Microsoft Teams now supports bidirectional translation in multiple languages

In a new shift towards greater accessibility, Microsoft has updated its work-oriented Teams platform with bidirectional support for Teams Live Interpretation.

The feature will allow interpreters to translate in both directions of two languages. For example, they can translate from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. Additionally, the capability allows interpreters to change the direction of their translation. They can choose which language to translate into at any moment.

At the bottom of the screen, there will be buttons for each of the two languages involved in the translation. Interpreters can click the button of the language they want to translate into.

The highlighted language button will be the language the interpreter is translating into. Attendees will hear the translation in this highlighted language.

According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap entry, this new feature was supposed to be added to Teams in August 2024.

With bidirectional support in Teams Live Interpretation, interpreters can now switch the direction they want to provide translation in between the two languages by clicking on the button of the language they want to interpret into at the bottom of the screen. The highlighted language button will be the language the interpreter is translating into and attendees hear from.

Microsoft

In a blog post, the Redmond-based tech giant says users must be members of the Teams Public Preview or Microsoft 365 Targeted release and use the new Teams client for Windows or macOS.

Recently, Microsoft said it has always considered users’ feedback when developing accessibility features. It’s good to see the company keeping and acting on that promise with the new bidirectional support on Microsoft Teams.