Google Meet Real-Time Speech Translation Guide + Alternative

Google Meet's real-time speech translator has been one of the most important developments in communication technology in recent months. Yet the tool is still in early stages, lacking language and customization options. If you're looking for a solution that supports more languages and greater flexibility, Maestra's real-time translator (which offers both live speech translation and translated captions) may be the better choice.

In this blog, we'll:

Take a brief look at Google Meet's real-time speech translation feature

Explore Maestra's real-time translator, including its key features, and a step-by-step guide on how to use it

Compare Google Meet and Maestra side by side

Highlight the best use cases for Maestra's real-time speech translator

Let's get started.

Introduction to Google Meet Real-Time Speech Translation

For years, Google Meet has offered live captions, allowing users to see a text transcription of what's being said. While helpful, it still required the participants to read and process the information. This new real-time speech translation feature (which was introduced in May) takes things significantly further by automatically translating the speaker's voice into the chosen target language in real time. Imagine a global team meeting where a manager speaking English is heard in Spanish by their Madrid-based colleagues, all without anyone needing to pause or relying on a separate interpreter.

Google highlights that this is a beta feature under development. As of June 2025, real-time speech translation in Google is only available between English and Spanish. However, the tech giant stated that they plan to add support for Italian, German, and Portuguese in the coming weeks. The company's goal is to continuously expand language support, aiming for a broader range of global and regional languages over time.

Who it's available for:

Initially, live speech translation in Google can be enabled by Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. This means that at least one participant in a Google Meet calls needs to have one of these subscriptions to enable the feature for the entire meeting. Once enabled by a subscriber, all participants in a meeting can utilize the feature.

Limitations:

While Google Meet's real-time speech translation is a powerful step forward, it's important to be aware of its current limitations, especially as it's still evolving.

Limited number of languages: Google Meet real-time speech translation currently supports English and Spanish. This means that if your meeting involves participants speaking or needing translations into other languages, the feature won't be able to bridge these communication gaps.

Beta mode: As a "beta" feature, users should expect ongoing development and potential imperfections. This means the quality of translation may vary, with occasional grammatical errors or less-than-perfect voice replication.

Limited to Google Meet: The feature's benefits are confined to the Google ecosystem. If your organization or collaborators primarily use other video conferencing platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, you won't be able to leverage this specific translation capability.

Delay: While designed for "near real-time" translation, there can be an inherent delay in the process. This pause, typically a few seconds, is necessary for the system to capture the audio, process it, translate it, and then synthesize the new speech.

A Guide to Maestra's Real-Time Speech Translator

Real-time speech translation in Google Meet is a welcome step; but it's just the beginning. Many individuals and organization require a solution that offers more flexibility, language support, and platform independence. This is where Maestra steps in with its real-time translator. In this guide, we'll first explore the tool's key features, then walk you through how to use the tool with step-by-step instructions.

Key features:

Here are the key features of Maestra's real-time translator, which delivers both live speech translation and translated captions to support effortless multilingual communication:

125+ supported languages: Unlike current limitations in Google Meet, Maestra supports over 125 languages for real-time speech translation, enabling inclusive communication across nearly any language group.

Multilingual session sharing: Users can set up meeting rooms and select multiple target languages. For example, during a virtual product launch, a presenter speaking in English can enable real-time speech translation in Spanish, German, and Japanese. Then they can stream live translations to their audience by sharing a simple link or QR code. Each participant can select their preferred language and listen to the translation in real time without needing to install anything.

Multiple source languages: Maestra supports sessions with more than one source language, making it ideal for multilingual meetings, panels, or global events. By selecting the "Multilingual" mode, the system can detect and translate speech from multiple source languages in real time. This ensures that every speaker is understood, regardless of which language they're using.

Automatic voice cloning: The tool can preserve the speaker's original voice through AI-powered voice cloning. This means that when a speaker talks in English, for example, their voice is not only translated into another language like French or Japanese, but the translated speech sounds like them, matching their tone, pitch, and vocal style.

AI voices: Translated audio can also be delivered using natural sounding AI-voices. More than 800 voices are available in a variety of tones and accents to match the audience's preferences. It's a reliable solution for trainings and broadcasts where high-quality, professional delivery is essential.

Live captions and customization: Maestra allows you to pair live speech translations with real-time captions, giving your audience the option to read translated text as it's spoken. These captions are not only accurate and fast, they're also fully customizable. You can adjust the style and appearance of the text and background, such as colors, size, positioning, and more.

Transcript saving and AI enhancements: Every live translation and transcript is saved to your dashboard for further access and editing. From there, you can easily take advantage of Maestra's other powerful AI tools and features, including auto subtitling, AI dubbing, summarization, keyword extraction, and more.

Integrations: You can integrate the live audio translator with platforms like Zoom, OBS, or vMix to generate real-time translations and transcripts for meetings, webinars, or live streams. This allows you to deliver multilingual audio or caption overlays directly within your existing broadcast or conferencing setup.

How it works:

Now let's walk through how to use Maestra's real-time speech translator:

Go to live.maestra.ai and log in to your account.

Click "Pro" to enable the real-time speech translation feature. Make sure both the "Enable translation" (🌐 globe icon) and "Voiceover" (🔊 speaker icon) options are turned on.

Select the speaker language (source language) and the translation language (the language you want the audience to hear). If you session includes speakers using different languages, select the "Multilingual" option for automatic detection and translation.

Enable automatic voice cloning to have the translated speech delivered in the speaker's own voice, preserving the tone and vocal identity for more natural expression.

Click "Start Translation" and start speaking when your microphone connects.

You'll see live translated captions appear as you speak, and your voice will be automatically translated and played in the target language, in near real time and in your own cloned voice.

When you're finished, click "Stop Captioning" to end the session. To save your transcript, go to "Settings" (the head icon with three dots in the bottom-right corner) and choose to download it as a DOCX or TXT file.

For convenience, you can enable automatic transcript saving under Settings → Advanced → Save to Dashboard, so you don’t have to download it manually after each session.

In Settings, you can also:

Set up word replacements to automatically replace or hide specific words or phrases during live captioning

Customize caption appearance by adjusting font type, text color, size, positioning, and other visual elements

Integrate with external platforms like Zoom, OBS, and vMix for a seamless conferencing or streaming experience

Setting up meeting rooms:

With Maestra's real-time translator, you can also create meeting rooms that support multiple target languages simultaneously. Here's how to set it up:

Click the head icon and then "Start Waiting Room".

Enter the event name, date, time, and description.

Select the speaker language and toggle on the "Enable Voiceover" option to activate real-time speech translation.

Add the translation languages you want to make available to participants, and toggle on the voiceover options. Each attendee will be able to choose their preferred language during the session and listen to the translated audio in real time.

Click "Start Waiting Room". You can share the session by sending the generated link to participants. Alternatively, they can join instantly by scanning the QR code.

Click "Start Session" when you're ready to go.

Real-Time Speech Translation: Google Meet vs. Maestra

Feature	Google Meet	Maestra
Language Support	Limited (as of June 2025: English to Spanish and Spanish to English only)	125+ languages supported
Platform Support	Only works within Google Meet	Can integrate with Zoom, OBS, and vMix
Voice Cloning	✅	✅
Multilingual Session Sharing	No simultaneous multilingual output (one target language per session)	Yes, allows selection of multiple target languages when setting up meeting rooms
Accessibility & Pricing	Currently in beta for Google AI Pro and Ultra Subscribers (Google AI Pro is $20/month)	Offers Premium, Business, and Business Plus plans for real-time speech translation, and tailored pricing for enterprises

Best Use Cases for Maestra's Real-Time Speech Translator

Not sure if Maestra's real-time speech translator fits into your workflow? Below are the key scenarios where it delivers the most impact.

Multilingual Business Meetings

For international teams, language differences can create communication gaps during meetings. Maestra bridges those gaps by translating speech in real time into each participant's native language, either as audio or captions. That way, everyone can follow the discussion clearly, without needing an interpreter or post-meeting recap.

Global Webinars and Virtual Events

When hosting a webinar, it's essential to make your content accessible to diverse audiences. Maestra allows you to stream real-time translations into multiple languages simultaneously, so attendees can choose how they experience the content. Whether it's a webinar or keynote, participants receive live audio or subtitles in their language.

Online Education and E-Learning

Educators and content creators can use Maestra to teach students around the world without language being a barrier. Live lectures can be translated into different languages, with options for real-time voice dubbing for preserving the teacher's own cloned voice. It's especially valuable for international programs, MOOCs, and global training.

Live Events

Whether you're hosting a live conference, panel discussion, or hybrid summit, Maestra ensures everyone in your audience can understand the speakers. The tool scales to large audiences, making it ideal for high-stakes events. You can also share access via a QR code or link for hassle-free participation.

Enterprise Training and Internal Comms

Global enterprises often face challenges when training or updating international teams. Maestra simplifies internal communication by translating live training sessions, executive announcements, and onboarding presentations into each person's native language, which helps people stay engaged. All sessions are also saved with transcripts, making it easy to repurpose or review later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is real-time speech translation in Google Meet 100% correct?

Real-time speech translation in Google Meet is powerful yet not 100% correct. The tool is in beta version and can mistranslate words, especially when dealing with accents, technical terms, or informal speech. As the tool develops, we may see improvements in both accuracy and natural language delivery.

Can ChatGPT translate in real time?

As of June 2025, ChatGPT does not support real-time translation. While it can translate text quickly and accurately in multiple languages, it is not designed to process live audio and deliver instant voice translations. For real-time speech translation, Maestra is better suited.

How accurate is Maestra's real-time speech translation tool?

Maestra’s real-time speech translator offers a high level of accuracy, powered by advanced AI models. Still, audio quality and speaker clarity play a crucial role in ensuring precise translations. Clear pronunciation, minimal background noise and good microphone quality significantly improve results, helping the system capture and translate words more effectively in real time.

Is Maestra's real-time speech translator free?

Although Maestra’s live transcription app is completely free to use, its real-time speech translation tool requires an upgrade to a paid plan. By subscribing, you gain access not only to real-time translation but also to advanced capabilities such as OpenAI and DeepL translation models, multilingual session sharing, translation glossaries, priority support, and more. Please check our Pricing page for full details on available plans and features.

Do I need to install anything to use Maestra's live voice translator?

No, you don’t need to install anything to use Maestra’s live voice translator. The tool is fully browser-based, so there’s no need for downloads or extra setup. Get started now to translate your meetings, live events, and more in real time with just a few clicks.