Zoom is finally getting Translated captions upgrade but only if you pay
A new update may soon make it unnecessary to struggle through a foreign-language Zoom call. The video conferencing platform has announced that users will soon be able to access translated subtitles, with 12 languages initially supported. However, not everyone will be able to use the new feature because you must have a premium Zoom account and then pay for an additional add-on in order to use it. Zoom says that translated captions get rid of the need for translators and third-party integrations, so you can make every meeting and webinar feel more inclusive.
The translated captions will appear in the full recording transcript if a meeting or webinar is recorded but not on the recording itself-in addition to being translated and presented in real-time. Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian are the first languages supported, with Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean accessible in beta. The add-on is available for $5/month per user with any paid Zoom license. However, any license type inside a paid account (including Basic) can use when purchased.
When enabled through the Zoom web portal, translated captions adhere to a host’s established settings, which means that once enabled, all participants and attendees can use them in their meetings or webinar. While in a meeting, full transcripts can be enabled, with the text shown in a pane on the right side of the interface. The announcement comes just days after Microsoft Teams, Zoom’s main competitor, announced that live translated captions will be added to its platform.
When starting and setting up a call in Microsoft Teams, users will be able to choose live captions in the language of their choice. This will help them communicate better with other callers.