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Limits and Running Out
Every plan sets limits on a session. This guide explains them, what you will see as your translation minutes run low, and how to keep a long service or event going.
Maximum Session Length
On Pay as you go and on every monthly plan, the maximum session length is 120 minutes. This is how long a session can stay live in one go, from pressing "Go live" to pressing "End".
Unlike your translation minutes, the maximum session length doesn’t stop when you pause. Pausing saves your translation minutes, but the time spent paused still counts towards the maximum session length. A session that pauses itself because no guests are connected keeps counting towards it too.
The "Time on air" figure on the session host screen stops while you are paused, so it can show less than the time the session has been live. If your service or event has long pauses, make a note of the time you pressed "Go live".
When a session reaches its maximum length the broadcast ends, and you will see "This broadcast reached its time limit and was ended." Your guests will see the session marked as "Ended".
A session also can’t run past the end of your sign-in, so it can end sooner if you signed in almost a week ago. Learn more about your sign-in
Running a Long Event
If your service or event is longer than the maximum session length, for example a conference day or a long evening of worship, press "End" at a natural break and then press "Go live" again. The new broadcast starts with the full maximum session length.
The session code, link and QR code don’t change, so guests don’t need to scan again. Guests who keep the page open carry straight on into the new broadcast, although their screen starts again from blank.
Guests who asked for the transcript by email will receive a separate transcript for each part.
Live Session Limit
You can create a session for each of your services and events, but only 1 session can be live at a time. If you press "Go live" while another session is live, you will see "Your plan allows 1 live session at a time."
This counts across your whole organisation, so it includes a session someone else is hosting. A paused session still counts towards it, so press "End" on the session you have finished with before going live on another.
Language Limit
On Pay as you go and on every monthly plan, each broadcast can translate into up to 10 languages at the same time. Reading the transcript in the language being spoken doesn’t count towards this.
Languages are added as guests choose them. Once the limit is reached, a guest who chooses another language reads English instead, with a note saying "Live translation to your language isn’t available on the host’s plan — showing English."
A language that is already being translated keeps its place for as long as someone is reading it. If a place frees up, the guest’s own language starts being translated and the note goes away. On the session host screen you will see how many languages are affected, for example "1 language is showing English".
The limit is set when you press "Go live" and stays the same until the broadcast ends.
Low Balance Warnings
Your translation minutes are shared across your organisation, and you can see how many are left under "Usage".
On Pay as you go and on a monthly plan, the session host screen shows a warning as they run low, at 20 minutes, 10 minutes and 1 minute left. Each warning says how much time is left and that "This broadcast ends when they reach zero — someone with billing access can add more under Billing → Translation minutes." It stays on screen until more minutes are added or the broadcast ends.
If automatic top-up is turned on and able to buy more minutes, you only get the 10-minute warning, because the minutes will be bought for you.
If you have 20 minutes or fewer left when you press "Go live", and automatic top-up isn’t going to buy more, Parlabase asks "Go live with a low balance?" before it starts. Click "Go live anyway" to carry on.
When Your Minutes Run Out
On Pay as you go and on a monthly plan, a broadcast ends when your translation minutes reach zero. You will see "Your organisation has no translation minutes left, so this broadcast has ended. Add translation minutes in Billing to go live again — turning on automatic top-ups buys them without anyone watching."
Your guests aren’t told why. They will see the session marked as "Ended" and, if there is nothing else on their screen, "This broadcast has ended."
You won’t be able to go live again until someone with billing access adds more minutes or, on a monthly plan, your included minutes renew at the start of the next billing period. If you have a long service or event coming up, check how many minutes are left under "Usage" beforehand.
Automatic Top-Up
Automatic top-up buys a pack of extra minutes for you when your balance falls below a level you choose, so a service or event isn’t cut short because nobody was watching the balance. It is off until you turn it on, and it can buy minutes while you are live.