Two ways to follow a Zoom call in another language. One is built into Zoom and set up by the host. The other runs in your own browser tab. Here is what each does, where each fits, and the trade-offs.
If the host’s Zoom plan is eligible and translated captions are enabled, use Zoom’s native translated captions. Nothing else to install, and it works in the Zoom desktop app.
If those captions are not available to you, and you can join Zoom in Chrome or Edge, use SidebySpeak. It captures the audio of Zoom’s web app in your browser tab and shows bilingual captions in an overlay only you see, unless you share that tab or screen. Neither option adds a meeting bot to the participant list.
Zoom transcribes the meeting and can translate captions into another language. The host’s account needs a qualifying plan or the Translated Captions add-on, and the feature must be enabled. Participants then turn on captions and pick an available language. It runs in the Zoom desktop and web apps.
A Chrome and Edge extension that captures audio from a browser tab you choose and shows two languages side by side as live captions. It works with Zoom’s web app as well as other browser meetings and videos. It is text only: it never sends a translated voice into the meeting.
SidebySpeak can only hear audio playing in a browser tab. If you join Zoom with the desktop app, SidebySpeak cannot capture it. Join from your browser when Zoom offers that option. If browser joining is turned off for a meeting or your organization requires the desktop app, Zoom’s native captions are the better fit. See the Zoom setup guide for the browser steps.
Numbers in brackets link to the Zoom source each row was checked against.
| Feature | SidebySpeak | Zoom translated captions |
|---|---|---|
| Host settings | No change to Zoom’s caption settings required. You authorize browser-tab capture. Browser joining must be available and your organization’s rules still apply. | Automated and translated captions must be enabled for an eligible host account. Participants can then turn captions on and choose an available language themselves. [2] Source: Zoom: Enabling and configuring translated captions |
| Where it works | Audio playing in a selected Chrome or Edge tab: Zoom’s web app, Google Meet, Teams on the web, and other eligible tabs. Not audio from the Zoom desktop app. | Zoom meetings and webinars, including the supported Zoom desktop and web apps. [1] Source: Zoom: Viewing captions in another language |
| Languages | 60 supported languages. Choose two for bilingual captions; available on every plan. | 36 broadly supported language entries, plus destination-only and restricted language pairs. Host settings determine which pairs are available; some dialect-to-dialect translations are excluded. [1] Source: Zoom: Viewing captions in another language |
| Transcripts | Saved transcripts stay in the extension’s browser data by default, not a SidebySpeak server archive. Optional email delivery sends a copy through our email provider. | Zoom says caption saving/downloading ended May 18, 2026. Retaining speech-to-text data now requires its separate Meeting transcripts feature and settings. [3] Source: Zoom: Saving closed captions in a meeting |
| Getting started / free use | $0 Free plan with 20 minutes each month; no credit card required. Paid plans add minutes. | Translated captions require the host to have a qualifying Zoom Workplace plan or the Translated Captions add-on. An attendee does not need to buy their own translation add-on when the host qualifies. [2] Source: Zoom: Enabling and configuring translated captions |
| Bot in the participant list | No meeting bot joins. Your captions appear in your browser overlay; they may be visible if you share the tab or screen containing them. | No separate meeting bot joins; captions are a built-in Zoom feature. [1] Source: Zoom: Viewing captions in another language |
Using both is fine too: Zoom’s captions in the desktop app for some meetings, SidebySpeak for browser calls on other platforms. Either way, follow your organization’s policies and any consent requirements for capturing meeting audio. Neither tool guarantees perfect accuracy, so check important details with the speaker.
Processing is not all on your device. Live audio is relayed through SidebySpeak to a speech provider for transcription and translation. Saved transcripts stay in the extension’s browser data by default. Optional features such as Learn and transcript email send selected content to their providers. The privacy policy lists each one.
Use Zoom’s built-in translated captions when the host’s plan and settings support them, or use SidebySpeak with Zoom’s web app in Chrome or Edge. SidebySpeak captures audio from the browser tab and shows bilingual captions in an overlay without adding a meeting bot.
SidebySpeak does not require the host to enable Zoom’s caption or translation settings. You still need to be able to join Zoom in the browser, authorize tab capture, and follow your organization’s policies and any consent requirements. It does not bypass meeting access controls.
Not for capturing the desktop app’s audio. This setup requires Zoom audio to play in a browser tab. Join from your browser when Zoom offers that option; if browser joining is unavailable or you must use the desktop app, Zoom’s native translated captions may be the better fit.
No SidebySpeak bot appears in the participant list. The extension produces text captions, not a translated voice for other participants. You can optionally include your microphone in your own bilingual captions. Captions can be visible to others if you share the tab or screen that contains them.
Saved transcripts are kept in the extension’s local browser data by default, not a SidebySpeak server transcript archive. Live audio is relayed through SidebySpeak to Soniox for processing. Optional Learn features send selected text to OpenAI, and optional transcript email sends a copy through an email provider. Processing is not entirely on-device; see the privacy policy for provider details.
An eligible host plan or Translated Captions add-on and enabled caption settings are required. Once available in the meeting, participants can choose their own supported caption language without purchasing a separate translation add-on for themselves. SidebySpeak is independent of Zoom billing and has its own free and paid minute allowances.
Reviewed 28 October 2026 by SidebySpeak. Zoom’s plans and features change; check the linked pages for the latest details.
The Free plan includes monthly minutes with no credit card. Paid plans add more.
