Zoom translation in real time

KONWA

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Zoom Voice Translator, translated captions and KONWA

Zoom’s current support page lists nine Voice Translator languages: English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, Arabic and Portuguese. It lists Basic, Pro, Business and Enterprise accounts, with the required add-on or ZoomMate. This is separate from translated captions eligibility.

In a meeting, open More → Voice Translator and choose your speaking and listening languages. For translated captions, the account must enable automated and translated captions; participants then choose their caption language. Availability and administrator controls still apply. The support pages below were checked on October 9, 2026.

Zoom translated captions: what they need and why they go missing

Zoom translated captions show what people say as text in the language each participant chooses. They depend on the host’s account, not yours: the host needs Zoom Workplace Business Plus or an Enterprise plan, or the Translated Captions add-on, and automated captions must be turned on before translated captions can be. The host also decides which languages are available.

Turn them on in a meeting

Click Show Captions in the toolbar (or More → Captions), then the arrow next to it. Under Captions and translation, enable Translation and choose your language. Your choice applies only to you and is kept for later meetings.

Why the option is missing

• The host’s plan does not include translated captions and no add-on is assigned.
• Automated or translated captions are off in the host’s web settings, or an administrator locked them.
• The language pair is not supported: dialects of one language are not translated into each other, and a few languages work in one direction only.
• The account is in a regulated industry, such as healthcare or higher education, that may not have access.

KONWA’s Listen Translation does not depend on the host’s plan. During your translation session it captions the other side in your language on your screen, and your replies reach them as translated speech through the virtual microphone. It uses your KONWA time and is text on your screen, not Zoom’s shared captions.

When to use KONWA with Zoom

• You want your translated speech to reach the meeting through your microphone, while other people keep using Zoom normally.
• You switch between Zoom and other calling apps and want to reuse the same translation setup.
• Your computer allows KONWA and the virtual microphone to be installed, and Zoom lets you select that microphone.

If Zoom Voice Translator already gives you the spoken translations you need, start there. KONWA does not speak the other side’s replies back to you; it captions them. You do not need a Zoom translation add-on for KONWA’s microphone route, but KONWA is a separate service with its own trial and paid time.

What you need before installing KONWA

• A microphone, headphones, internet access and a KONWA account with available translation time.
• Permission to install KONWA and its bundled virtual microphone, and to select that microphone in the call app. Managed computers or organization policies may restrict this.
• For captions on macOS, permission for KONWA to record system audio. KONWA does not bypass meeting, device or organization restrictions.

The other participants do not need KONWA. It runs on your Mac or Windows PC; it is not an iPhone, Android, Linux or browser-only app.

Set up KONWA in Zoom

1Install KONWA and its virtual microphone

Use the macOS installation guide or Windows installation guide. On Mac, authorize KONWA Microphone when prompted. On Windows, keep VB-CABLE selected in the installer and restart after installation. Sign in to KONWA.

2Choose your languages and start translation

Check your microphone in KONWA, choose the language you speak and one language the other side should hear, then start translation. This sends one translated output language; it does not deliver a different language to each participant.

3Set Zoom’s microphone

In the Zoom desktop app, open Settings → Audio → Microphone and select the device below. Keep the speaker on headphones. If Zoom changes the translated voice’s level noticeably, check Automatically adjust microphone volume.

Keep the call app’s speaker/output and your system output on headphones. On Windows, do not use CABLE Input for normal playback. Headphones also keep the microphone from picking up the call and translating it again.

4Test the translated microphone

Use Zoom’s Test microphone and say a short sentence. The playback should contain KONWA’s translated speech. If you still hear the original language, recheck the selected microphone and translation session.

Read the other side as translated captions

While a KONWA translation session is running, choose Zoom under Listen and their speech appears as captions in your language, on your screen only. See translated captions only you see for setup, permissions and what others see when you share your screen.

If Zoom translation is unavailable or audio is wrong

Voice Translator or translated captions are missing

Check the requirements for that specific feature, your Zoom desktop version and account settings. For translated captions, automated captions must also be enabled. Ask the account administrator about locked settings.

The translated voice fades, changes volume or is absent

Check that KONWA is running, Zoom is not muted and the virtual microphone is selected. If levels keep changing, test with automatic microphone-volume adjustment disabled. Keep the speaker on headphones.

You want incoming speech, not captions

KONWA’s Listen Translation provides text. Use Zoom’s own Voice Translator if its spoken-output behavior and availability fit your needs.

Questions about Zoom translation

Related setup guides

Use the same translated microphone with Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or Discord. For persistent audio problems, see Troubleshooting.

Official feature references

Native feature details checked on October 9, 2026; translated captions re-checked on October 10, 2026. Availability depends on the provider’s current plan, app, language and administrator settings; check the linked documentation for changes.

• Zoom — Using Voice Translator
• Zoom — Translated captions
• Zoom — Viewing captions in another language