Interpreter in Microsoft Teams meetings

Notes: 

  • Interpreter is available as part of the public preview program and might undergo further changes before being released publicly. To get access to this and other upcoming features, switch to Teams public preview.

  • A Microsoft 365 Copilot license is required to participate in the public preview experience. Licensing details will be communicated at general availability.

Remove language barriers from multilingual Microsoft Teams meetings with the Interpreter agent, an AI-powered translator that lets participants speak and listen to others in their preferred languages.

Screenshot showing general Interpreter experience in a Microsoft Teams meeting.

In this article

Interpreter in meetings

When you turn on Interpreter during a Teams meeting, you’ll be able to hear Interpreter translate other participants into your preferred language.

When someone speaks in a language other than yours, you’ll hear the translation over the original speaker’s audio. You’ll also see an indicator on the original speaker’s video feed that shows their speech is being translated.

Screenshot of the indication that appears when someone’s speech is being interpreted in a Teams meeting.

People who don’t have Interpreter turned on will also see an indicator that someone’s speech is being translated. This provides everyone with a cue to let translation finish before they unmute and start speaking.

Supported languages

Interpreter currently supports the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Italian, German, French and Korean.

Turn on Interpreter

Turn on Interpreter in meetings with up to 1,000 participants, where multiple languages are being spoken.

To turn on Interpreter:

  1. Select More actions Microsoft Teams more options icon in your meeting controls.

  2. Select Language and speech Language and speech menu item icon > Turn on Interpreter Interpreter icon in Microsoft Teams.

  3. In Interpreter settings:

    • Select the language you want Interpreter to translate into from the Interpretation language dropdown menu.

    • Adjust the Balance audio slider to hear more original or interpreted audio.

    • Choose the voice you want other participants to hear your interpreted speech in from the Your voice representation dropdown menu. To learn more about voice simulation, see Voice simulation in Interpreter.

  4. Select Turn on.

To adjust Interpreter settings or turn off Interpreter, select the Interpreter indicator in your meeting window.

Select Settings to open Interpreter settings or Turn off for me to turn Interpreter off for yourself.

Screenshot highlighting Interpreter indicator in a Microsoft Teams meeting.

When you turn on Interpreter, multilingual speech recognition will also be turned on automatically, allowing participants to set their spoken and translated languages. Multilingual speech recognition can also be turned on independently of Interpreter.

Notes: 

  • Interpreter settings will persist through your future meetings.

  • Interpreter isn’t currently supported in ad-hoc meetings or calls, meetings using Microsoft Teams Rooms with personal devices, town halls, webinars, or Teams Free meetings.

  • Interpreter isn’t currently supported by Safari browsers.

Voice simulation in Interpreter

Voice simulation uses AI to generate a translated voice that preserves the speaker’s tone, pitch, and style, offering a familiar and immersive experience in the selected language

If you choose Voice simulation in your Interpreter settings, other participants will hear your translated speech in your own voice, making conversations more natural and engaging. Teams doesn’t store your voice data. You can turn off voice simulation anytime in your Interpreter settings.

Note: If voice simulation isn’t available, contact your IT admin.

Multilingual speech recognition

Notes: 

  • Multilingual speech recognition is available as part of the public preview program and might undergo further changes before being released publicly. To get access to this and other upcoming features, switch to Teams public preview.

  • Multilingual speech recognition is currently available in public preview for people with M365 Copilot or Teams Premium licenses. Licensing requirements for using this feature may change.

When you organize a meeting or event where multiple languages will be spoken, turn on multilingual speech recognition to ensure clear communication between all participants. Multilingual speech recognition can be turned on independently of Interpreter, using live translated captions during the meeting.

To turn on multilingual speech recognition:

  1. Select Calendar Teams Calendar tab icon in Teams.

  2. Double-click an event.

  3. Select Edit Edit icon.

    • If you double-clicked an instance of a meeting series, select whether you want to edit This event, This and all following events, or All events in the series.

  4. Select Meeting options Settings icon.

  5. In Copilot and other AI Copilot Icon, turn on the Enable multilingual speech recognition toggle.

  6. Select Save.

When you turn on multilingual speech recognition, participants can select their own spoken and translation languages. The meeting transcript can accurately reflect each participant’s selections.

Best practices for Interpreter

For the best experiences using Interpreter:

  • Use Interpreter during meetings that are more structured, with one person speaking at a time for longer durations.

  • Turn on multilingual speech recognition in your meeting options to ensure all participants can understand each other, with or without Interpreter.

  • Pause briefly after someone speaks to allow the translation to fully process. This ensures that everyone remains aligned.

  • Turn on your camera for a more natural Interpreter experience.

  • Easily catch up on key discussions through intelligent meeting recap, now supporting multilingual meetings. After the meeting, your recap is automatically generated in the translation language you selected for live transcription and captions.

Interpreter limitations

  • Meeting recordings only capture the original meeting audio and don’t include interpretation audio.

  • Translated transcripts are only available live during the meeting. After the meeting ends, only the original (spoken) language is shown in the transcript.

  • Interpreter isn’t optimized for meetings with rapid exchanges, interruptions, or overlapping dialogue, as the translation may take longer than the original speech, making it harder to follow and respond naturally.

  • Interpretation of people’s names and genders may be inaccurate.

FAQ

What types of meetings are supported by Interpreter?

Interpreter supports remote, physical, and hybrid meetings where participants join online via their own devices or share a computer in a meeting room.

Supported:

  • Remote: All participants join individually from their own laptops or desktop computers.

  • Physical: Multiple in-person participants share a single laptop or desktop computer in the same room to hear interpretation.

  • Hybrid: A mix of remote participants joining from their own devices and in-person participants hear interpretation. The in-person group shares a single computer to hear interpretation audio.

Can people from other orgs use Interpreter?

People from other orgs can use Interpreter in a meeting if they join from an account with a valid M365 Copilot license. People joining anonymously can’t use Interpreter because their identity and license status can’t be verified.

How does voice simulation work?

In voice simulation, Interpreter samples brief segments of the speaker’s voice to simulate their tone, style, and voice characteristics. Voice simulation doesn’t store voice data or add emotional sentiment.

You can opt out of voice simulation anytime and choose a different voice style in your Interpreter settings.

Submit feedback

We’re always looking for ways to improve features. To provide feedback, select the Interpreter indicator Interpreter icon in Microsoft Teams in your meeting window. Select either the thumbs up or down button.

Screenshot highlighting Interpreter feedback buttons.

Add your feedback and select Submit to send your comments directly to Microsoft.

Related topics

Use live captions in Microsoft Teams meetings

Use language interpretation in Microsoft Teams meetings

Need more help?

Want more options?

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.