You need to understand spoken content in a language you do not speak during a Microsoft Teams meeting. Copilot in Teams can provide real-time translation of spoken dialogue into captions in your preferred language. This feature uses the same AI that powers Copilot for Microsoft 365 to transcribe and translate meeting audio on the fly. This article explains the prerequisites, the setup steps, and the limitations of real-time translation so you can configure it correctly.
Key Takeaways: Real-Time Translation Setup in Teams Meetings
- Teams meeting > Copilot icon > Language and speech > Spoken language: Select the source language you want translated.
- Teams meeting > Copilot icon > Language and speech > Caption language: Pick the target language for translated captions.
- Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Copilot > Data sources: Ensure that meeting transcription is enabled for Copilot to access spoken content.
What Real-Time Translation Does and What You Need
Real-time translation in Teams meetings converts spoken language into captions displayed in a language you choose. The translation appears as live captions beneath the meeting video feed. This is not the same as the Copilot meeting summary feature, which generates a recap after the meeting. Real-time translation works during the meeting and requires no additional action from the speaker.
To use this feature, you need the following:
- A Microsoft 365 license that includes Copilot for Microsoft 365. This requires a Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard, or Business Premium subscription with the Copilot add-on.
- The Teams desktop app version 1.7 or later. The web app and mobile app do not support real-time translation at this time.
- Meeting transcription enabled. The meeting organizer must turn on transcription in the meeting options or during the meeting.
- A supported spoken language. Currently, Teams supports translation for English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese Simplified.
The translation engine uses the same AI models that power Copilot in other Microsoft 365 apps. It processes the audio stream in near real time and generates captions in the target language. Accuracy depends on audio quality, speaker clarity, and background noise.
Steps to Enable Real-Time Translation in a Teams Meeting
Follow these steps to set up real-time translation during a Teams meeting. You must do this while the meeting is active. The setting applies only to your view. Other participants will not see your translated captions unless they configure the same setting.
- Join the meeting and open the Copilot pane
In the meeting window, select the Copilot icon on the top toolbar. The icon looks like a diamond with a sparkle. The Copilot pane opens on the right side of the screen. - Select Language and speech
At the bottom of the Copilot pane, select the Language and speech option. This opens a submenu with two dropdown menus: Spoken language and Caption language. - Set the spoken language
In the Spoken language dropdown, select the language that is being spoken in the meeting. For example, if the presenter is speaking French, choose French. This tells Copilot which language to translate from. - Set the caption language
In the Caption language dropdown, select the language you want the captions to appear in. For example, choose English to see English captions for French speech. The captions update in real time as people speak. - Enable live captions if they are not already on
If live captions are not already showing, select the More icon on the meeting toolbar, then select Language and speech > Turn on live captions. The translated captions appear at the bottom of the meeting window. You can move the caption bar by dragging it.
The translation stops when the meeting ends. You cannot save the translated captions as a separate file. To review translated content after the meeting, use the Copilot meeting summary, which includes a transcript in the original language only.
If Translation Is Not Working or Missing
Copilot pane does not show Language and speech
This means your license or app version does not support real-time translation. Verify that you have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license assigned. Open Teams > Settings > About Teams and confirm the version is 1.7 or later. Update the app if needed. If you are using the web app, switch to the desktop app.
Spoken language option is grayed out
The meeting organizer has not turned on transcription. Ask the organizer to select the More icon > Settings > Meeting options > Allow transcription. Or during the meeting, the organizer can select Record and transcribe > Start transcription. Once transcription is active, the Language and speech options become available.
Captions show the original language instead of translated text
The Caption language dropdown is set to the same language as the Spoken language. Open the Copilot pane again and change the Caption language to a different language. For example, if Spoken language is German, set Caption language to English.
Translation quality is poor or inconsistent
Background noise, multiple people speaking at once, or strong accents can reduce accuracy. Ask participants to mute themselves when not speaking. Use a headset to improve audio input. The translation engine works best with clear, single-speaker audio. It may struggle with technical jargon or rapid speech.
Copilot Real-Time Translation vs Standard Live Captions
| Item | Real-Time Translation with Copilot | Standard Live Captions |
|---|---|---|
| License required | Copilot for Microsoft 365 add-on | None (included in Teams) |
| Translation capability | Translates spoken language into a different language | Displays captions only in the original spoken language |
| Supported languages | 8 languages for translation | Over 30 languages for captions |
| Post-meeting transcript | Transcript in original language only | Transcript in original language only |
| Customization | Choose source and target language per user | Choose display position and size |
Real-time translation requires a Copilot license and offers language conversion. Standard live captions are free but do not translate. If you only need captions in the same language as the speaker, use standard live captions. If you need to understand a foreign language during the meeting, use the Copilot real-time translation feature.
After setting up real-time translation, you can also use Copilot to ask questions about the meeting content. Open the Copilot pane and type a question like “What was the main point about the budget?” Copilot will answer based on the meeting transcript. This works even if you have the translation feature active. The combination of real-time translation and on-demand Q&A gives you full understanding of meetings in any supported language.
To get the most out of this feature, test the translation in a low-stakes meeting first. Set the spoken language to your native language and the caption language to a language you know well. This lets you verify that the translation is accurate before you rely on it for critical meetings. You can also adjust the caption position by dragging the caption bar to avoid overlapping with shared content.