How to Get Live Translated Captions in Google Meet (Without a Workspace Upgrade)
Two options. Google Meet’s built-in translated captions work only on specific Workspace editions (Business Standard and up). Or install the Avoce Chrome extension: open the Meet tab, click once, and the meeting audio becomes live captions in the language you choose, regardless of plan and with no host settings.
Google Meet’s built-in translated captions: who gets them?
Meet’s translated captions turn meeting speech into text in your chosen language. According to Google’s help page, the feature is available only on Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education. Personal accounts and editions not on that list do not see the translation option.
- Eligibility depends on your own account’s Workspace edition, not the host’s.
- Turn it on yourself during the call: Settings › Captions › pick the translation language.
- Around 100+ languages, but the rollout is gradual and some accounts may not have it yet.
- Only the portion of the meeting you attend with captions on gets translated.
Turn on Avoce captions
- Install the Avoce extension from the Chrome Web Store (Chrome 116+ or Edge).
- Sign in once at avoce.ai; the extension reuses that login.
- Open the Google Meet call in your browser (Meet is already web-based, nothing to switch).
- Click the Avoce icon in the toolbar, pick the source language (or auto-detect) and the target language, then start translating the tab.
- Bilingual captions float over the Meet window; drag them or resize the text. You still hear the original audio, and nobody else sees your captions.
Built-in captions or Avoce?
| Meet built-in translated captions | Avoce extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan required | Specific Workspace editions (Business Standard and up) | Any Google account, including free personal accounts |
| Who turns it on | You, but your account must be eligible | You install and start it; no host cooperation needed |
| Who sees the captions | Only you | Only you |
| Beyond meetings | Meet only | Zoom web, Teams, Webex, YouTube, live streams |
| Cost | Included in the Workspace plan | Per-minute points, 1 point = 1 minute, 20 free minutes for new accounts |
| Glossary | None | Pin names, products, and terms |
Platform-specific notes
The Avoce extension captures the browser tab’s audio: what others say becomes captions, while your own microphone is not part of the tab audio. Captions appear only on your screen and are never sent into the meeting or video, and nothing has to join the call.
- To caption your own speech as well, open avoce.ai/live with the microphone.
- You can keep Meet’s own original-language captions on alongside Avoce: one for the original, one for the translation.
- Recognition drops when several people talk at once; one speaker at a time makes a big difference.
- While you share your screen in Meet, the extension still captures only the Meet tab’s audio.
A one-hour call ≈ 60 points, about US$3.7 on the $10.99 / 180-point pack. Transcript-only mode costs a quarter of that (1 point = 4 minutes).
Frequently asked questions
Can a free personal Google account use Meet’s translated captions?
According to Google’s help page, translated captions are limited to specific Workspace editions (Business Standard and up); personal accounts do not see the option. The Avoce extension ignores account plans: anyone who can open Meet in Chrome can use it.
Do I have to add a bot or a third-party account to the meeting?
No. The extension captures the audio of the Meet tab on your own computer. Nothing joins the meeting and no meeting settings change.
Will the host know I am using translation?
No. Captions appear only in your own browser and are never sent into the meeting; everyone else’s screen is unchanged.
Does it work with Meet on my phone?
The extension supports desktop Chrome and Edge only. On a phone, use avoce.ai/live with the microphone, which suits in-person meetings.