Lets dig into the difference of interpreting vs captioning. When planning an accessible live event, the terms interpreting and captioning often come up—but they’re not interchangeable. Choosing the right service is essential to meeting audience needs, ensuring ADA compliance, and delivering a seamless experience. In this article, we’ll break down the core differences between interpreting and live event captioning, explain when to use each, and help you determine which solution fits your event best.
Understanding the Basics: Captioning vs Interpreting
When it comes to event accessibility solutions, interpreting and captioning serve different functions. Both play a vital role in promoting inclusion and breaking down communication barriers, but they do so in very different ways.
What is Interpreting?
Interpreting is the real-time verbal translation of spoken language from one language to another. It is commonly used in multilingual conferences, international panels, and global hybrid events.
Types of interpreting include:
- Simultaneous interpreting: Interpreter speaks at the same time as the presenter, often via headsets.
- Consecutive interpreting: Interpreter waits for the speaker to pause before translating.
- Remote interpreting: Performed over video or audio platforms, ideal for virtual and hybrid events.
Use interpreting when:
- Your event includes multiple spoken languages
- You need to engage international or multilingual attendees
- You want spoken translation in real time, not written text
What is Live Event Captioning?
Live event captioning (also known as real-time captioning or closed captioning for live events) involves transcribing spoken words into text that appears on a screen during the event.
Captioning services for events are often used to:
- Support attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Provide written reinforcement of spoken content
- Increase comprehension in noisy environments
Types of captioning:
- CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation): Human-generated, accurate captions for live speech
- AI-based captioning: Faster but less accurate, ideal for informal settings
- Closed captions: Viewer-controlled, can be turned on or off
- Open captions: Always visible on the screen
Key Differences Between Interpreting and Captioning
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the main differences:
| Feature | Interpreting | Captioning |
| Format | Spoken | Written |
| Used For | Multilingual translation | Accessibility & clarity |
| Audience | Multilingual participants | Deaf/Hard-of-hearing attendees |
| Delivery | Audio | Text on screen |
| Languages | Often between two spoken languages | Same language (usually) |
When Should You Choose Captioning Over Interpreting?
You should prioritize live captions for events when:
- Your audience includes people who are deaf or hard of hearing
- You’re hosting a webinar or livestream that needs ADA compliant event captioning
- The primary language of the event is English (or the audience’s native language)
- You want a written record of the event
Internal link suggestion: Captioning Services for Events →
When Is Interpreting the Right Choice?
Choose interpreting services when:
- You have attendees who speak different languages
- You want to reach a global or multilingual audience
- Your speakers are non-English speakers, and your audience is English-speaking (or vice versa)
- You’re hosting international conferences, diplomatic events, or multicultural training sessions
Internal link suggestion: Interpreting Services →
Can You Use Both at the Same Event?
Absolutely. Many hybrid and large-scale events use both real-time captioning and interpreting to create a fully inclusive experience. For example, you might:
- Offer Spanish interpretation via headsets
- Provide real-time English captions on screen
- Add live subtitles to a webcast for remote viewers
Combining services ensures that all attendees—whether hearing, deaf, or non-native speakers—can fully engage.
Why Accessibility Matters for Live Events
Offering captioning or interpreting isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s often a legal requirement.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many organizations are required to provide ADA compliant event captioning to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities.
Event accessibility benefits include:
- Wider audience reach
- Improved attendee experience
- Greater retention and engagement
- Compliance with federal law
Internal link suggestion: Event Accessibility Solutions →
FAQ – Interpreting vs Captioning
1. What’s better for a virtual event: captioning or interpreting?
It depends on your audience. For same-language accessibility, use live event captioning. For multilingual audiences, use remote interpreting, or both.
2. Is real-time captioning accurate?
Human-provided services like CART deliver high accuracy. AI-based captioning is faster but may struggle with names, accents, or background noise.
3. Do I need captioning for my livestream to be ADA-compliant?
Yes—if your event is public and includes speakers, providing closed captioning for live events is a key part of ADA accessibility compliance.
4. Can I get captioning in other languages?
Captioning is usually in the same language, but you can combine interpreting with translated subtitles or multilingual captioning upon request.
5. How do I choose the right provider for event accessibility solutions?
Look for providers like Team Stream that offer both interpreting and captioning services for events, use trained professionals, and can scale for in-person, hybrid, or virtual needs.
Final Thoughts: Make Accessibility a Priority, Not an Afterthought
Whether you need live event captioning or multilingual interpreting, choosing the right service ensures every voice is heard—and every audience member feels included. These solutions aren’t just for compliance—they’re for connection.
At Team Stream, we specialize in real-time captioning, interpreting, and full-scale event accessibility solutions for conferences, webinars, summits, and everything in between.
Ready to make your next event fully accessible?
Contact Team Stream today to learn how our expert team can help you deliver a seamless, inclusive experience through professional interpreting and captioning services.
