Google Meet already offers translated captions, and for many calls that is enough. But captions have two limits: they are one-way text you read off the screen, and the set of supported caption languages is narrow. If you want to actually speak and be heard in another language, you need two-way voice translation.
Here is how to translate a Google Meet call in real time with Retalk — spoken translation in both directions, across 70+ languages.
Captions vs. two-way voice
Meet's native captions transcribe and translate what is said into on-screen text. Retalk translates the audio: you speak your language, the other side hears your voice in theirs, and you hear them in yours. Captions are a great backup; voice is what keeps a real conversation flowing.
No bot joins the meeting
Retalk installs as a virtual microphone and speaker on your Mac, so Google Meet treats it as a normal audio device. Nothing joins the call as a participant, and there is nothing for the other side to set up. See how no-bot translation works.
Step 1 — Pick your languages
In Retalk, choose the language you speak and the language the other side should hear. Retalk covers 70+ languages via Google's Gemini 3.5 Live Translate, so pairs that Meet captions do not support are usually available here.
Step 2 — Select the Retalk devices in Meet
Before joining, open the Google Meet audio settings (the gear icon) and set the microphone and speaker to the Retalk virtual devices. Your translated speech flows into the call through the Retalk microphone; the other side comes back through the Retalk speaker.
Step 3 — Talk, and keep captions on as backup
Join and speak normally. Translation runs both ways on separate tracks. Keep Retalk's live captions open for names, numbers, and technical terms that deserve a second look.
Quality and privacy
Speech-to-speech translation preserves the speaker's tone, pace, and pitch and streams with sub-second latency, so it sounds natural and stays in sync. Transcripts stay on the desktop app rather than being uploaded to the web. For how usage is measured, see how Retalk counts translated minutes.
Download Retalk for Mac to add two-way voice translation to your next Meet call.
