StreamTranslateDocument the audio input, chosen output, start and stop controls, audience check and fallback contact. Rehearse a volunteer handoff before using the checklist in a service. If the caption route is StreamTranslate, use its published streaming instructions; a room-display service needs its own verified runbook.
Write the setup card before Sunday
Record the computer, microphone or mixer feed, service name and intended output. Include a simple diagram showing how speech reaches the captions and how captions reach people. Keep credentials in the approved password store rather than printing them on the setup card or including them in screenshots.
Add the contact for sound, projection and caption support. Identify who can change a setting and who should simply report a problem. A substitute volunteer needs a small number of deliberate controls, not a page full of undocumented switches that appear equally important.
Before the audience arrives
- Connect the tested audio and display routes and confirm the correct account.
- Select the planned spoken language and caption output language.
- Read the rehearsal passage through each scheduled microphone.
- Check the audience display or remote player, not only the operator preview.
- Review guest names, readings, announcements and unusual handoffs.
- Confirm who will help attendees and who can authorize a fallback.
Use a passage with a pause and a number so the operator can see sentence timing and recognition. Leave enough time to fix an input problem without experimenting during the welcome.
Use a service cue sheet for changes
Mark the points where the input or output changes: music ends, a guest walks up, a video plays, questions begin, or an announcement comes from another position. For each cue, specify what the caption operator should observe. The goal is to confirm continuity, not repeatedly restart a healthy session.
Check that captions stay readable when lower-thirds, lyric slides or announcements appear. For an OBS stream, verify that the Browser Source remains in the intended scenes. For a separate room service, follow its tested display workflow. Never infer that a visible preview proves all destinations are still receiving text.
Recover by identifying the failed stage
| Symptom | First check |
|---|---|
| No speech reaches the caption tool | Selected input, mute state and mixer routing |
| Operator sees text, audience does not | Output view, source visibility and display connection |
| Wrong language or meaning | Language settings and source transcript accuracy |
| Old text remains | Whether the session is receiving fresh speech |
Use the agreed fallback message if service is unavailable. Avoid stacking several capture routes or changing unrelated broadcast settings while diagnosing one caption problem.
Close the session and improve the checklist
Stop caption processing when the service ends and confirm that private conversations are no longer entering the session. Save only the operational notes the church needs: affected segment, microphone, output and recovery. Keep personal or sensitive speech out of casual troubleshooting documents.
Review the notes with the next operator. Stage Captions’ worship guide emphasizes repeatable before, during and after operations; the useful test is whether another volunteer can follow your own version without guessing. Update the checklist after a verified change and rehearse it again when hardware or software changes.
Quick answers
Should volunteers restart captions at every programme change?
No. Monitor the tested handoffs and intervene when needed. Repeated restarts can introduce gaps and make the source of a problem harder to identify.
What should the replacement volunteer know first?
The intended audio input, audience output, normal start and stop controls, a working test phrase and the person to contact if the check fails.
What should we record after a problem?
Record operational details and the recovery that worked. Avoid putting credentials or private conversations into ordinary notes.
Continue with your setup
Sources and further reading
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Follow the linked provider instructions for current availability and setup requirements.