Breaking Language Barrier: Interpreter in Microsoft Teams Meetings

The Interpreter agent is included with the Microsoft 365 Copilot license. To access speech translation features, users must hold a Microsoft M365 license.

Interpreter facilitates effective communication by translating spoken language into each participant’s preferred language. This allows all attendees to communicate comfortably and participate fully in the discussion.

Activating Interpreter during a Teams meeting enables you to hear translations of other participants' speech in your chosen language.

Interpreting...: When a participant speaks in a language different from your preference, the translated audio will be played over the original speaker’s voice. An indicator will also appear on the speaker’s video feed to signify that their speech is being translated.

Interpreting for others...: When you speak a different language from other participants' preferences, your speech will be translated for them. An indicator on your video will show when translation is active.

When you finish listening to interpreted audio, if others are still listening in their languages, you'll see a prompt to wait before speaking again.

Those without Interpreter enabled will see an indicator showing speech is being translated, signaling them to wait until translation finishes before speaking.

Supported languages

Interpreter currently supports the following languages: 

• English
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• Japanese
• Simplified Chinese (Mandarin)
• Italian
• German
• French
• Korean.

Speech recognition for multiple languages

When a meeting is organized or attended with multilingual speech recognition enabled, participants can choose their preferred spoken languages. The system then provides live captions and transcripts in each participant's selected language.

Interpreter limitations

• Meeting recordings contain only the original meeting audio and do not include interpretation audio.
• Translated transcripts are accessible during the meeting. Once the meeting concludes, the transcript displays only the original spoken language.
• The interpreter may not be well-suited for meetings that involve rapid exchanges, interruptions, or overlapping dialogue, as translation processing can take longer than the original speech and could make it more challenging to follow and respond promptly.
• The interpretation of names, genders, or technical terms may not always be accurate.

 🎙️ How Voice Simulation Works

When voice simulation is enabled, Interpreter briefly samples your voice to replicate its tone, style, and unique characteristics. This allows translated speech to be delivered in a voice that closely resembles yours—enhancing clarity and personalization for listeners.

• You can opt out of voice simulation at any time.
• Alternative voice styles are available in Interpreter settings.
• Voice simulation operates in real time and does not store biometric data or add emotional inflection beyond what is spoken.

⚙️ Technology Behind Interpreter

Interpreter in Microsoft Teams uses Azure AI Services to deliver seamless, real-time speech-to-speech (STS) translation. It supports multilingual, multi-speaker conversations by automatically detecting spoken languages during meetings.

🔄 How It Works

1. Speech Recognition (ASR) Converts spoken language into English text.
2. Machine Translation (MT) Translates the English text into the selected target language(s).
3. Text-to-Speech (TTS) Generates translated speech using either:

• A simulated version of the speaker’s voice, or
• A predefined voice based on user preference and IT admin settings.

4. Cloud-Based Processing A bot securely transmits meeting audio to the cloud, processes it, and returns translated speech in real time.

🛠️ Managing the Interpreter Agent in Your Organization

The Interpreter agent in Microsoft Teams enables real-time translation for multilingual collaboration. Participants with a valid Microsoft 365 Copilot license can listen to meeting content in their preferred language, fostering inclusive and effective communication across language barriers.

🎧 Voice Representation Options

Participants may choose how their translated speech is delivered to others:

• Simulated Voice: Interpreter replicates the speaker’s tone and style.
• Automated Voices: Users can select from preset voice options: Ava (female) – default Andrew (male) Fable Turbo (neutral)

🔐 Admin Controls

As a Teams administrator, you can:

• Enable or disable Interpreter usage for your organization.
• Set the default voice style for translated speech across users.

✅ Prerequisites & Licensing

To access Interpreter in Teams meetings, users must meet all of the following requirements:

• Hold a Microsoft 365 Copilot license (required for translation features)
• Have a Microsoft 365 license (required to hear translated speech)

Note: Interpreter is only available to authenticated users with verified licenses. Anonymous participants are not supported.

🔄 Real-Time Voice Processing with No Data Retention

Interpreter ensures secure, on-the-fly voice processing—designed to protect user privacy and comply with organizational data policies. Voice data is never stored and no biometric information is retained.

🧩 How It Works

🎙️ Live Audio Analysis

• Original speech is briefly analyzed in real time during the meeting.

⚡ Instant Translation & Simulation

• Azure Communication Services (ACS) Speech instantly generates translated speech—optionally simulating the speaker’s voice.

🛡️ No Retention

• Voice samples and biometric data are discarded immediately after processing.

🛠️ Managing Interpreter in Microsoft Teams via PowerShell

Interpreter settings for your organization are configured using PowerShell. Admins can control availability and voice simulation defaults using the CsTeamsMeetingPolicy cmdlet with the following parameters:

• -AIInterpreter: Enables or disables Interpreter functionality
• -VoiceSimulationInInterpreter: Sets the default voice simulation preference

🔄 Enable or Disable Interpreter Organization-Wide

The  parameter controls whether users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license can access Interpreter during Teams meetings.

• Enabled (default): Interpreter is available to eligible users
• Disabled: Interpreter is turned off for all users

💻 PowerShell Commands

🎙️ Set Default Voice Simulation Preference

The  parameter defines the default setting for how users’ voices are represented during translation.

🔧 Options & User Experience

💻 PowerShell Commands

# Set default to Simulate my voice

Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -Identity <policy name> -VoiceSimulationInInterpreter Enabled

# Set default to Automated voice

Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy -Identity <policy name> -VoiceSimulationInInterpreter Disabled

🖥️ Supported Platforms & Clients for Interpreter

Interpreter is available across a wide range of Teams environments to support multilingual collaboration.

✅ Supported

Interpreter is fully supported on:

• Teams Desktop App (Windows & macOS)
• Teams Mobile App (iOS & Android)
• Teams Web App (Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox)
• Scheduled Meetings
• Channel Meetings
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

🚫 Not Supported

Interpreter is not available in the following scenarios:

• Unscheduled 1:1 Calls (VoIP or PSTN)
• Meetings scheduled via Microsoft Teams Rooms or personal devices
• Town Halls
• Webinars
• Microsoft Teams Free Edition

Frequently Asked Questions

 🌐 Cross-Organization Support for Interpreter

Yes—Interpreter fully supports meetings with participants from other organizations, provided they meet the following criteria:

✅ They join using a verified Microsoft 365 account

✅ Their account includes a valid Microsoft 365 Copilot license

Participants joining anonymously are not eligible to use Interpreter, as their identity and licensing status cannot be authenticated.

 🌍 Can One Participant’s Interpreter Agent Enable Translation for All?

No, each participant must have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license to benefit from the Interpreter Agent in Teams meetings.

🔐 Licensing Requirements for Participants

To hear translated speech in their own language, every participant must have:

• ✅ An eligible Microsoft 365 base license
• ✅ An eligible Microsoft Teams license
• ✅ A Microsoft 365 Copilot license

The Interpreter Agent does not broadcast translated audio to unlicensed users. Each participant’s experience is personalized and processed individually via Azure Cognitive Services 

🗣️✨ How many hours of interpretation are included each month with the Microsoft 365 Copilot license? 🤔

⏱️ Monthly Interpretation Allowance

Each user with a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription license receives two hours of real-time speech-to-speech interpretation per month at no additional cost. This allowance applies to the Interpreter agent in Microsoft Teams, which enables participants to speak and listen in their preferred language during meetings

💳 What Happens After Two Hours?

If a user exceeds the two-hour monthly limit:

• Additional charges may apply, although Microsoft has not publicly disclosed the exact pricing structure yet
• Usage is tracked per user, and the interpretation time is cumulative across all meetings.

📋 Licensing Requirements

To access the Interpreter feature and benefit from the included two hours:

• Users must have a valid Microsoft 365 base license
• A Microsoft Teams license
• And a Microsoft 365 Copilot license

Only licensed users will hear translated speech. Unlicensed users will hear the original audio only