Microsoft Teams already offers live captions and translated captions through Microsoft Translator, and for following along they work well. But captions are one-way text on screen. To actually speak your own language and have the other side hear your voice in theirs, you need two-way voice translation.
Here is how to translate a Microsoft Teams meeting in real time with Retalk — spoken translation both ways, across 70+ languages, with no bot joining the call.
Captions vs. two-way voice
Teams' translated captions turn speech into text in your reading language. Retalk translates the audio: you speak, the other side hears your voice in their language, and you hear them in yours. Keep Teams captions on as a reading backup if you like — the two complement each other.
No bot, no admin request
Retalk installs as a virtual microphone and speaker on your Mac, so Teams treats it as a normal audio device. Nothing joins the meeting as a participant, and you do not need a Teams admin to enable an add-on. See how no-bot translation works.
Step 1 — Choose your languages
In Retalk, pick the language you speak and the language the other side should hear. Coverage is 70+ languages via Google's Gemini 3.5 Live Translate. The pre-call checklist covers this quickly.
Step 2 — Set Teams audio devices
In Teams, open Settings then Devices, and set your microphone and speaker to the Retalk virtual devices. Your translated voice goes into the meeting through the Retalk microphone; the other side returns through the Retalk speaker to be translated for you.
Step 3 — Join and talk normally
Join the Teams meeting as usual. Translation runs both directions on separate tracks, preserving each speaker's tone and pace with sub-second latency, so the call stays in sync.
Privacy
Transcripts stay on the desktop app rather than being uploaded — see why that matters. Comparing options? See the 2026 tools guide.
Download Retalk for Mac to translate your next Teams call.
