The 2026 how-to

How to get live translated captions in Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet

Q: Do translated captions show the original language too?

Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet show only the translated text. If you need the source and the translation together — to verify a render, or because you work in both languages — use a side-by-side tool like Unicaption.

Q: Does the meeting host need to do anything for Unicaption to work?

No. Unicaption runs on your machine, in your browser, using audio you already hear. No admin settings, no plan requirements, no bot joining the call.

Every platform has the feature now — behind a specific paid tier and an admin setting. What each one requires, step by step, and the one method that works on all of them.

4 methods 7 min read Updated August 2026

The structural problem with every native option is the same: the captions belong to the meeting host's platform, plan, and admin console — not to you. And none of the three shows the original language and the translation at the same time, which is the actual shape of bilingual work. If you work across many clients' platforms, you need captions that travel with you, not with the meeting.

// On this page

01The quick comparison 02Zoom's built-in translated captions 03Microsoft Teams live translation 04Google Meet translated captions 05One method for everything 06FAQ

The quick comparison

Platform	Native option	What it requires	The catch
Zoom	AI Companion translated captions	Business Plus or Enterprise, admin enablement	Translation only; limited pairs; host-side setup
Teams	Live translated captions	Teams Premium licence per user	Translation replaces the original; org must buy Premium
Google Meet	Translated captions	Paid Workspace editions with Gemini features	Coverage varies by edition; admin-dependent
Any platform	Unicaption in a browser tab	A browser and a sign-up — free 30 min, no credit card	Runs beside the call, not inside it — which is why it works everywhere

Plan names and feature gates as published by each vendor in mid-2026. All three platforms move these features between tiers — check your admin console.

Option 1 · Native

Zoom's built-in translated captions

Zoom's translated captions are part of AI Companion, available on Business Plus and Enterprise plans.

An admin enables Translated captions under Account Settings → Meeting → In Meeting (Advanced).
The host starts the meeting and turns on captions — the CC button.
Each participant picks a speaking language and a caption language from the caption menu.

Where it falls short: you see only the translation, never the source — so you cannot check a render against the original. Language pairs are limited, terminology cannot be customised, and if the host's account is on a lower tier, the feature is not there for anyone in the meeting.

Option 2 · Native

Microsoft Teams live translated captions

Teams offers live captions on most tiers, but translated captions require a Teams Premium licence.

Your organisation assigns Teams Premium to your account.
In a meeting: More → Language and speech → Turn on live captions.
In caption settings, choose the spoken language and your caption (translation) language.

Where it falls short: the licence must exist on the account you join with — joining as a guest does not bring the feature along. Translation replaces the original text rather than sitting beside it, and there is no custom dictionary, which is exactly where medical and legal vocabulary goes wrong.

Option 3 · Native

Google Meet translated captions

Meet includes translated captions on paid Google Workspace editions, with the language list expanding through Gemini-powered features.

Turn on captions in the meeting — the CC button.
Open caption settings and choose a translation language.
If a language is missing, your Workspace edition likely does not include it — an admin and billing question, not a settings one.

Where it falls short: the same three ways — translation only, coverage decided by an edition someone else chose, and no terminology control.

Option 4 · Platform-independent

One method that works in all three — and everything else

Unicaption sidesteps the problem by not integrating at all. It listens, so it does not care what platform the call is on.

Open unicaption.com in a browser tab and sign in — email or Google. The free trial needs no credit card.
Open the Playground and choose your audio source — your microphone, or system/tab audio to capture the meeting itself.
Pick a transcription language or leave auto-detect on (it handles mid-session language switching), and pick your translation language.
Click Start. The original transcript and the live translation appear side by side, with under 200 ms latency.
Join your Zoom, Teams, or Meet call as normal and arrange the windows so the captions sit where you can glance at them.

What this gets you that native captions do not:

Both languages on screen at once — source and translation side by side, the actual shape of interpreting and bilingual work
The same setup on every platform — nothing to re-learn or re-request per client
No dependency on the host's plan or admin — it is your tool, on your screen
Custom terminology — your dictionary plus built-in medical, legal, and government term lists
Privacy by design — end-to-end encrypted, audio never stored, transcripts deleted at session end; HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR

Over 100 languages, under 200 ms latency, in the browser — plus desktop apps and a Chrome extension. Start a session →

Which should you use?

Occasional participant, employer already pays for the top tier: the native captions are fine. Turn them on and move on.

Interpreter, or anyone working across multiple clients' platforms: you need captions that travel with you, not with the meeting — that is Unicaption.

Medical or legal calls: check the compliance posture of whatever you use — see our HIPAA guide for live captioning.

Need the original and the translation together: none of the native options does this. Unicaption is built around it.

Frequently asked

How do I get live translation in a Zoom meeting?

Two ways. Native: Zoom's translated captions via AI Companion — requires a Business Plus or Enterprise plan and admin enablement, then each participant selects languages under the CC button. Platform-independent: run Unicaption in a browser tab next to the meeting — it transcribes and translates the call audio live in 100+ languages with no Zoom plan requirement.

Can I get translated captions in Teams without Teams Premium?

Not natively — translated captions are a Teams Premium feature. Without it, run a captioning tool beside the call: Unicaption works with any Teams meeting because it listens to the audio rather than integrating with Teams.

Do translated captions show the original language too?

Zoom, Teams, and Meet show only the translated text. If you need the source and the translation together — to verify a render, or because you work in both languages — use a side-by-side tool like Unicaption.

Does the meeting host need to do anything for Unicaption to work?

No. It runs on your machine, in your browser, using audio you already hear. No admin settings, no plan requirements, no bot joining the call.

Captions that travel with you

Not with the meeting. Set up in 30 seconds — first 30 minutes free, no credit card.

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