For live translation, check that every person who needs translating reaches the selected audio input. A moving level meter proves that something is arriving; it does not prove that the stage, audience microphone and remote speaker all arrive.
Before a hybrid panel, draw the route for each voice. Then rehearse those routes one at a time. The worksheet below is an organiser’s planning aid, not a report of equipment tests or translation accuracy.
Map voices before choosing a capture mode
Imagine a Cantonese host in the venue and an English panellist joining online. The host can sound clear through the room speakers while the translation computer receives only the online panellist. The reverse can happen too. Treat the room sound, meeting sound and translation input as separate destinations.
| Voice | Question for the sound technician | Rehearsal check |
|---|---|---|
| Stage host or panellist | Which selected computer input receives this microphone? | Speak into each stage mic separately; check the guest captions. |
| Audience question | Does the audience mic reach the same translation input? | Ask a question from the audience position. |
| Remote speaker | Which meeting audio route reaches the translation computer? | Ask the remote participant to speak while all venue mics are quiet. |
| Recorded clip | Is its sound intended to be translated, and through which route? | Play the actual clip with permission; check its audio separately. |
Ask the venue technician to name the compatible mixer output, interface and input level. Do not choose a socket by its appearance. Record the device name that the operator must select, rather than writing only “connect the mixer”.
For wider planning, see the hybrid-event guide.
Once the input works, use the venue-screen caption checklist to check the output computer, projected layout and rear-seat readability.
Screen sharing does not prove that audio is shared
Browser audio capture depends on the browser, operating system and selected sharing surface. Requesting audio does not guarantee that the returned stream includes an audio track.1 Check the actual sharing choice and sound path on the computer that will run the event.
In tlive, the documented capture choices are microphone, meeting audio and both. Its setup guide also flags a macOS limitation: a shared Chrome tab can provide tab audio, while Zoom desktop audio is not captured by that route.2
Choose both only when the required voices need both paths. If the venue mix already includes the remote speaker, adding a second copy of that speaker is not a useful default. Have the technician confirm what the mix contains.
Use the setup instructions for the product steps, then verify the result with a real remote participant.
Check the return path as well
The translation computer’s input is only half of a hybrid setup. Ask what sound is sent back to the online participants. Chrome’s screen-sharing guidance identifies returning a participant’s own captured audio as an echo problem.3
During rehearsal, let the remote speaker finish a sentence and listen for a delayed repeat. If one appears, pause and have the meeting operator and venue technician trace the return path. Do not change several capture and mixer settings at once: record one change, repeat the same sentence, and keep the result.
Copy this blank routing sheet
Fill one row for each microphone, remote source or clip. Leave a field blank until the responsible person has checked it.
| Source | Route into translation | Also sent to room / meeting? | Duplicate or return path to exclude | Owner | Guest check and result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage microphone | — | — | — | — | — |
| Audience microphone | — | — | — | — | — |
| Remote speaker | — | — | — | — | — |
| Recorded clip, if used | — | — | — | — | — |
Record the event computer, browser, selected input and sharing surface above the table. Repeat the affected checks after changing a cable, input device or sharing selection.
Finish the rehearsal on the guest’s device
- Ask one stage speaker to talk, then the audience-mic holder, then the remote speaker. Keep the other sources quiet.
- Have a colleague open the guest link on the device they will use. Check that captions appear for each intended source.
- If translated audio will be offered, check it with earphones and confirm that its playback is not being fed into the translation input.
- Record any missing voice and who will fix its route. An input meter alone is not a pass.
Once the sound paths work, check names, numbers and meaning with the Cantonese-to-English subtitle test sheet. That is a separate quality check: a connected microphone cannot prove that a translation is correct.
Sources and product instructions checked on 8 October 2026. No latency, accuracy or hardware compatibility measurements are claimed.
For a hybrid event, also check whether the separate captions match the livestream timing. A working link alone does not establish synchronisation with the viewer’s video.