If your council or board takes remote attendance on Zoom, those attendees can read live captions right in Zoom's closed captions (CC). This guide walks clerks and IT staff through how SentraCaptions sends English captions into a Zoom meeting and what to set up before the meeting starts.
How it works
SentraCaptions does not listen to Zoom. The audio for captions comes from the chamber's encoder, the same one you already stream with (Pearl, OBS, vMix and others), over RTMP or SRT. You add SentraCaptions as one more destination on that encoder. No new hardware.
Zoom is an output. Once your Zoom host gives SentraCaptions the meeting's caption API token, English captions flow into Zoom's CC, alongside everything else SentraCaptions already does: the chamber screen, the phone page and, if you use it, YouTube Live.
In our own tests, captions typically appear about a second after speech. On the chamber screen and phone page, the sentence in progress updates live. For Zoom and YouTube, long captions are sent as two-line pieces (about 84 characters) so they read well in the caption area.
Step by step: connecting Zoom
- Set up the encoder destination. Add SentraCaptions as a destination on your encoder over RTMP or SRT. If you have not done this before, see our encoder setup guide.
- Enable third-party closed captioning in Zoom. The Zoom host turns on third-party closed captioning in Zoom.
- Start the Zoom meeting. The caption API token only exists once the Zoom meeting has started, so this step can't be done the day before.
- Copy the API token. In Zoom, go to Captions, then Set up manual captioner, then Copy the API token.
- Give the token to SentraCaptions. Paste it on the meeting in SentraCaptions. If your agenda platform is connected through the SentraCaptions API, it can send the token for you.
- Check it. Have a colleague join as an attendee and confirm English captions are showing in CC before the meeting is called to order.
Build the token step into your pre-meeting checklist. A few minutes between starting Zoom and calling the meeting to order is usually enough to copy and paste it.
What attendees see
Zoom attendees
People attending through Zoom see English captions in Zoom's CC. Zoom receives one caption language from SentraCaptions: English.
Residents who need another language
Translations are not sent into Zoom. They appear on the chamber screen and on residents' phones through the QR code or meeting link. Remote attendees can open that link in a browser next to Zoom and read along in their language at their own text size. No app, no sign-in. SentraCaptions offers captions and live translation in 75 languages, up to 8 per meeting.
Post the link in the Zoom chat, on the agenda and on your public meetings page so remote attendees can find it. For more, see Live translation for Zoom council meetings.
People in the room
In a hybrid meeting, residents in the chamber read captions on the chamber screen (full screen, one or more languages side by side, with the meeting title, a clock and a QR code) or on their phones. Zoom attendees see CC in Zoom. Everyone is reading from the same captioning session.
Tips for a smooth Zoom meeting
- Load the glossary first. Add council members, streets, neighborhoods and programs so captions spell local names right.
- Add speaker names. An operator can type names on the live desk so captions show who is speaking, including in Zoom. See Showing who's speaking in live meeting captions.
- Pause for recess and closed session. While paused, nothing is captioned, translated, stored or billed, and the screens show "Paused".
- Check after breaks. When captioning resumes, confirm captions are reaching Zoom CC again.
- Expect the label. Every SentraCaptions screen labels captions as automatic and says they may contain errors.
- Keep the transcript. After the meeting you can download transcripts in every language as TXT or SRT files. They are not official minutes, but they can help staff prepare minutes.
Where this fits with accessibility rules
The DOJ's ADA Title II web rule requires state and local government web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.4 Captions (Live), Level AA, calls for captions for all live audio content in synchronized media. In April 2026 DOJ extended the compliance dates by one year: April 26, 2027 for public entities with a population of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts. The extension doesn't change the standard, and the ADA's general obligations still apply. The rule has exceptions, so check with your city attorney or county counsel about how it applies to your meetings.
SB 707 does not itself require live captions. Under SB 707, eligible legislative bodies must offer a two-way telephonic or two-way audiovisual way for the public to attend and comment remotely, with most new requirements starting July 1, 2026. Captions in Zoom are a practical way to support the bill's participation goals for people who attend that way.
Machine captions are not the right answer for every situation. If a deaf resident requests CART (a human stenographer captioning live) as an accommodation, your agency should consider that request. See Machine captions vs CART.
Learn more
- Zoom captions and integrations
- All features, including the full language list
- Hybrid public meetings and accessibility
- SB 707 remote public comment and captions
- API for agenda platforms
- Pricing, or contact us to have a recording of one of your past meetings captioned and translated so you can judge accuracy yourself