Microsoft Teams is putting sign-language front and center
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An upcoming update of Microsoft Teams wants to help the hearing impaired to stay more involved in online meetings.
equal to one recent Zoom updatethe new Sign Language Display feature allows Microsoft Teams users to choose up to two other video feeds to center in the app, making sign language interpreters much more visible throughout the meeting.
says Microsoft (opens in new tab) that the feed grows larger than the others and maintains a high resolution for the clearest view possible, and is client-side only so users are the only ones who can see the view as other participants each have their own view. If someone shares content during the meeting, the signer’s video moves to the side along with everyone else, but retains a larger aspect ratio. Other participants can still be in the spotlight and the interpreter does not take up any space either.
Turn on the view
Sign language display is coming to Microsoft Teams for both desktop and browser sometime in December, according to a post on the Microsoft 365 roadmap (opens in new tab).
Users can join the Teams’ Public Preview Program (opens in new tab) to try out the feature; However, keep in mind that the preview is on a per-user basis, and if you’re one of the lucky few, Microsoft has one set of instructions (opens in new tab) about turning on the display.
Sign language display can be enabled for all meetings or on a case-by-case basis. You can pre-assign interpreters who work in the same company as you before a meeting, which you can do through the Settings menu. This way, the display is already activated when you enter a meeting with an interpreter.
Signers can be added mid-meeting using the “Manage Signers” button in the new Accessibility panel. By clicking the button, you can designate a participant as an interpreter by simply typing their name. And the panel lets you switch between Sign Language and Live Closed Caption views mid-meeting.
Growing teams
Microsoft has released tons of new features for Teams over the past few months, and it’s a bit tricky to keep track of them all. For example the company recently implemented games in the platform as a way to build camaraderie between team members. You have your basic titles like Solitaire and Minesweeper, but also more interactive games like Kahoot.
As for the future, we recommend reviewing TechRadar’s coverage of future additions to Teams. There’s quite a lot. First, the platform is slated to get a performance boost, though it’s not known when exactly. And a Premium version of Teams will enter its first preview in December 2022, adding AI to transcribe meetings in 40 different languages and “advanced security features” among other things.