Google Meet’s latest update brings a built-in live translation feature. If you’re managing global teams, hosting international webinars, or supporting multilingual clients, this tool gives you a direct way to improve communication without needing third-party apps or manual interpretation.

What Changed in Google Meet?

Google Meet now supports real-time translation of spoken language during meetings. As someone speaks, their audio is transcribed and translated into another language as captions. The feature supports a growing list of languages—currently including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German—with more expected.

Why This Matters

If you're hosting a team call with members from different regions, you no longer need to rely on someone to interpret or worry about hiring translators. Everyone can follow the discussion in their preferred language, which can increase participation and reduce misunderstandings.

How It Works

You need to be using Google Meet on a web browser or mobile app with a supported Workspace plan. Here’s how to enable it:

1. Start or join a meeting in Google Meet.

2. Click on “More options” (three dots at the bottom right).

3. Go to “Settings” > “Captions.”

4. Turn on “Translated captions.”

5. Choose your language.

Let’s say the speaker is talking in English, and you select French. You’ll now see French subtitles in real time. It’s not perfect, but it’s fast and useful enough for live conversations.

Use Cases

• Remote Teams: Team members in different countries can follow meetings in their own language.

• Client Demos: You can run product demos in English and let non-English-speaking clients follow along.

• Internal Training: Onboarding materials and sessions can be made accessible to new hires worldwide.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Accuracy improves with clearer audio and slower speech.

• Translation is currently limited to a small number of languages.

• You can’t download translated captions yet.

• You need a Google Workspace account (not available for free Gmail users).

Questions to Ask Yourself

• Are you regularly working with clients or team members who speak different languages?

• Do language gaps slow down your workflows or create misunderstandings?

• Could translated captions help during live training or onboarding sessions?

If yes, you might want to turn this feature on by default.