Live translation guides
How do I translate a meeting in real time on a Mac?
Use an app that listens to the meeting audio on your Mac and shows original and translated captions. SpeechShield's Translation mode doesn't add a bot to Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams: it transcribes what the other side says and puts a translation in your language right under it.
Getting started
- On Home, pick Translation and set the languages as original → translation, for example Spanish → English.
- In Settings → Audio, listen to system audio and choose the meeting app as the capture source. To translate yourself too, choose Both.
- Press Start, and a translation appears under the original as each sentence ends.
- To keep a single caption window over the meeting, set the overlay to Script only.
Choosing where translation runs
- This Mac: free, using the speech recognition and translation built into macOS, and your voice never leaves the Mac. You pick one original language.
- SpeechShield-hosted AI: no setup, detects the original language on its own and follows when it changes mid-meeting. Uses your plan's allowance.
- Your own API key: live translation with a Soniox or OpenAI key, billed by the provider.
Useful during the meeting
- Catch up (⌘⇧'): if your mind wandered or you joined late, get a short summary of what was said, in your translation language.
- Term explanations: hover a caption to get a one-line explanation of an acronym or in-house term. Pick a meeting context as the glossary to use its definitions.
- Phone: read the same captions in large type on a phone connected with a QR code.
- Changing languages: switch the original and translation languages from the language chip under the title, even mid-session.
Related questions
Can I get suggestions on what to say as well?
Use Meeting mode. Turn on conversation translation to add a translation under what the other side says, and it suggests what to say in the meeting's language. With answer translation (Pro and Max), suggestions get a translation too. If you only need captions, Translation mode is lighter.
Do I need to tell attendees I'm translating?
Translating means transcribing the meeting, and some regions and organizations require consent for that. If you're not sure, say at the start that you're transcribing with AI.
Try live translation captions on your Mac for free
It shows audio from calls and videos as original and translated captions. No card needed.