About

You can order live translations for your scheduled events using Content Lab. 

Translations are different from captions. See our article Order live captions with Content Lab for details.

Service types

You can choose from the following services:

Machine

Machine translations are generated automatically and provide an average accuracy of approximately 85%.

Machine translations:

• Support editing
• Support resubmissions
• Can use custom vocabularies and dictionaries to improve accuracy 

Professional

Professional translations are created and reviewed by human translators and provide approximately 99% accuracy.

Professional translations:

• Meet accessibility requirements
• Include human review and quality assurance
• Support special instructions for translators and reviewers
• Are recommended for public-facing content such as marketing, learning, and training videos

Before you start

• Your account must have Content Lab enabled
• Your account must have an active REACH profile enabled with relevant catalog item(s)
• Events must be at least 10 minutes long (600 seconds minimum).

Access the Content Lab

Steps for accessing the Content Lab vary depending on the Kaltura application. 

Rich Media CMS - 

Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Entries list or on the Entry Details page. 

Legacy Video Portal - 

Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Media page. 

Kaltura Events - Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Edit session page or the Edit media page. 

LMS Video - Access the Content Lab through the Create with content lab button on the Media page. 

 

Appearance of the Content Lab

The appearance of the Content Lab varies depending on the Kaltura application. 

Rich Media CMS - 

After clicking the Create with Content Lab button on the Entries list or on the Entry Details page in Rich Media CMS, the 'Get more from your video' screen displays.

Legacy Video Portal, Kaltura Events, and LMS Video - 

After clicking the Create with Content Lab button on -

• the Media page in legacy Video Portal
• the Edit session page or the Edit media page on Kaltura Events
• the Media page in LMS Video

the 'Create with AI screen' displays. Here's one example from the list above - accessing the Content Lab through the Create with Content Lab button on the Media page in legacy Video Portal: 

Order live translations

1. Click Create with Content Lab. 

The 'Get more from your video' screen displays.



Content Lab in Rich Media CMS

This is the Content Lab's main menu. Options shown vary depending on the services configured for your account.

2.  Click Captions & Translations.

The Captions orders screen displays.



3. Click Live Translations.



The Order live translations screen displays. 



4. Complete the following fields:

• Unit – This option only appears in the event that different Reach profiles (budgets) are configured for each unit in your account. The selected unit will be charged for the translation request.
• Service type - Select Machine or Professional. Defaults to Machine if both are available. Options that are unavailable are greyed out. If you choose Professional, one optional field displays - Instructions. 
• Service mode - Select Auto-start or Scheduled. Auto-start live translations are enabled when the session is live. Scheduled live translations are arranged in advance. If you choose Scheduled, two additional configurations display - Pre- and Post-session buffers. 
• Source language - Select the source media language from the drop-down menu. The options in the menu are dependent on your REACH plan.
• Target language - Select the desired language(s) you want the translations in from the drop-down menu. The options are dependent on your REACH plan. 

5. Click Submit.

A confirmation message displays: Translations are being created. This may take a few minutes. Click the X at the top right to close the message.
Your translations order appears in the "In Progress" area of the Captions orders screen and is labeled as "Pending".

Add instructions for professional translations

If you choose Service type - Professional, you have the option of adding special instructions for the attention of the translators and reviewers. 

Provide clear and detailed instructions for your translations. The more information you include, the higher the chance of achieving your desired outcome.

Option 1: Manually type your own instructions in the Instructions field. 

Option 2: Click on a preset tag provided below the Instructions field. The Instructions field is populated with that tag and a list of suggestions for additional text instructions displays. Click on one of the suggestions to autocomplete the instructions. 

Option 3: Click on a preset tag. The Instructions field is populated with that tag and a list of suggestions for additional text instructions displays. Instead of clicking on one of the suggestions to autocomplete the instructions, manually type in the Instructions field to complete the text. 

The following preset tags are available:

Terminology and names:

• Define acronyms - “Please define acronyms at first use and use them consistently throughout.”
• Use correct speaker names - “Please ensure speaker names and titles are accurate and used consistently.”
• Use correct proper names - “Please ensure all proper names (e.g., brands, products, organizations, and titles) are accurate and used consistently.“
• Use consistent terminology - “Please use consistent and accurate terminology throughout.”

Include speaker labels: “Please include speaker labels where multiple speakers are present.”

Style and tone: 

• Preserve original wording - “Please preserve the original wording and phrasing as much as possible.”
• Remove filler words - “Please remove filler words where they do not affect meaning.”
• Simplify wording - “Please simplify complex phrasing where possible while preserving meaning.“
• Maintain consistent tone - “Please maintain a clear and consistent tone throughout.”

Formatting:

• Ensure correct punctuation - “Please ensure punctuation is accurate and consistent.”
• Format for readability - “Please format translations for clarity and readability.”
• Use consistent casing - “Please use consistent sentence casing throughout.”

Accessibility: 

• Include non-speech elements - “Please include relevant non-speech elements such as sound effects where appropriate.”
• Clarify speaker identity - “Please ensure speakers are clearly identified when needed for understanding.”

Pre and Post-session buffer

If you choose Service mode - Scheduled, you have the option of adding pre- and post-session buffers. 

Pre-session buffer (minutes) - Choose when translations should start: 

• at the beginning of the event
• 15 minutes before the event starts (recommended)
• 30 minutes before the event starts
• 60 minutes before the event starts

Post-session buffer (minutes) - Choose how long translations should continue after the scheduled end time:

• at the end of the event
• 15 minutes after the event ends 
• 30 minutes after the event ends
• 60 minutes after the event ends

Status definitions

• Pending - The request hasn’t been opened yet
• Scheduled - The request has been accepted and is being processed
• Completed - The translation job was completed successfully 

Best practices for live translations

• Start streaming a few minutes early to ensure full translation coverage.
• Order machine translations at least 15 minutes before the event.
• You can cancel machine orders anytime before the event. 
• Translations apply to the primary stream only - backup streams aren’t supported.
• Events must be at least 10 minutes long (600 seconds minimum).
• Translations can run up to 8 hours per session.