Between online lessons or videoconferences with distance learning or smart working, our habits are now suddenly changing. Taking notes and not getting distracted from home has become increasingly difficult, which is why the ideal is to rely on online tools that can help you automatically transcribe the lesson or meeting without losing anything.
And if the video lesson or course you are following is in English, it becomes even more complicated. Being videoconferenced with foreign people and having to speak in English while also trying to understand what is being said, is not really that easy, especially if your pronunciation and understanding are not up to par.
Fortunately, there is the Otter.ai voice transcription service which, unlike Microsoft Word and Google Docs, transcribes everything that is said in real time. This transcription program provides an extension for the Google Chrome browser that hooks up to Google Meet, offering a convenient transcription system based on artificial intelligence , which you can also use for subtitles.
Otter.ai saves audio transcripts to your Otter account with a real-time auto transcription experience of notes during your online meetings or classes. As mentioned, it is available in English on the web , iOS , Android and as an extension on Chrome for use on Zoom and Google Meet .
Read also: How to transcribe a video lesson on Word
How to transcribe an English video lesson with Meet
The first step to apply automatic transcription on Google Meet, is to connect to this page and click on the Add button , to add the Otter.ai extension on Google Chrome ( you can download it from the official website ).
Confirm adding the plugin by clicking on the Add extension button in the window that appears at the top, and that’s it.
Once the extension is installed it’s time to start using it.
How to use Otter.ai
- Start Google Meet from Google Chrome.
- Click on the New Meetingbutton and then on Start a meeting now .
- Click on the ai iconin the extension bar at the top to open it.
- A “Live Notes” panelwill appear on the right side of the Google Meet interface.
- Press the Sign up for FREE buttonto register for the Otter.ai service.
- You can register with a Google, Microsoft , Apple account or enter a personal email and password.
- Click on the Create accountbutton , on Next and then enter your Name and Surname .
- At the end you can decide to synchronize your meetings or press on Skip, at the top right.
- You will receive a registration confirmation email. Open your email and clickon Confirm email address .
- You will be redirected to a page that after a few seconds will confirm your registration.
- Go back to Google Meet and click again on the aiicon .
- Start the meeting and click on Recordto start the automatic transcription.
- Click on the CCbutton to open subtitles in real time.
- Click the || button to pauseor the Play button (Resume Recording) to resume recording.
After closing the video call with Meet, remember that you will have to block Otter.ai by clicking on the Stop Recording button .
At the moment this system only works for the English language , but it sure is a big plus. The audio transcripts are saved in a space in the Cloud which is also available for free accounts and can be shared with whoever you want. Furthermore, the subtitles function works very well even when the speaker is not a native English speaker.
Unlike Meet’s subtitle settings, which are meeting-dependent, Otter.ai is linked to your browser , so you can use it without other attendees noticing.
To conclude, this feature is available for all Otter.ai users, including those with Basic , Pro and Business plans . Paid plans allow you to record more minutes per month and include a number of additional features, including the ability to import audio and video for transcription, various export options, advanced search features, Dropbox sync , additional security measures, and more yet.
