Welcome to the Judicial Council of California's training on Using Zoom for Court Interpretation. This training is intended to help California court interpreters understand how to use Zoom for Video Remote Interpreting, VRI. Specifically, this training will provide you with instructions for setting up, joining, and using Zoom for interpretation. It will cover how to use the Zoom simultaneous feature for simultaneous interpretation, as well as how to interpret in Zoom if a court does not use the simultaneous feature. The training will also provide information on using breakout rooms for confidential conversations, using Zoom for team and relay interpretation, and troubleshooting common issues. Before using Zoom, you must have the necessary equipment. You will need a computer, either a laptop or a desktop, a stable internet connection, a headset or headphones, a dedicated microphone, and a camera. Note that Zoom's interpretation feature is not supported on Chromebooks or computers running Linux. Additionally, tablets and smartphones are not ideal for providing VRI. These devices depend on Wi-Fi rather than hardwired internet connections and can lose signal. For more information on equipment needed for VRI, be sure to watch the module, VRI Overview and Preparation. Next, make sure you have Zoom downloaded and installed on your computer. While Zoom can be accessed via a web browser, downloading and installing it will give you greater access to all its features. Additionally, to be assigned as the interpreter for the simultaneous feature, you cannot connect to Zoom via a browser. To download Zoom, go to https://zoom.us download. Be sure to select the desktop client. This means the Zoom application will run locally on your computer. Note that Zoom is free to use. There is no charge for installing the application. Once you've downloaded and installed Zoom, you'll want to test it out, particularly if this is your first time using Zoom. To do this, you can join a test meeting. This is just a test, and no one else will be in the meeting. To launch a test meeting, go to https://zoom.us test. Select the Join button. Zoom will then prompt you to connect to audio. It will then run an audio test to make sure you can hear others and that they can hear you. It will also verify that you can see yourself on screen to make sure your camera is working. Let's look at a Zoom test meeting. So here we are going to look at a Zoom test meeting. You'll see in my browser that I have gone to zoom.us test. Now all I need to do is select the Join button. You may also get a prompt from your computer asking for permission to open Zoom. If you get this message, just select Allow. It may take a moment to connect to the Zoom test meeting. Once it connects, it will ask if you want to join by computer audio. Select this button. You can also click on the box at the bottom left to always join this way when connecting to a Zoom meeting. Next, Zoom will verify that your camera is working with a prompt that says, Do you see yourself? If you see yourself, select Yes. If you do not and you have another camera connected, you can select Try another camera. You can also use the drop-down menu to choose a camera if you have multiple cameras connected. Next, Zoom will play a sound and ask if you hear a ringtone. This verifies that your speakers are working. Select Yes if you hear the tone. You can also have Zoom try another speaker or select another speaker from the drop-down menu if you have other speakers connected. Finally, Zoom will prompt you to speak and then pause and confirm if you can hear a replay. This verifies that your microphone is working. Once again, select Yes if you hear a replay or ask Zoom to try another microphone or select another microphone from the drop-down menu if you have other microphones connected. Once you have confirmed that all of your devices are working, Zoom will notify you that you are properly connected and will end the test meeting. Once you've verified that your audio and video are working, you are ready to use Zoom. First, though, let's explore the Zoom interface. Now, let's take a look at the Zoom interface that you'll see once you're in a meeting. Starting from the bottom left, the first icon you'll see is the microphone mute or unmute button. If you are using computer audio, then selecting this button will allow you to mute or unmute yourself. When there is a red slash through the microphone, the microphone will unmute itself. When there is no red slash, you are unmuted. As a general rule of thumb, be sure you are unmuted if you are speaking and muted when you are not speaking to avoid audio feedback or bringing background noise into the meeting. Zoom will also notify you if you are trying to speak into the meeting but are muted. Also note that the arrow next to the mute and unmute button is the same as the arrow next to the unmute button. If you are in a meeting, also note that the arrow next to the unmute button allows you to select your microphone, select your speaker, test your audio, switch to phone audio, disconnect from computer audio, or open audio settings for even more configuration. As an interpreter, for example, you can use this menu to verify that you have the right microphone selected if participants say you sound distant or muffled. The speaker selection is the place to go if you enter a meeting and cannot hear people who are unmuted and speaking. As we mentioned in a previous video, clicking test speaker and microphone allows you to check your own audio setup and fix issues on your own. Next is the camera start video or stop video button. Depending on whether you are currently displaying video from your webcam, toggling this button will turn your video on or off. As we saw with the mute unmute button, the start stop video button has an arrow next to it that opens a menu for additional options. From here, you will be able to select a different camera if you have multiple cameras selected. You can also use this menu to choose a virtual background. Zoom comes with two options, none and blur, but you can upload a new background by selecting the plus sign and choosing a background from your files. Just make sure it is appropriate for court. In the middle of the toolbar, you'll see the participants icon. By selecting it, you can see who else is in the meeting. If the meeting is big enough, there will even be a search function at the very top where you will see a magnifying glass and that will allow you to see just one or several participants by typing their name. The icons beside each participant's name are particularly helpful as they indicate whether each participant has their audio or video on or off and even if they are connected by dialing. When interpretation is enabled, there will even be an icon that shows what language channel each interpreter is speaking into. This can be extremely valuable for interpreters because it can help troubleshoot common issues. For example, when interpreting as a team, you can see what channel your partner is interpreting into or if their microphone is on or off. Valuable information when it's time to trade off who's on the microphone. By viewing the participant list, you can also help identify potential issues for LEP participants who will need your interpretation. Here, you can see that there is no microphone next to this person's name which means they are not connected to audio, so they will not be able to send or receive any sound to or from the hearing. In this situation, you can alert the court to find a way to communicate to the LEP party regarding how they can connect to audio. Another participant has a phone icon instead of the regular microphone icon. This means they are connected via dial-in audio and will not be able to access interpretation through Zoom's language channels. If this is a party for which you were planning to interpret, alert the court so they can decide how to proceed. The next button on the toolbar is the chat button. This button opens up a chat window in which you can exchange messages with other participants in writing. Some courts may disable this function altogether, but for those who do have it available, when entering a message, you can use this drop-down menu to choose whether you want to send it to everyone or to an individual participant. Keep in mind that the chat box should be reserved for things like communicating with your teammate if you are team interpreting or communicating with court staff discreetly about technical issues, or you may be asked by the court to write something to the LEP party in their language via the chat. However, it should otherwise not be used between you and another party unless you and your teammate are translating privileged communication between the attorney and client in the chat. The next toolbar icon is for screen sharing. The host and any participants granted screen sharing abilities can use this to show documents, images, or videos as exhibits. Generally, you will not be sharing your screen as an interpreter, but there may be cases in which you want to screen share instructions, such as if the court user is having trouble connecting and you have already been assigned as an interpreter. To share your screen, select the share screen button. There, you will see a window broadcasting all open documents and applications on your computer as well as your desktop. From here, you can choose to display your entire screen or just the contents of a specific document or application with any other participants in your meeting. Note that when you select a file or application and select share, that program will show on your screen and will be visible to all other participants. Therefore, it is best to only select what others in the meeting should see and not to inadvertently share any confidential items like emails or other documents that may appear on your desktop. Also, be mindful of when you should stop sharing your screen and press the stop share button when finished. And depending on how the meeting host has configured their settings, you may see a button along the bottom row of icons for recording. Interpreters should not record court proceedings unless explicitly asked to do so by court staff. The next button that is helpful for interpreters is the reactions button. By selecting it, you can choose from a range of emojis. Selecting one will display it by your name in the participants list as well as in the top corner of your video screen, which other meeting participants can also see. The reactions most helpful for interpreters are the slow down and raise hand icons. These can help signal to the court that a speaker needs to slow down or that you need to interject regarding a particular issue or impediment. On the far right of the window is the leave button. Selecting this button will display another leave meeting button confirming that you would like to leave the meeting. Be sure to only leave the meeting once the proceeding has ended and you have been released or relieved of your interpreting duties by the judge. Now that you're familiar with the basics of Zoom, let's look at how to use the Zoom Simultaneous Interpretation feature. The Zoom Simultaneous feature has a separate channel that interpreters can use to provide simultaneous interpretation directly to the limited English-proficient LEP court user in real time, while the other participants in the hearing, like the judge or attorneys, are speaking. The channel is similar to interpreting equipment that you might use in a courtroom for in-person interpretations. First, you will need to join a remote hearing on Zoom as the interpreter or have the host assign you as the interpreter once in the meeting. When you are pre-assigned as an interpreter, you will receive login instructions from the court. This will either be a link that you can select at the time of the hearing or a meeting ID and possibly a passcode. Selecting the link will take you directly to the meeting. If given a meeting ID, open the Zoom application. Select the Join icon. Enter the meeting ID and the passcode, if required. Then select Join. Note that when entering a meeting via the Zoom application, you can enter your name before joining. Be sure to enter something like John Doe, Interpreter, or Jane Doe, Vietnamese Interpreter, so that others can immediately recognize you and your role. If entering via a meeting link, right-click your name to rename yourself, if needed. However, note that this function may be disabled by the court. Whether you join as a pre-assigned interpreter or are assigned as the interpreter once you join the meeting, you will see a message saying you have been appointed as an interpreter. You will also see a toggle button that allows you to choose your language channel, either English or the non-English language. When you select English, your audio will only be heard by participants who have selected the English channel, such as the judge and attorneys. Likewise, when you select the other non-English language channel, such as Punjabi, your audio will be heard by the LEP court user and any others who require interpretation into that language or who choose to listen to the hearing in that channel. When the Simultaneous Interpretation feature is enabled in Zoom, everybody in the Zoom session will have to select their language channel when joining the meeting. Those who select the English channel should be able to hear all other participants speaking English. Those who select the non-English language should be able to hear the interpreter's simultaneous interpretation into the non-English language. When participants are in their designated channels, they may still faintly hear speaking in the other channel. For example, speakers in the English channel will hear all other speakers in that channel at 80% of the volume, but will still hear that there is speaking in the other non-English language at 20% of the volume. Similarly, the LEP court user will hear the interpreter speaking in their language at 80% of the volume, but will still hear the base English speakers at 20% of the volume. Participants can select to mute original audio. If they don't want to hear anything other than what is being spoken in their channel. Some courts use Zoom but may not use the Simultaneous Interpretation feature for certain hearings or even at all. In such cases, the interpreter may use the consecutive mode. If using the consecutive mode, all participants can join the session in Zoom, and all would be connected to the same audio, just like in a Zoom meeting. For the consecutive mode, each speaker would simply pause after speaking so the interpreter can interpret to the LEP party. Additionally, interpreters can also interpret simultaneously without using the Simultaneous feature enabled in Zoom. This may be necessary if the LEP party does not have a computer, internet, or smartphone to join the Zoom meeting, and needs to dial into the meeting instead. To do this, the interpreter would join the full Zoom session with all other participants. The interpreter would then call the LEP party on a separate phone line and interpret what is being said in English in the Zoom meeting into the LEP party's language over the phone. If the LEP needs to speak, the interpreter would unmute their microphone on Zoom and interpret what is being said by the LEP party into English for the other participants to hear. This is called a dual-channel configuration, since the interpreter is using both the Zoom video and a second communication line, the phone. For more information on dual-channel options, be sure to watch the module Using Dual-Channel Configurations for Interpreters. It is also recommended you check with the court before the remote hearing to see what mode of interpretation they prefer and if the LEP party will be calling in using a phone or will be able to join Zoom with a computer or smartphone. This is covered in the module VRI Overview and Preparation. There may be times when you are working with another interpreter on the Zoom platform. For example, you may be interpreting with another interpreter in your language pair as part of a team, trading off as the active interpreter after a specific amount of time. There are some tips to keep in mind if you are interpreting with others and using the simultaneous feature on Zoom. Zoom has the capability to have multiple interpreters in multiple language channels at the same time. However, interpreters cannot hear each other once they are both in their language channel for simultaneous interpretation. Therefore, interpreters must connect a second device to the main Zoom meeting so that they can be present as a listener as well. As a listener, the interpreter can listen to their team interpreting partner's interpretation by joining their partner's channel. However, you want to make sure that the device joined as a listener is not also assigned as an interpreter. You will join through your original device as the interpreter when it is your turn to interpret. Additionally, the interpreters in the team should establish another way to communicate with each other outside of Zoom to discuss terminology or to coordinate trading off as the interpreter. You can do this through WhatsApp or texting through separate phones. There may also be times when you are interpreting as part of a relay team because the interpreter and the LEP party do not speak a mutually intelligible language or dialect. For example, let's say the LEP court user speaks Acateco, an indigenous language of Mexico. In this case, the court may need an interpreter from Acateco to Spanish and an interpreter from Spanish to English. While it is possible to do relay interpreting in Zoom, interpreters in two different language channels will not be able to hear each other, similar to what we see with team interpreting. For relay interpretations, it may be best to have all participants participate in the full Zoom meeting and conduct interpretations using the consecutive mode. Be sure to review the complementary materials on team interpreting and relay interpretation with VRI. While Zoom can greatly support VRI, there are some tips to keep in mind that will help you with the platform. Let's discuss a few of the common issues that come up when interpreting in Zoom and some of the workarounds that you might employ. First, the simultaneous feature of Zoom is meant to help interpreters provide simultaneous interpretation directly to the LEP party. However, once the simultaneous feature is enabled and the language channels become part of the sessions, the interpreter can only be heard in one language channel at a time. If you need to say something that should be heard by both language channels, the English channel and the non-English channel, you will need to say it twice, once in each channel. Also, once the simultaneous feature is enabled, everyone in the Zoom session must join a channel – English or another language – to hear. This can be challenging if the LEP participant is having trouble connecting to audio or joining interpretation at all. Without being in one of the language channels, they cannot receive verbal instruction. A workaround is for the court to screen-share a document with instructions on how to connect. Alternatively, the court may ask you to contact the LEP party through another way, such as by phone, to assist them in their language. Keep in mind any ethical considerations if providing this type of assistance. You may want to watch the module Professional Standards and Ethical Considerations for VRI for tips on handling this situation. Another area that requires some planning is confidential communications. Zoom's simultaneous interpretation function is not available for breakout rooms, which may be used for attorney sidebars or conversations with only some of the parties in a hearing. Any interpretation that takes place in a breakout room would have to be in the consecutive mode or through a second device, like a phone line to the LEP party. Be sure to watch the module Professional Standards and Ethical Considerations for VRI to see how confidential communications might be handled by the court. Another common issue that can occur is when a party connects to Zoom from a device that will not allow for the simultaneous feature. Court users have to connect from a computer or smartphone to join the simultaneous feature. If a court user dials into a meeting using a phone connection only, they will not be able to choose a language channel to hear the simultaneous interpretation. In this case, you may have to provide consecutive interpretation or simultaneous interpretation to the court user over the phone using a dual-channel configuration. Keep in mind that Zoom has other features that can help support interpretation. For example, enabling chat can help you communicate with parties, especially if they need technical assistance. Just make sure that you chat so that everyone in the meeting can see your messages. This way you can avoid having any private conversations with the LEP court user. Additionally, the participant list on Zoom holds a wealth of information that can be useful, such as the language channel you are speaking into at a given time. It also helps you troubleshoot if a participant has selected the wrong channel. If a participant wants to listen to the English and they hear the non-English channel, for example, check the participant list to verify that they have the correct channel selected. The participant list can also help you see how parties have connected to the meeting and whether they have their microphone or camera activated. You can find help on a number of topics on Zoom's support website. To access it, go to support.zoom.us. This concludes this module. We hope that it has helped you become familiar with using Zoom for interpretation in remote hearings. To learn more about interpreting in remote hearings, be sure to watch the additional modules in this series. These include VRI Overview and Preparation, Professional Standards and Ethical Considerations for VRI, ASL Interpretation on VRI, Using Cisco WebEx for Court Interpretation, and Using Dual-Channel Configurations for Simultaneous Court Interpretation. Be sure to also refer to the resource sheet for more information. Thank you.

court interpreters

Zoom training

Video Remote Interpreting

simultaneous interpretation

troubleshooting

essential equipment