6100 McColl Drive, #46, Savage, MN 55378
Frequently Asked Questions
If your question does not appear below, please do get in touch and we would be happy to help.
What is CART?
CART stands for Communications Access Realtime Translation, and is a speech-to-text interpretation service that allows the spoken word to be seen as text in real time. The service is provided by professional CART-trained captioners who type phonetic shorthand of the spoken words into software-assisted steno machines that instantly translates them into accurate text of the proceedings that is displayed as captions in realtime to an intended audience. CART captions can be provided to a live audience through onsite displays—viewing screens, LED boards, etc—or streamed over the Internet to be viewed in realtime on laptops, smart phones, or similar devices.
What is the difference between CART and captioning?
While the terms referring to these two forms of captioning are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference in that captioning typically refers to text added in conjunction with video images, and requires an encoder and related software to create and view.
What is Remote CART?
Remote CART is CART captioning provided by a captioner who is not actually on site at the given event. It can also apply to CART captioning provided online to an audience not at an event. Under the former scenario, a live audio feed is provided to the remote captioner, and in both scenarios, captions are delivered in realtime to the audience, whether those at the event or elsewhere, via the Internet.
So you can provide your services in realtime to any event in the country without actually being present?
Absolutely!
What equipment is required for remote audiences?
Remote audience members simply need an Internet connection and device—computer, laptop, smart phone, or tablet—capable of picking up streaming web content.
Do you provide a copy of any transcripts?
Yes. Converse Captions strives to provide clients all transcripts as soon as reasonably possible, but no later than 24 hours after the conclusion of an event.
How much does CART/Captioning cost?
CART/Captioning costs vary depending upon the event and whether it is remote or onsite.
Why should an organization hire a captioner instead of a sign language interpreter?
While up to 50 million Americans are believed to have some form of hearing impairment, less than 1 million of them communicate through American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is primarily adopted by those born deaf, and most individuals who become deaf or hearing impaired later in life after learning speech, read lips and rely on captioning and CART to capture spoken words. Additionally, captioning captures words that are not received by audience members due to other, non-hearing-related reasons.
Can I have a demo?
Yes! Converse Captions will provide a demo on request.
