How to Get Microsoft Teams Meeting Transcription with AI

A Teams meeting transcription can be very handy. However, you must fulfil certain requirements to access this feature. Still, there are several ways to transcribe Teams meetings and enjoy the various benefits of this practice.

In this blog, we’ll cover:

Transcribing Teams meetings (recordings and live transcription)

Summarizing and organizing Teams meetings with AI

Translating Teams meetings in real-time

10 best practices for Teams meeting transcription

Let’s get started.

Key Features of Teams Meeting Transcription

Microsoft Teams meeting transcription comes in two formats:

Live transcription, which displays a real-time text of what is being spoken during a Microsoft Teams meeting

Post-meeting transcription, which is a written record of the Teams meeting available afterwards

You’ll need a Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription or higher to transcribe meetings in real-time or via the meeting recording. Meanwhile, Teams Premiumusers can also translate live captions during a meeting.

There are several benefits of transcribing Teams meetings such as enhanced accessibility, quick information retrieval, and improved collaboration. Additionally, the practice ensures that critical details are not overlooked and can be revisited at any time. A Teams meeting transcript can also be repurposed as a meeting summary or reference document.

How to Transcribe Microsoft Teams Meetings with Maestra

What if you don’t have a Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan? No worries; with Maestra you can transcribe Microsoft Teams meetings easily and instantly.

Teams Meeting Transcription with Recording

Here is how to transcribe a Teams recording with Maestra step-by-step:

Log in to your Maestra account and choose “Transcription” from the left-side menu.

Click “+New Transcription” in the top right corner.

Upload your Teams meeting recording, select the number of speakers and audio language, and click “Submit”.

Maestra will process and transcribe your audio. Click on the file once it’s ready, and you’ll be directed to the editing interface.

You’ll now see the full meeting transcript with speaker identification and timestamps. You’ll also spot the video recording in the bottom left corner.

Click the pen icon to change the speaker name.

To edit the transcript, click on the text you want to modify.

Use the search bar in the top left corner to search for keywords.

Use the progress bar in the middle to play the meeting recording and follow the transcript alongside.

You’ll see more editing options on the right side. Here you can make bulk changes to the wording, style the text, and revert to the original version with one click. You can also take notes.

If you want to share the transcript with team members, just click “Share” in the top right.

To export the transcript, click “Export” in the top right corner. Download in TXT, DOCX, PDF, or JSON format.

Real-Time Teams Meeting Transcription

What about Teams meeting transcription without recording? You can live transcribe meetings for free with Maestra’s web captioner, and you don’t need an account.

Here’s how to transcribe Teams meetings in real-time with Maestra:

Open the web captioner and select the language spoken in the meeting from the bottom right corner.

Grant microphone access to the web captioner.

Click “Start Captioning”, and the tool will automatically transcribe spoken words in real-time during the meeting.

Click “Stop Captioning” once you’re done.

To download the transcript, click the head icon with three dots in the bottom right corner. Save it as a text file or Word document.

How to Summarize Teams Meetings with Maestra

If you’re subscribed to a Maestra plan, you can also utilize the tool’s AI features including:

Meeting summarization

Organization into chapters

Sentiment analysis

Keyword extraction

And more

Here’s how to use Maestra’s AI features to get a Teams meeting transcription summary:

Log in to your Maestra account and choose “Subtitles” from the left-side menu.

Click “+New Subtitle” in the top right corner.

Upload your Teams meeting recording and choose the number of speakers. Click “Submit”. (Here you can also toggle on the “Translate to another language” option to translate the meeting in 125+ languages.)

Once the recording is processed, click on the file to access the editor.

You’ll see the “AI features” button on the right side. Click on it.

Below are the AI features Maestra offers for Teams meeting transcription. You can give additional instructions to the AI if you wish.

AI summarization: Quickly capture the core message of your Teams meeting transcription. Summarize in paragraphs or bullet points, or for social media.

AI chapters: Organize your meeting transcript into sections for easy navigation and understanding.

AI fact-checking: Ensure the accuracy of your information.

AI sentiment analysis: Determine the emotional tone of your meeting transcript.

Keyword extraction: Identify the most important keywords in your meeting transcript.
AI quizzes: Create multiple-choice quizzes based on your meeting transcript.

How to Translate Teams Meetings with Maestra

You don’t have to be a Teams Premium user to translate meetings live. Maestra not only transcribes and translates recorded Teams meetings but also offers real-time translation for ongoing discussions. Here’s how to do so:

Log in to your Maestra account.

Select “Real-Time” from the left-side menu.

Click on “Go To Web Captioner” to open the tool in a new tab.

In the bottom right corner, click “Pro” to enable real-time translation. Make sure the globe icon next to the Pro option is also enabled.

Use the language selector next to the globe icon to select the language of the meeting (source language) and the language you want it translated to (target language).

Click “Start Captioning” and allow Maestra to access your microphone.

Now, as people speak in the meeting, translated captions will appear on your screen.

Click “Stop Captioning” when you’re done.

To save the transcript, click the head icon with three dots in the bottom right corner and select “Save Transcript”.

10 Best Practices for Teams Meeting Transcription

Before we conclude our blog, let’s take a look at 10 actionable tips for making the most of Teams meeting transcription, whether you’re converting a recording into text transcribing the discussion in real time.

Transcription via Recording

Live Transcription

-Ensure the recording has clear audio with minimal background noise, as disruptions can interfere with transcription accuracy. -Use software that supports speaker identification to label individuals in the transcript. -Choose a tool that offers a custom dictionary, so you can feed the software with relevant terms specific to your business. -Take advantage of AI features like automatic meeting notes or detection of action items. -If there are any mistakes, use the transcript editor in the AI software to make corrections quickly and easily without exporting the file.

-Encourage participants to avoid speaking too quickly or too slowly to help the AI transcription software keep up with the conversation. -Have everyone use their name before speaking to make it easier for the AI to follow along. -Regularly check the live text to ensure it accurately captures the conversation, and address errors immediately to avoid confusion later. -Have stable internet connection to prevent potential transcription gaps or interruptions. -Ask attendees to review the transcript promptly and add any clarifications while the discussion is still fresh in their mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I record and transcribe automatically in Teams?

To record and transcribe a Teams meeting, go to your meeting controls and choose “More actions”->”Record and transcribe”->”Start recording”. The recording will be saved to your OneDrive for Business. Keep in mind that you need certain requirements to start and stop a recording in Teams.

Can you transcript a Teams meeting without recording?

No, as the Teams transcription feature is tied to the recording feature. You can start a live transcription when you record a meeting. The real-time transcript will include each speaker’s name and time stamps.

Can we get subtitles in a Teams meeting?

Yes, you can get subtitles in a Teams meeting. The live captions feature detects what’s said in a meeting and displays them as real-time captions. The platform also offers caption customization options if you’re using the desktop app for Windows or Mac.

Can Teams translate live captions?

Yes, Microsoft Teams can translate live captions if you have a Teams Premium account. This feature supports multiple languages, allowing users to read captions in their preferred language. It significantly improves the meeting experience for international teams.

Is Teams Copilot free?

You can use Copilot in Microsoft Teams if you have Microsoft 365 apps and a Microsoft Entra ID account. To activate the AI assistant, go to “Chat” on the left side of the Teams and select Copilot from the top of your Teams chat list. You can then start a conversation with Copilot by typing your question or request in the chat box.