of languages, so your language choices matter for budgeting. There are no per-viewer fees, and paused time isn't used. A common approach is to set a standard list for regular meetings and add languages for specific items or outreach efforts. Talk to us about a quote that fits your schedule.
Set expectations with residents
- Every screen labels the captions as automatic and says they may contain errors. Say the same thing in your outreach.
- Add local names to your glossary so council members, streets, neighborhoods and programs are spelled right.
- Translated transcripts are available after the meeting as TXT or SRT files, in every language. They can help with follow-up, but they are not official minutes.
- Translation helps residents follow along. It is not the same as an interpreter who helps a resident speak to the body. Keep your interpretation and accommodation processes in place.
A quick checklist
- List your SB 707 agenda languages, if your body is covered.
- Add languages from requests, staff input and outreach plans.
- Note any languages that aren't supported and plan other outreach for them.
- Pick a default set for each body, up to 8.
- Choose which one to three languages appear on the chamber screen.
- Choose the one language for YouTube Live captions.
- Review the list each year, or when you change your agenda languages.
Learn more
- SB 707 agenda translation: a practical checklist for clerks
- Captioning public comment in more than one language
- Budgeting for live captions: what drives the cost
- See all supported languages and features on the features page, or read about pricing.