# How to Turn On Translated Captions in Zoom (Host and Guest)

> In Zoom, the host enables live transcription and captions in settings, then participants click Show Captions and choose their language. Translated captions need to be enabled by the host or account owner and depend on the plan and add-ons, which Zoom changes over time. If you are a guest and the option isn't offered, use a separate live captioning tool such as Unicaption, which translates in 60+ languages from your own audio without joining the call.

Published 2026-10-06 · The Unicaption Team · Human-readable version: https://unicaption.com/blog/zoom-translated-captions-how-to.html

## If you're the host or account owner

**1. Enable live transcription**
In the web portal, open Settings and look for the meeting options for closed captioning or live transcription. Turn on automated captions and allow participants to request them.

**2. Check translation options**
Where your plan supports translated captions, the same area offers languages for translation. Some require a separate add-on, so check what your plan includes.

**3. Start the meeting and enable captions**
In the meeting controls, open the captions menu and choose to enable the feature for the meeting. Participants will then see the option.

**4. Tell people it's on**
Say so at the start and show how to turn it on. Many participants never open the captions menu unprompted.

## If you're a participant

- **Look for Show Captions** (or Closed Caption) in the meeting controls. If it appears, click it.
- **Open the caption settings** to choose your spoken language and, if offered, a translation language.
- **If nothing appears,** the host has not enabled it. Ask them to, politely and specifically: please turn on live transcription for this meeting.
- **Adjust the size** of captions in the same settings so you can read them while watching the speaker.

> Asking in the chat works better than asking out loud. Hosts often don't know the setting exists until someone names it.

## What usually blocks translated captions

- ⚠ **Captions are off at the account level.** Only the account administrator can change it.
- ⚠ **The plan or add-on doesn't include translation.** Plain captions may exist while translation doesn't.
- ⚠ **The language pair isn't supported.**
- ⚠ **You joined by phone or a limited client** with no captions menu.
- ⚠ **The host never started the feature** in the meeting, even though the account allows it.

For the general version of this problem across platforms, see [live captions without host permission](/blog/live-captions-without-host-permission.html), and for how Zoom's own feature compares with a dedicated tool, see [Unicaption vs Zoom translated captions](/blog/unicaption-vs-zoom-translated-captions.html).

## How Unicaption fits

When the host won't or can't enable translation, you can caption the call yourself. Unicaption is a real-time captioning and translation copilot that listens to your device's audio, so it works the same on any Zoom call.

- ✓ **Live captions with side-by-side translation** in 60+ languages, with automatic language detection
- ✓ **No bot, no host permission:** it uses your microphone or system audio, so nothing joins and nobody is notified
- ✓ **Custom dictionary** for names and technical terms, with built-in medical, legal, and government terminology
- ✓ **Private:** end-to-end encrypted sessions, audio never stored, transcripts deleted at session end, never used to train models

## Getting better captions on Zoom

- **Headset microphones** make a bigger difference than any caption setting.
- **Ask for one speaker at a time,** and for people to say their name before speaking in large calls.
- **Share a short glossary** of names and terms before the meeting.
- **Don't rely on captions alone** for consequential decisions; see [when not to use AI interpreting](/blog/when-not-to-use-ai-interpreting.html).

## Frequently asked

**How do I turn on translated captions in Zoom?**
The host or account owner must enable live transcription and, where the plan supports it, translated captions. Participants then click Show Captions and choose their language. If the option isn't offered, a separate tool such as Unicaption can translate the call from your own audio in 60+ languages.

**Can I turn on Zoom captions without the host?**
Not inside Zoom: the host controls the feature. You can use an outside captioning tool that listens to your device audio, which needs no host permission and joins nothing.

**Why don't I see the Show Captions button in Zoom?**
Usually the host hasn't enabled live transcription, the account has captions disabled, or you joined through a client without that menu. Ask the host to enable it, or use an external captioning tool.

**Does Unicaption work on Zoom calls?**
Yes. Unicaption captions your device's audio, so it works beside Zoom, Teams, Meet, and Webex. Audio is never stored and transcripts are deleted when the session ends.

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*[Unicaption](https://unicaption.com) is a real-time AI captioning and translation copilot for human interpreters — live captions and translation in 60+ languages, end-to-end encrypted, nothing stored. 30 free minutes every week, no credit card required.*