# Getting Started with Unicaption — Run Your First Live Session > Real-time transcription and translation for interpreters, right in your browser. No install, no hardware. This 7-step guide takes you from sign-up to reading captions side by side in two languages. About 5 minutes; your first 60 minutes of captioning are free, no credit card. Published 2026-06-19 · The Unicaption Team · Human-readable version: https://unicaption.com/blog/getting-started.html ## What you will do 1. Start your free trial 2. Sign in with Google 3. Allow microphone access 4. Choose your audio source 5. Set your language pair 6. Share screen for system audio 7. Start and see results ## Step 1 — Start your free trial Go to [unicaption.com](https://unicaption.com/) and click either orange **Start Free Trial** button — one sits in the top-right of the nav, the other in the center of the page. Both lead to the same place. No credit card required. Your first 60 minutes are free. You will see your remaining minutes in your account once you sign in. ## Step 2 — Sign in with Google On the welcome screen, click **Continue with Google** and pick your account. No passwords, no email verification — you land straight in the Playground, Unicaption's main workspace. ## Step 3 — Allow microphone access Unicaption needs your microphone to capture speech. Your browser will ask for permission — choose the option that keeps access on, so you are not asked again every visit. - Mac / Safari / Firefox — click "Allow while visiting the site." - Chrome — lock icon in the address bar, then turn Microphone on. Accidentally blocked it? In Chrome, open the lock icon → Microphone, or visit Site Settings, find unicaption.com, and switch it to Allow. ## Step 4 — Choose your audio source Click your name in the top-right to open the account menu, then pick an **Audio Source**: - **Mic** — captures only your microphone. Best for in-person meetings, court, or conferences where you are in the room. - **System** — captures audio playing on your computer (Zoom, Teams, a video). Best for remote calls. - **Both** — captures your mic and system audio at once. Use this to transcribe both your voice and the speaker. Not sure? Remote calls on Zoom or Teams → System. In-person → Mic. You can switch any time between sessions. ## Step 5 — Set your language pair (do this once) Unicaption is multilingual, so before your first session you tell it two things: what languages will be spoken (transcription) and what language you want it translated into. Getting this pair right is what makes captions accurate — and you only set it once. Transcription takes a primary language plus optional hint languages, so it handles speakers switching between tongues. Translation is the single language the output is rendered in. Set them so they mirror each other: - Example A: Transcription = English (primary) + Spanish (hint) → Translation = Spanish - Example B: Transcription = Spanish (primary) + English (hint) → Translation = English The same logic works for any languages — French + Arabic, Mandarin + English, and so on. Make the primary spoken language the transcription primary, and set translation to the language you need to read. Once you are happy with the combination, click **Save pair**. Unicaption remembers it for every future session — no re-selecting languages before each call. ## Step 6 — Share your screen for system audio If you chose System or Both in Step 4, your browser needs to share the screen to capture computer audio. Unicaption only uses the audio, not the video. When you press Start, the share dialog appears. Three things, in order: pick the **Entire Screen** tab → click the preview to select it → turn on **"Also share system audio"** → then hit Share. Do not skip the audio toggle. It is off by default. If you click Share without it, no computer sound is captured — stop and start again with the toggle on. ## Step 7 — Start your session and read it live Hit the orange **Start** button. Captions appear in real time on the left, with the translation building alongside on the right — each line labeled by speaker (S1, S2, …). Quick test first: before a real call, speak a few words and confirm text appears. It catches any permission or audio issue before it matters. When you are done, click **Stop** — your transcript is saved to your account. ## A few more things to explore - **Live vs Quick Translate** — toggle at the top of the translation panel: Live for continuous flow, Quick for the lowest latency. - **Context** — give the session background (topic, speakers, meeting type) to sharpen accuracy on names and terms. - **Dictionary** — add custom terminology, jargon, or proper nouns so they are transcribed exactly how you need them. - **Notes** — jot session notes without leaving the Playground. - **Text Size** — resize caption text for readability on big monitors or shared screens. - **Speaker labels** — each line is tagged by speaker so multi-party conversations stay easy to follow. ## Links - Sign up: [unicaption.com/auth](https://unicaption.com/auth) — first 60 minutes free, no credit card - Human-readable version of this guide: [unicaption.com/blog/getting-started.html](https://unicaption.com/blog/getting-started.html) - Product overview for agents: [unicaption.com/llms.txt](https://unicaption.com/llms.txt) · [llms-full.txt](https://unicaption.com/llms-full.txt) · [machine.html](https://unicaption.com/machine.html)