Use extra clever captioning and transcription options in additional eventualities
For deaf and onerous of listening to staff and people who work in noisy environments, captions and transcripts are a vital instrument for inclusion and productiveness. At Ignite, we had been happy to announce the normal availability of Microsoft Stream (on SharePoint), and with it a number of enhancements to the captioning and transcription options the platform affords. Stream (on SharePoint) can now transcribe movies spoken in 28 totally different languages and locales, and transcripts now scroll routinely alongside the video. Moreover, early subsequent yr you’ll be capable of edit transcripts inline and search transcripts to rapidly discover essential sections You possibly can then scroll by the search outcomes and click on on a portion of the transcript to be taken to that respective spot within the video. (Video has no audio; it reveals a consumer altering the Stream caption language to Spanish, trying to find a phrase, after which modifying the caption.)
We’ve additionally expanded reside transcription in Groups conferences to the Android and iOS apps. Individuals becoming a member of conferences from their Android or iOS units can now view Dwell Transcripts throughout the name and revisit these transcripts after the assembly. Be taught extra about utilizing Dwell Transcription in Groups.
And naturally, in case you missed it, within the final replace to Home windows 11, we rolled out system-wide reside captions, which offer real-time captioning for any system audio – together with the microphone. That signifies that Home windows 11 can caption not solely any audiovisual content material in your pc – it could actually caption your in-person conversations as properly. And for the reason that captions are produced domestically on the machine itself, these conversations – like all of your captioned content material – keep protected. Be taught extra about system-wide reside captions in Home windows 11 and examine their journey from concept to actuality, grounded within the lived experiences of deaf and onerous of listening to workers and the broader group.
Management calls with fewer clicks
For these with restricted dexterity and different positive motor disabilities, attempting to rapidly click on by a number of layers of menus or find small click on targets onscreen is usually a barrier to efficient collaboration. To cut back the variety of clicks and bodily motion essential to handle calls and conferences, we’ve taken various steps to streamline Groups interfaces and machine integrations in latest months. Throughout the Groups app, now you can use the “Document Routinely” characteristic to begin each recording and transcription routinely, with no further clicks as soon as the assembly begins, and for conditions the place you’ve joined a gathering from a number of units, we’ve launched logic that permits you to depart the assembly from all of these units with a single faucet. And from any Licensed for Microsoft Groups peripheral machine that helps the digicam on/off characteristic, now you can flip your video digicam on or off with a single click on. Be taught extra about recording conferences, becoming a member of and leaving conferences from a number of units, and utilizing licensed Groups units to handle calls and conferences.
Inclusive instruments to create accessible content material
Wanting past conferences, we’ve additionally continued to construct out extra versatile methods to create content material throughout Microsoft 365 apps – and to assist ensure that the content material you create is accessible too.
Productiveness past the keyboard
Typing shouldn’t be everybody’s favourite method to write, whether or not attributable to incapacity or private choice. And options that reduce down on typing may also help everybody enhance effectivity and keep away from hand and wrist fatigue. Now in Insiders, those that choose to make use of longhand can convert handwritten notes into textual content in apps like Phrase, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPad. Leveraging an Apple iPad functionality referred to as Scribble, this characteristic permits you to insert and edit textual content in Phrase paperwork, PowerPoint shows, and Excel worksheets utilizing your Apple Pencil.
To cut back the typing essential to sustain with a fast-paced Groups chat whereas additionally offering ample scope for self-expression, we lately launched a number of new methods to contribute in that house, together with sending quick, light-weight video messages; reacting to messages utilizing a brand new set of over 800 Groups emojis; and choosing from a set of urged replies reasonably than typing frequent responses inside group chats. Be taught extra about how you can ship video clips, use emojis, and work with urged replies.
One other method to in the reduction of on typing – and to get previous the dreaded clean web page – is to leverage previous work as a place to begin in your subsequent creation. There have lengthy been some ways to do that throughout Microsoft 365, like reusing slides throughout PowerPoint shows or creating templates from present paperwork. Now we’ve added a number of extra: in Microsoft Varieties, now you can convert present Phrase or PDF surveys or quizzes into internet surveys, eliminating the necessity to re-type questions and reply choices into a brand new format. And in Groups, assembly organizers and presenters can now re-use beforehand created polls in conferences, reasonably than creating new polls for every assembly from scratch.
Keep within the move – and create extra accessible content material
When you’ve began writing, clicking backwards and forwards throughout a number of ribbons and interfaces can pull you out of your rhythm. Monitor Adjustments playing cards assist maintain you within the move of labor by offering the choice to simply accept or reject adjustments instantly throughout the doc canvas – and we’ve now expanded their availability from Phrase on the net to the Home windows and Mac shoppers, in Insiders.
