Live lecture transcription for deaf and hard of hearing students
Demist gives deaf and hard of hearing students live text of a lecture on their own laptop, keeps it afterwards as a transcript, and explains unfamiliar words as they come up. It works from a microphone in the room, or directly from the sound of an online lecture on your computer, which is usually clearer. It is automatic transcription, so it makes mistakes, and it does not replace a human notetaker or speech-to-text reporter where you need every word.
How it helps
Live text you control
The transcript appears on your own screen, at the text size you choose, with no need to arrange anything with the lecturer first.
Online lectures, straight from the source
For a lecture on Teams, Zoom or Panopto, Demist can listen to the computer's own audio instead of a microphone. That avoids the distance and room noise that make a microphone less accurate.
A transcript to keep
When the lecture ends you have the full text, a summary, and a glossary of the words that came up, so you can check anything you were unsure of.
Unfamiliar words explained
A technical word is harder to catch when you are reading it for the first time. Demist puts a short explanation on screen, and it can be read aloud or translated.
What it will not do
- Automatic transcription mishears words, especially names, technical terms and quiet or distant speakers, and the text appears a few seconds behind the speaker. If you need every word to be right, ask your university about a human notetaker or speech-to-text reporter.
- In a large lecture hall a laptop microphone may be too far from the lecturer to work well. Sitting near the front helps, and a lecture recording will give better results.
- Demist does not identify who is speaking, so it suits lectures better than seminars and group discussion.
- Demist is not a DSA approved supplier.
Questions
What is the best live transcription app for deaf students in lectures?
For keeping a transcript and understanding new vocabulary, Demist is built for lectures: live text, explanations of unfamiliar words, and a transcript and glossary afterwards. If you only need captions on screen and nothing saved, Windows 11 Live Captions is free and built in. If you need every word to be accurate, a human speech-to-text reporter is still the better choice.
How accurate is Demist?
It depends mostly on the audio. It does well with a clear speaker close to the microphone or with audio straight from an online lecture, and worst with distant speakers and room noise. It will get some words wrong, so check anything important against your course materials.
Does it work for online lectures?
Yes. In the Windows app choose System audio; in Chrome or Edge choose Tab capture and tick Share tab audio.
Is the audio private?
In the Windows app, live lecture audio is transcribed on your own computer and does not leave it. On iPhone it is turned into text on the phone, and only the words being explained are sent to Demist's server. The browser version sends audio to Demist's server to be transcribed.
Where your lecture audio goes
In the Windows app, live lectures are transcribed and explained by software on your own computer, so the audio does not leave it. On iPhone, speech is turned into text on the phone, and only the words being explained are sent to our server. The browser version, and uploading a recording in any version, sends audio to our server to be transcribed. The privacy policy sets out exactly what goes where.
What it costs
Live explanations, translation, your glossary and your flashcards are free, with no advertising. Recording is free and unlimited in the Windows and iPhone apps; in the browser, free accounts get three recordings. Free accounts keep lecture history for seven days. Demist Pro keeps every lecture and adds unlimited summaries and Anki export for £4.99 a month. New accounts get Pro free for their first 30 days, with no card.
Also for students with ADHD, students with dyslexia, students studying in English as an additional language.
Made by Graceful Minds. Checked against the product on 4 November 2026.