Last updated: October 2026
You're hosting a business meeting, town hall, or webinar on Zoom, but not everyone joining speaks the same language. Know the feeling? That's where live translation solutions like remote simultaneous interpretation, captions, subtitles and AI speech to speech translation can make the impossible possible.
Zoom offers some built-in language capability but, as many have found out, not the serious capability needed for serious events. Interprefy offers the same high-function multi-lingual support for Zoom as it does for other meeting and conferencing platforms.
Language interpretation, Zoom integration, and managed interpretation services ensure a seamless experience for all parties, to even the most complex set-ups, like for example The White House Summit on Climate Change.
But before we jump ahead of ourselves, let's look at the Zoom translation options available today.
In this article
- Live translation for Zoom
- Language interpretation for Zoom
- Translated live captions for Zoom
- AI speech translation for Zoom
- Summary
Live translation for Zoom
Hosts of multilingual Zoom meetings and webinars have essentially three types of translation technology available to them:
- Language interpretation: With this approach, simultaneous interpreters will be connected to your meeting and will relay the original speech in another language, in real-time. Meeting participants simply select their preferred language.
- Live-translated captioning / subtitling: As with television, meeting participants are provided with captions or subtitles so they can read what's being said. These captions are in the user's selected language however, and are generated automatically through Artificial Intelligence technology. They appear on screen in real time.
- AI speech translation: This solution adds live voice translation to your meeting, so participants hear what’s being said in their language. Zoom now offers its own Voice Translator for a small set of languages, while Interprefy AI works in any meeting or event and lets you add languages pretty much last minute. Meeting participants simply select their preferred language and listen to live AI speech translation.
Language interpretation for Zoom
Zoom's interpretation feature allows you to connect interpreters to your meetings. Meeting hosts have to activate the interpretation feature when scheduling the meeting and select the audio language channels they want to make available during the meeting.
Once scheduled, meeting hosts will need to find the right interpreters and invite them to the meeting in their designated roles. Interprefy does this for you.
How does the interpretation feature in Zoom work?
Zoom provides nine default languages for interpretation: English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Korean and Chinese. In addition to these, you can add as many custom languages to your list as you need.
However, during any single meeting or webinar, you can only use five custom languages alongside the nine default ones. To use up to 25 custom languages in a meeting, you need to contact Zoom Support.
When the meeting starts, the host starts interpretation, and each interpreter broadcasts into the audio channel for their language. Interpreters can switch between the main audio channel and their assigned language, and can also listen to another interpreter’s channel instead of the original speaker. Zoom calls this interpretation relay.
How can I activate the language interpretation feature in Zoom?
In order to use the language interpretation feature in Zoom, you will need a Zoom Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account. First, turn on language interpretation in your Zoom settings:
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Sign in to the Zoom web portal;
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In the top-right corner, click your profile picture or initials, then click Settings;
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Click the Meeting tab;
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Under In Meeting (Advanced), turn on the Language Interpretation toggle.
Then, when you schedule your meeting:
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In the Zoom web portal, click Meetings, then Schedule a Meeting;
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Next to Meeting ID, select Generate Automatically. Language interpretation doesn’t work with a Personal Meeting ID;
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Next to Interpretation, select Enable language interpretation;
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Add your interpreters’ email addresses and the languages they will interpret, then click Save.
How can users access interpretation in Zoom?
Once the interpretation in your required languages is set up, you will see an audio channel for each language in your Zoom meeting. Participants simply click Interpretation (the globe icon) in the meeting controls and select their preferred language. They can also click Mute Original Audio to hear only the interpreted language. This works in the Zoom desktop app, the mobile app and the web app.
Limitations of the Zoom interpretation feature
While Zoom's built-in interpretation feature is a popular choice for small, simple meetings, it comes with a few challenges for both the interpreter and the meeting organiser.
Limitations for interpreters
Initially, Zoom wasn't built for interpretation and lacks the specialized tools that professional interpreters require.
As with any resource, the difference a sub-optimal working environment makes is that the specialist, professional interpreters, who represent a significant cost, will not deliver as good a service as they should. A lot of the missing features relate to interpreters working together:
- With Zoom’s in-built feature, interpreters cannot hear their booth partner's rendition. This means that they cannot take over interpretation, a feature which is essential for longer events.
- Zoom is missing any interpreter handover capability, a key part of the ability to cope with events longer than a few minutes as mentioned above.
- Interpretation in break-out rooms is not available
- Zoom lacks fine operational details like being easily able to chat with other interpreters, functions that seem minor but make great differences to the accuracy of the final interpretation.
Limitations for meeting organisers
The success of multilingual Zoom meetings and larger events depends heavily on three key factors: having the right interpreters available; using reliable and specialized technology; and working with an experienced interpretation partner who can assist with setup, interpreter onboarding, and technical support — both general and language-specific — throughout the session.
However, organisers should also be aware of several built-in limitations within Zoom’s interpretation feature:
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Language Limits: While Zoom offers 9 default languages, organisers can only use up to 5 custom languages per meeting, or up to 25 by contacting Zoom Support. This can be restrictive for events requiring broader language support.
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Interpreter Constraints: Interpreters can only broadcast to one language channel at a time, and they must join from the Zoom desktop app using computer audio. Phone dial-in isn’t supported for interpreters.
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Platform Limitations: Interpretation can only be set up and managed from the Zoom desktop app. Participants on the mobile app or web app can listen to interpretation channels, but can’t manage interpretation, and it can’t be used in instant meetings or with a Personal Meeting ID.
- Recording Limitations: Cloud recordings capture the original audio and the interpretation channels, but local recordings only capture what the person recording can hear. Zoom doesn’t provide edited recordings or transcripts for each language, which may not meet post-event needs for multilingual content distribution.
Why do I need an interpretation partner for my multilingual Zoom meetings?
A professional end-to-end remote interpretation provider like Interprefy can help by setting you up for success and making your Zoom event a seamless and rewarding experience for all involved.
Interprefy can:
- Integrate our professional RSI platform with Zoom;
- Provide a best-in-class interpretation soft console for interpreters;
- Source the best-fit interpreters for your assignment;
- Provide dedicated project and technical support;
- Connect your Zoom meeting even to the most complex, hybrid setups;
- Provide additional services such as recording, transcripts, or live captioning.
Benefits for interpreters
Working with a dedicated platform like Interprefy also means better conditions for the interpreters themselves:
- Set up relay languages when not all interpreters share a common source language
- Hear their booth partner's rendition and communicate through cues and partner chat
- Smooth handover between partners during longer sessions
- Two-way interpretation support, so participants can also speak in their preferred language (e.g. during Q&As)
- Remote support and emergency procedures on hand if a technical issue comes up
With Interprefy for Zoom, both meeting participants and interpreters can enjoy a range of benefits, and focus solely on the content of their Zoom meeting or webinar, while Interprefy manages the rest.
The Interprefy real-time interpretation solution can be integrated with Zoom to stream the video and audio from the Zoom meeting to our interpreter soft console and feed the interpreters’ translated rendition of the speech back into Zoom into the respective interpretation audio channels.
Watch how Interprefy language interpretation for Zoom works:
Finding Zoom interpreters and translators for your meetings
Working with Interprefy, you can tap into a global pool of interpreting talent. Interprefy partners with leading Language Service Providers across the globe to source, train and onboard more than 6,000 vetted professional interpreters. That means you can find the best fit interpreters for even the rarest language combinations and with the expertise in your subject area.
Translated and multi-language captioning for Zoom
For Zoom meetings without language interpretation, meeting organisers can choose to activate closed captioning in multiple languages, providing participants with live transcription of what's being said. Captions can be a game changer, providing a range of benefits, from better accessibility, to better knowledge retention.
How the Zoom captioning feature works
Zoom meeting hosts can enable automatic live transcription / captioning for a meeting, or assign participants to manually type captions (CART). If a participant joins the meeting and closed captioning is available for that meeting, the captions can be viewed on the display.
Does Zoom have automated captions?
Yes, In October 2021 Zoom made automated captions, also known as live transcription, a feature available to all Zoom accounts.
Zoom meeting hosts have two captioning options available:
- Manual captions: Assign a meeting participant as a captioner, who will transcribe the speech live.
- Automated captions (live transcription): Uses the meeting audio to automatically create captions.
If you are required to use speech-to-text support for any compliance or accessibility needs in your meetings and webinars, Zoom themselves recommend using an external third-party service able to guarantee specific accuracy.
How to enable closed captioning in Zoom
Zoom’s automated captions provide a live transcription of what’s being said, helping make meetings more accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The setting is turned on by default for paid Zoom accounts, and account owners and admins can switch it on or off for the whole account or for groups of users.
To check or change the setting for the meetings and webinars you host:
- Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
- In the top-right corner, click your profile picture or initials, then click Settings.
- Click the Meeting tab.
- Under In Meeting (Advanced), turn on the Automated captions toggle. If a verification dialogue appears, click Enable.
- (Optional) Click the pencil icon to choose which languages are available for captioning.
- Manual captions allow the meeting host to assign a participant to type the closed captions.
- (Optional) Select Allow only the following users to enable captions for the meeting to let only the host, or the host and co-hosts, turn captions on. Participants can still ask the host to enable them.
- Click Save.
If the setting is greyed out, your Zoom admin has locked it at account or group level.
You can also turn on Automated captions on device, which processes captions on the participant’s own computer. This helps when the internet connection or audio quality is poor, and it requires the Zoom Workplace desktop app 6.5.3 or later.
How to start captioning in a Zoom meeting
When activated by the meeting host, participants can click on Show Captions (CC).
Automated captions will begin generating and appearing in the meeting window.
Which automatic captioning languages are available in Zoom?
Zoom can automatically generate live captions for speech in the following 49 languages and dialects: Afrikaans, Arabic, Arabic (Gulf), Bengali, Cantonese, Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), Galician, German, German (Switzerland), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Zulu.
How accurate are Zoom captions?
A recent study reports 90-95% captions accuracy. The problem with captions accuracy measurement however is that it often does not take into consideration the seriousness of mistakes. Zoom does not offer a dictionary tool, or any preparation capability to pre-populate the system with names, acronyms, or context-specific terms that you need to be sure will be accurately transcribed.
Related article
How good are live captions in Zoom and Teams?
Does Zoom have translated captions available?
Yes, Zoom-translated captions allow users to have the speech automatically real-time translated and access captions in another language. For example, if a meeting participant is speaking in English, other participants can view Italian, German, or Japanese captions.
Which caption languages are available during a meeting or webinar are determined by the host in the web settings before the live session, but participants can enable captions and switch languages themselves.
Translated captions are included in Zoom Workplace Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Plus and Enterprise Premier plans, or available as a paid add-on. Some accounts in regulated industries, such as healthcare and higher education, may not have access.
How to enable translated captions in Zoom
To enable or disable translated captions for all users in the account, the meeting host will require to follow these steps:- Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
- In the top-right corner, click your profile picture or initials, then click Admin Center.
- In the side menu, click Settings, then click Meeting.
- Under In Meeting (Advanced), click the Translated captions toggle to enable or disable it. Automated captions must be enabled first.
- If a verification dialogue displays, click Enable or Disable to verify the change.
- (Optional) Click Edit translation languages to select language pairs you want available in the meeting.
- (Optional) To prevent all users in your account from changing this setting, click the lock icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.
Which translated captions languages are available in Zoom?
Zoom’s multilingual toolkit includes AI live translated captions in only up to 36 languages, including Arabic, Cantonese, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese.
Dialects of one another are not currently supported for translation, such as translating between French (France) and French (Canada). Catalan and Welsh are supported when translating from one of the fully supported languages above, but cannot be the source language. Bengali and Greek can only be translated to and from a limited set of languages.
The limitations of Zoom captions
While a great first step in helping Zoom meeting organisers overcome accessibility and language barriers, Zoom's automatic captioning comes with a few limitations:
- Limited language support: Zoom currently only offers captioning in up to 49 languages. If you are lucky, this will be enough. If you are unlucky or if a last-minute change to your meeting requires another less-common language, you may be in trouble.
- Captioning accuracy: Zoom doesn't offer a preparation tool to ensure the accuracy of names, acronyms, brands and so on accurately. There is a rule of thumb in translation that is the more obscure a term, the more important it will be. Doing a new product launch and having the captioning system mess the product’s name up each time it is said will not look good.
How to take Zoom captioning to the next level with Interprefy
With Interprefy’s expanded captioning language support including dictionaries that extend into 80+ languages. Using Interprefy, Zoom sessions can now be streamed with real-time captions in additional languages, as well as translations to multiple languages.
- Pre-event set-up to prepare the system for all critical terminology;
- More captioning languages are available;
- Dedicated set-up and tech support;
- Interprefy Captions use the best translation engines for each language combination;
- Additional language support: Flexibly combine interpreting with automatic and/or translated captions and record your sessions for post-event usage.
Using Interprefy-powered captions and subtitles next time you host a Zoom event could mean the difference between merely having an audience and having a highly engaged audience.
AI speech translation for Zoom
Captions let participants read a meeting in their language. AI speech translation lets them listen to it. Zoom now offers a native option, and Interprefy Agent adds broader language coverage across platforms.
Zoom Voice Translator
In July 2026, Zoom launched Voice Translator, its own AI speech-to-speech translation for meetings. Each participant chooses the language they speak and the language they want to hear, and listens to a synthetic translated voice alongside or instead of the original speaker.
Before relying on it, it’s worth knowing that:
- it currently supports nine languages: English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic and Portuguese;
- it requires the Live Translation add-on or ZoomMate, with usage charged in AI credits;
- it only works in the Zoom desktop app for Windows and macOS;
- settings can only be changed during the meeting, and for long continuous speech, the translation plays after the speaker pauses;
- Zoom notes that translation quality may vary depending on the language pair, audio quality and speaking clarity.
Related Content: See how Zoom’s Voice Translator compares with Interprefy Agent.
Interprefy Agent: AI Speech Translation in 80+ Languages for Zoom
If you need more languages than Zoom covers, Interprefy Agent steps in. Acting as a secure virtual participant, Interprefy Agent streams your meeting audio to Interprefy’s platform, where AI produces live voice translation and captions in more than 80 languages, with Speaker Labels showing who is speaking. Attendees simply follow the secure link or QR code the Agent shares in the chat to listen or read in their preferred language on any device. With no extra software or complex routing, hosts can scale multilingual voice translation and richer caption support across Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Webex.
Interprefy Agent works with pre-scheduled Zoom meetings. It isn’t available for Personal Meeting Rooms, ad-hoc meetings, registration-required meetings and webinars, or breakout rooms. For those, and for professional interpreters, Interprefy’s integration and web and mobile apps are the better fit.
Summary: How to seamlessly bring best-in-class live translation to Zoom
If you're looking to bridge the language gap in your Zoom meetings or webinars, Interprefy can provide you with both leading-edge technology and hands-on support designed specifically for successful multi-lingual meetings. This will empower you to cater to the most complex configurations and also the simplest setups with the most demanding circumstances, like last-minute changes, rare languages and nervous speakers.
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