Accessibility and Internationalization

The Challenge of Inclusion in the Events Industry

Organizing a national or international trade show today means addressing two major imperatives: inclusion for people who are hard of hearing and welcoming a multilingual audience. But how can this logistical and budgetary challenge be met when an event runs 10 rooms simultaneously and delivers over 100 hours of content?

Recently, we supported the organizers of an international trade show in Paris by deploying a comprehensive live translation and transcription solution. Here is a look back at this real-world use case, combining digital accessibility with cutting-edge technology.

1. The Need: Large-Scale and Flexible Coverage

The client’s requirements were clear and ambitious. For an event hosting up to 1,330 seated participants simultaneously across 10 rooms, the needs were defined as follows:

Accessibility first:
French-to-French transcription projected on large screens to ensure accessibility for people who are hard of hearing during most conferences.

On-demand internationalization:
The ability to instantly translate certain sessions (English to French) and provide multilingual translation on attendees’ smartphones.

High volume:
Approximately 120 conferences over 3 days, requiring a robust and economically viable solution.

2. The Technical Solution: OHAIO “Live Speaker”

To meet these requirements, we deployed our OHAIO “Live Speaker” software, capable of capturing speakers’ voices and processing them in real time.

A. Accessibility for Everyone (ACCESSIBILITY Offering)

For most sessions, we implemented transcription only (without translation). This feature is displayed through a simplified interface on large screens and mobile devices.

This allows people who are hard of hearing to follow the discussions word for word, with captions embedded directly in the lower third of the presentation slides.

B. “BYOD” Translation (Bring Your Own Device)

For international conferences, the solution translates the source language (from among 43 supported languages) into up to 100 languages simultaneously.

In the room:
The translated text is projected on screen.

For attendees:
A connection QR code is generated and shared, allowing each participant to follow the transcription in their own language directly on their mobile device, without any personal data being collected.

3. Prerequisites for Successful Audiovisual Integration

The success of such a setup depends on close collaboration with the audiovisual provider. In our proposal, we emphasized the importance of technical prerequisites to ensure seamless performance:

• Clean audio capture: Use of an audio interface with unidirectional XLR microphones (handheld or headset) to isolate the speaker’s voice.

• Connectivity: A stable wired internet connection (ideally fiber) for the control room, and Wi-Fi or 4G/5G capacity sized for the audience.

• Video integration: The captioning feed can be directly integrated into a video control room, enabling professional on-screen overlays.

4. Security and Peace of Mind

Beyond technical performance, moderation is a key issue when content is broadcast live on large screens. Our solution includes, by default, a profanity filter to ensure that displayed content remains professional at all times.

In addition, for events of this scale, human support is essential. We planned for an on-site technician to handle installation, calibration, and technical assistance, along with a prior testing phase in collaboration with the audiovisual provider.

Conclusion

Thanks to artificial intelligence, making a 120-session conference accessible and multilingual is no longer a logistical headache. Whether for pure transcription or translation into 100 languages, flexible solutions now exist.

At the end of the event, we also automatically deliver a file containing the full transcription and a summary of the discussions—extending the value of your conferences well beyond their conclusion.

→ Contact the OHAIO team at ohaioai.com for a personalized demo of our AI-powered translation solution!