Setting up takes about half an hour, once. Do it on a weekday with the real sound system — almost every first-Sunday failure is the audio not reaching the computer, and that is much easier to fix on a Tuesday.
1. Who can run it
By default the Owner, Admin, Pastor, Communications and Media roles can run Live Translation. Anyone else needs a custom role with Run Live Translation. Without it the Console shows View only: they can watch a session and copy the caption links, but not start or end one. See Built-in roles.
2. The computer and browser
- Use the computer that receives your sound desk mix — ideally through a USB audio interface or a Dante channel. Avoid a laptop’s built-in microphone in a hall.
- Use Chrome or Edge. Firefox cannot share a device’s audio.
- Keep it plugged in, on a network cable if you can, and keep the Console’s browser tab open for the whole service. Captions are made in that tab.
- Only one computer per venue captures the audio. A second computer opening the Console becomes a remote control for the first.
3. Settings → Languages
- Open Live Translation, then Settings. It opens on Languages.
- Under Which language is spoken at the front?, check the Main language is what will be said, and change it if not.
- Under Which languages should people be able to follow?, add the languages your congregation actually reads — up to 3.
4. The audio input
- On the Console, find Where does the sound come from?.
- Set Feed to Sound desk input.
- Under Device, pick the actual device carrying the mix. If the list is empty, click Allow access and allow the microphone. Do not pick the computer’s “default” entry — a default can change between services, so the Console asks for the real device.
- Speak, or play something through the desk, and check the Level meter says Speaking.
The audio input is remembered on this computer and browser; the language settings are remembered for the whole church.
5. Settings → Captions
Add the names and words your church says every week under Custom vocabulary. See Teach captions your names and words.
6. Settings → Screens
- Phones & QR code: the Guest link · phones card has the link and Download QR. Print it once — the code works for every service. See Share a caption link.
- Venue screens: the Overlay link for a projector, video mixer or presentation software. See Show captions on a screen or in your video mixer.
7. Rehearse
- Check the time left on the Console before you start.
- Press Go live.
- Open the guest link on a phone. It should go from Not live yet to Waiting for the first words to captions.
- Speak into the real microphones, through the real desk, and check every language and every screen.
- Press End session and confirm. The transcript appears under History.
On the day itself, follow Run a session from the console. If anything goes wrong, see Fix a Live Translation session that is not working.