Short answer: yes — Zoom now has three ways to translate a meeting. Voice Translator plays AI-translated speech into each participant’s ears, currently in English, Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish, on the desktop app, with the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate. Translated captions show translated text in more than 30 languages, for hosts on Business Plus, Enterprise plans or the captions add-on. Language Interpretation gives human interpreters their own audio channels. If your languages, plan or devices fall outside those, you need a separate tool.
This guide was updated in September 2026 to cover Voice Translator. Every requirement below comes from Zoom’s support articles on Voice Translator, translated captions and Language Interpretation.
Zoom’s three translation options at a glance
| Voice Translator | Translated captions | Language Interpretation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What people get | AI-translated voice, alongside or instead of the original | Translated text above the toolbar | Human interpreters on separate audio channels |
| Languages | English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish | 30+ fully supported, plus partial pairs | Whatever your interpreters speak |
| Who chooses the language | Each participant, independently | Each participant, from pairs the host allows | Each attendee picks an interpreter channel |
| Requirements | Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate; feature enabled; desktop app 7.0.0+ (Windows, macOS) | Host on Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials/Plus/Premier, or Translated Captions add-on; automated captions on | Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account; scheduled meeting; up to 200 interpreters |
| Cost model | AI credits | Contact Zoom Sales | You pay the interpreters |
How to use Zoom Voice Translator
Zoom’s support article lists the steps:
- Sign in to the Zoom desktop app — Windows or macOS, version 7.0.0 or higher.
- Join a meeting, then click More in the meeting controls and choose Voice Translator.
- Choose My speaking language and Language you want to hear.
- Optionally balance the audio volume — Zoom suggests lowering the original voice and raising the translated one — and pick a translated voice style.
When someone speaks, a Voice Translator icon appears next to their name, visible only to you. Zoom describes near real-time interpretation for short speech, with playback after the speaker pauses during long continuous speech.
Requirements and limits: a Basic, Pro, Business or Enterprise account with the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate; the feature enabled; the desktop app; and five languages today. Zoom’s announcement says Portuguese, Arabic, German and Italian are planned for later in 2026, and notes it may not be available in all regions or industries. Settings can only be configured during a meeting, and usage is metered in AI credits. On privacy, Zoom states that no meeting audio is stored and no voice prints are created.
How to use Zoom translated captions
Captions are the broader-language option, for when reading along is enough:
- An admin enables it. In the Zoom web portal, go to Admin Center → Settings → Meeting → In Meeting (Advanced) and turn on Translated captions — automated captions must be enabled first — then choose which language pairs are available.
- Each participant turns it on. In the meeting, click the up arrow next to Show Captions, enable Translation under Captions and translation, and select the language you want to read. Everyone can choose independently.
Zoom lists more than 30 fully supported languages — including Portuguese, German, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Indonesian and Vietnamese — with more limited support for a few others. Dialects of the same language, such as French (France) and French (Canada), are not translated between. Some accounts in regulated industries like healthcare and higher education may not have access.
When you need people: Language Interpretation
For board meetings, negotiations or events where accuracy is critical, Zoom’s Language Interpretation lets the host designate up to 200 participants as interpreters, each providing an audio channel for the language they translate into. Attendees pick a channel and can mute the original audio. It needs a Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account and a scheduled meeting — not an instant meeting or a Personal Meeting ID. It is the only native option that covers any language — as long as you hire the interpreters.
When Zoom’s translation isn’t enough
Voice Translator is a real step forward for teams that live in Zoom. It still leaves common business cases uncovered:
- Your language is not one of the five — Portuguese, German, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Indonesian and Vietnamese are not supported by Voice Translator today.
- Your client’s account has no add-on. Voice Translator depends on the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate; translated captions depend on the host’s plan or add-on.
- Someone is on a phone or in a browser. Voice Translator’s documented requirement is the Windows or macOS desktop app.
For those cases, Talkniva offers two options:
- The beta meeting interpreter. Paste the Zoom link in Talkniva, choose the two languages, and a named Talkniva interpreter joins as a participant, carrying translated voice both ways. The host speaks and listens in the Talkniva browser tab; the other participants stay in Zoom and install nothing from Talkniva. The organizer may need to admit it from the waiting room. It is in beta, so test it before a critical call.
- A Talkniva room instead of Zoom. Guests join by link in the browser, with no account and no download; each active guest gets translated voice, camera and live captions in 13 languages.
Talkniva does not record or store calls, audio, video or transcripts. If you bring the interpreter into someone else’s meeting, you must have permission and tell participants that it processes meeting audio.
What it costs
Zoom’s options are tied to add-ons, plans or AI credits, and translated-caption pricing is handled by Zoom Sales. Talkniva is prepaid, with no subscription and no free plan: US$7.60 for 20 guest-minutes, US$19 for a guest-hour, down to US$13.30 per guest-hour on the 10-hour pack. See pricing.
Related guides
- Google Meet and Teams have their own native features: see Google Meet real-time translation and Microsoft Teams real-time translation.
- Comparing all three platforms at once: how to translate an online meeting in real time.
Need translated voice outside Zoom’s languages or plans? Start now.
Frequently asked questions
How do I translate a Zoom meeting?
Pick the option that matches the meeting: turn on Voice Translator from More in the meeting controls if your account has the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate and your languages are among its five; turn on translated captions if reading is enough; or schedule human interpreters with Language Interpretation. If none fits, bring Talkniva’s beta interpreter into the meeting or move the call to a Talkniva room.
Can Zoom translate a call in real time?
Yes, in three ways. Voice Translator plays AI-translated speech in English, Chinese, French, Japanese or Spanish; translated captions show translated text in more than 30 languages; and Language Interpretation gives human interpreters their own audio channels. Each has its own plan or add-on requirement.
How do I turn on Zoom Voice Translator?
Sign in to the Zoom desktop app (Windows or macOS 7.0.0 or later), join a meeting, click More in the meeting controls and choose Voice Translator. Pick your speaking language and the language you want to hear, and optionally balance the original and translated volume. Your account needs the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate, and Voice Translator must be enabled.
How do I turn on translated captions in Zoom?
An admin enables Translated captions in the web portal (Automated captions must be on first) and chooses the language pairs. In the meeting, click the up arrow next to Show Captions, enable Translation and pick the language you want to read. The host needs Zoom Workplace Business Plus or an Enterprise plan, or the Translated Captions add-on.
Is Zoom real-time translation free?
No. Voice Translator requires the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate and uses AI credits, and translated captions require Business Plus, an Enterprise plan or the Translated Captions add-on, priced through Zoom Sales. Same-language automated captions are a separate feature.
What can I use when Zoom’s translation does not cover my language or plan?
For languages beyond Voice Translator’s five, a client on a basic account, or a call that must work on a phone or in a browser, you can bring Talkniva’s beta interpreter into the Zoom meeting as a participant, or hold the call in a Talkniva browser room that guests join by link, in 13 languages.