Run a session

Controls and Status

The status next to the session title, at the top of the session host screen, shows what the session is doing. The buttons at the bottom of the screen change with it:

• Idle or Ended means the session isn’t live. Press "Go live" to start. The button stays greyed out until your microphone is working.
• Connecting… shows after you press "Go live", and again if your connection drops. You can still press "End".
• Live means the session is being translated. Press "Pause" to pause it or "End" to finish.
• Paused means you paused it. Press "Resume" to carry on, or "End".
• Paused automatically means Parlabase paused it for you. There is only "End", because the session carries on by itself.
• Error means something stopped the session, and a message above the transcript says what. Press "Go live" to try again.

When you press "Go live", Parlabase checks your plan and your balance before it starts, so the button can take a moment. If it can’t start, a message in red above the transcript says why, for example "Couldn’t start the broadcast just now — try again."

Time on Air and Balance

The top of the session host screen shows "Time on air", "Balance" and the session "Code". On a phone, press the settings button, the gear icon at the top right of the screen. "Time on air" and your balance are under "This broadcast", and the code is the "Join code" under "Share".

"Time on air" is how long the session has been translating, in minutes and seconds. It stops while the session is paused, including when it has paused itself, so it can show less than the time since you pressed "Go live". It starts again from 0:00 whenever this screen goes live, including after a reload or on a new device, even though the session itself carries on.

"Balance" is how many translation minutes your organisation has left, with included and extra minutes counted together. It counts down while you are live and changes colour as it runs low. If it can’t be read for a moment, Parlabase keeps trying rather than show a figure it isn’t sure of.

Learn more about low balance warnings

Pausing

Press "Pause" during a song or a break, and "Resume" when you are ready to carry on. The status shows "Paused", and so does your guests’ screen.

Parlabase can also pause the session for you, and the status shows "Paused automatically". A message above the transcript says why it paused, and the session carries on by itself:

• Nobody is listening. It carries on as soon as someone joins, so share the session code. This is set by Auto Pause Translation, and it is the only pause Auto End Sessioncan end.
• Translation isn’t working. Translation has stopped for every language your guests are reading, and nobody is reading English. Parlabase keeps retrying, and the session carries on once it works again.
• Transcription has stopped. What you say has stopped being turned into text. Parlabase keeps retrying, and the session carries on once it works again.

Nothing is charged while the session is paused automatically, and your guests see "Paused" with a note that it will carry on by itself. Like any pause, it still counts towards your plan’s maximum session length.

Learn more about pausing

Messages You May See

Messages appear above the transcript while you are live. A red one means something has gone wrong.

• "Connection lost — reconnecting…" means your connection has dropped and Parlabase is getting it back. If Your Connection Drops
• "Transcription keeps dropping. End the broadcast and try again." means Parlabase has stopped trying to reconnect. Press "Go live" to start again.
• If translation stops for some of your languages, a message names them. Guests reading those languages see English, with a note, until it comes back, which it usually does by itself.
• "Running on the standard translation provider" means the translation set up for your organisation isn’t available, so the standard one is used for now. Your plan’s languages and time limit don’t change.
• As your translation minutes run low, a warning says how much time is left. Low Balance Warnings

If Your Connection Drops

If your connection drops while the session host screen is open, it reconnects by itself. The status and the button show "Connecting…", or still "Paused" if you had paused, and you can still press "End". Once it is back, the session carries on, and a session you had paused stays paused.

While you are away, Parlabase keeps the session open for a short while for you to come back, and your guests see "Waiting for host…". If you are back in time, the same session carries on, with the same transcript. Your translation minutes stop being used shortly after you drop.

If you reload the page, the session goes live again by itself as long as it hasn’t ended. If you open it again in a new tab or window, press "Go live" and it carries on in the same way.

If you aren’t back in time, the session ends and your guests see "Ended". A screen that was still reconnecting shows "Your broadcast ended while you were disconnected. Go live again when you’re ready."

Learn more about keeping the screen on

Moving to Another Device

You can move a session to another device without ending it, for example if your phone’s battery is running low. Sign in on the new device and open the session. Then close the session host screen on the old device and press "Go live" on the new one straight away. The session carries on with the same transcript, and your guests stay connected. Close the old screen first: if it is left open, it reconnects by itself and takes the session back.

Only one device can send audio to a session at a time, and the newest one takes over. Going live on the new device doesn’t count as a second live session. Someone else in your organisation who can manage the session can take it over in the same way.

Your Sign-In

When you sign in to Parlabase, your sign-in lasts 7 days. Using Parlabase doesn’t extend it, so if you signed in during last week’s service or event, it runs out at about the same time this week.

A session can’t run past the end of your sign-in. It ends just before your sign-in runs out, and you will see "This broadcast was ended because your sign-in was about to expire. Please sign in again to continue." To avoid this, sign in afresh before each service or event: press "Sign out", then sign in again.

If your sign-in is close to running out when you press "Go live", Parlabase asks "Go live with a short sign-in?" and tells you when it runs out. Press "Sign in again": you come back to the session host screen with nothing started, so press "Go live" again. "Continue anyway" starts the session, but only for as long as your sign-in lasts. If you close the question instead, nothing starts.

"Log out everywhere", on the Account page, signs you out on every device, and so does setting a new password after "Send password reset email". Either one ends any session you are running shortly afterwards. A session host screen that is still open will show "Your session is no longer valid, so this broadcast was ended. Please sign in again to continue."