---
title: "AI Translation & Captioning Buyer’s Guide | Snapsight"
description: "How to choose AI translation and live captions for your event: 12 questions to ask vendors, 5 quality tests, 8 red flags, a scorecard and an RFP."
canonical: https://www.snapsight.com/en/guides/ai-translation-captioning-buyers-guide
updated: 2026-10-13
---

Buyer’s guide · AI translation and live captions

# How to choose AI translation and captions for your event.

The questions to ask vendors, the checks that predict quality on the day, and the red flags. All on this page.

[Book a demo](https://www.snapsight.com/en/contact?interest=translation) Start with the 12 questions

## Get the guide by email

The full guide adds when to choose AI or an interpreter, and an RFP you can paste into a vendor email.

[Prefer to request it by email?](mailto:cs@snapsight.com?subject=AI%20translation%20buyers%20guide)

## Twelve questions to ask every vendor.

Score each answer 0 to 2. The highest of 24 is your shortlist.

Ask for answers in writing. They tell you more than any demo.

Coverage and accuracy

1. *1* How many languages, and does translation work in every direction?
2. *2* How is accuracy measured, and on what?
3. *3* Can we add a custom glossary for names and terms?
4. *4* Can we download transcripts in every language?

Fit and experience

1. *5* Does it work with our meeting platform and on-site AV?
2. *6* How long does it take to go live?
3. *7* What do attendees have to install?
4. *8* Which browsers and devices does it support?

Trust and proof

1. *9* Do the captions meet WCAG 2.1 AA?
2. *10* Is the platform SOC 2 Type II audited?
3. *11* Is our content used to train your models?
4. *12* Can we speak to events like ours?

Vendor A: **0** of 24 · 0 of 12 answered

**0** No or unclear **1** Partly **2** Yes, in writing

## Test these five on your own sessions.

A polished demo proves little. A live trial with your audio does.

1. **Clean audio in** A feed from the sound desk or close mics. Room audio is where most errors start.
2. **Every language, both ways** Speakers switch languages. Translation should follow them, not only from English.
3. **Audio and captions together** Some attendees want to read, others to listen. Offer both.
4. **A glossary you control** Boost, block and replace terms, so names and acronyms come out right.
5. **Nothing to install** No app and no account. A link or QR code should be enough.

![Laptop screen showing a Snapsight live capture session in progress, with Sound Check and Stop buttons](https://www.snapsight.com/en/assets/audio-feed-laptop-C7wpPTQo.webp)

Audio feed from the sound desk · IMEX Frankfurt

## Eight red flags that should end the conversation.

Any one of them outweighs a good score.

1. *1* Your content trains their language models.
2. *2* Attendees must download an app or create an account.
3. *3* It only works with one meeting platform.
4. *4* No live trial and no accuracy benchmark.
5. *5* They can’t explain their security controls.
6. *6* Per-language or per-session charges are hidden.
7. *7* Setup is measured in months, not days.
8. *8* Your content disappears when the event ends.

[Compare the cost with interpreters](https://www.snapsight.com/en/tools/event-translation-cost-calculator) [How Snapsight handles your content](https://www.snapsight.com/en/security)

## Put Snapsight through all twelve.

Bring your questions and a session of your own to a demo.

[Book a demo](https://www.snapsight.com/en/contact?interest=translation) [Start free](https://www.snapsight.com/signup)

## Frequently asked questions

### What should you ask an AI translation vendor before buying?

Twelve questions, grouped in three. Coverage and accuracy: how many languages and whether translation works in every direction, how accuracy is measured, custom glossaries, and transcripts in every language. Fit and experience: platform integrations, time to go live, what attendees must install, and device support. Trust and proof: WCAG 2.1 AA captions, independent security audits, whether your data trains their models, and references from events like yours.

### When is a human interpreter better than AI translation?

For flagship, high-stakes, heavily planned sessions where certified accuracy and cultural nuance matter, legal and diplomatic settings especially. For recurring and multi-track events, compare AI on the language pairs, audio conditions and attendee needs you actually have, and test both reading and listening before deciding.

### Should a medical congress use AI translation or interpreters?

Test AI on your own sessions before deciding. Medical talks are dense, so add drug names, trial acronyms and speaker names as custom vocabulary and take a direct feed from the sound desk; ARC APAC Summit ran Snapsight across 20+ jargon-heavy healthcare sessions. Keep interpreters for sessions where certified accuracy matters most.

### How do you judge the quality of AI captioning before you buy?

Run a live trial on your own content, because a polished demo proves little. Check five things: clean audio from the sound desk or close mics, translation in every direction, audio and captions together, a glossary you control, and an attendee path with no app or account. Ask how the vendor measures quality; serious ones benchmark on BLEU, COMET and word error rate.

### What are the red flags when choosing an event translation platform?

There are eight. Your content trains their models; attendees must download an app or create an account; it only works with one meeting platform; there is no live trial or accuracy benchmark; they can’t explain their security controls; per-language or per-session charges are hidden; setup is measured in months; or your content disappears when the event ends.

### How do I use the vendor scorecard?

Score each shortlisted vendor 0, 1 or 2 on each of the twelve questions: 0 for no or no clear answer, 1 for a partial answer, 2 for a clear yes in writing. The highest of 24 points is your shortlist, and any red flag can rule a vendor out on its own.

### What should an event translation RFP include?

Your rooms, sessions, days and languages, and whether attendees need to read, listen or both. Then ask for written answers to the twelve questions in this guide. The emailed version of the guide includes an RFP you can paste into a vendor email.

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This is a Markdown copy of https://www.snapsight.com/en/guides/ai-translation-captioning-buyers-guide. The page itself is the reference.