How to Use a Zoom Interpreter for Remote Meetings

Remote meetings are now the linchpin of international communication, especially for companies, schools, and organizations. But let’s be real — things can go sideways sometime even no contact is intended. When your participants are speaking multiple languages, miscommunication and the risks of getting on the wrong path are very real. This is where Zoom interpreters come into play.

At Metaphrasis, we recognize the importance of understanding each other’s languages. Regardless if you are throwing a meeting for your company, a seminar for the world, or a community event, everyone must grasp the intentions and messages you mean to convey. Zoom’s interpretation capabilities are amazing, especially when you combine it with true professionals. With Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), language does not impede your ability to meet anywhere in the world virtually.

This article will explain Zoom interpretation, whether Zoom provides the interpreter or not, and give a guide for turning on the feature as if you have done it before.

What is a Zoom Interpreter?

A Zoom interpreter is a person who works in the language profession to facilitate multilingual communication through interpreting in Zoom meetings or Zoom webinars. They have the task of converting spoken speech from one language to another without losing the tone, emotion, or context. Zoom interpreters are capable of bringing cultural intelligence and human precision to the process, which are important aspects to consider when dealing with sensitive or professional discussions.

Zoom provides the functionality, but the hire is the responsibility of the event host. Therefore, if you want Spanish, Mandarin, or Arabic interpretation, you will need to hire professionals fluent in those languages.

That’s where a Zoom interpreter comes in. Zoom interpreters are professional interpreters who join virtual meetings to help break down language barriers. You can add a professional interpreter to your virtual event if you enable language interpretation on Zoom.

There are two types of virtual language interpretation services available – Remote Simultaneous Interpretation and Video Remote Interpreting.

Remote Simultaneous Interpretation happens simultaneously while the original speaker is talking. This is called “simultaneous interpretation” and is generally recommended for virtual classroom settings, webinars, conferences, and any meetings with a large audience.

Video Remote Interpreting is called “consecutive interpretation” because the speaker pauses and waits for the interpreter to provide the language interpretation in between sentences. This is recommended for one-on-one meetings or virtual meetings where the entire audience speaks the same language. Metaphrasis offers this service on demand.

The Remote Simultaneous Interpretation Service requires an advanced appointment but is the best option for most large Zoom meetings or webinars. With this service, the interpreter provides their own audio channel so attendees can tune in and listen to the meeting in their native language.

Does Zoom Provide the Interpreter?

Zoom does not provide interpreters, so it’s up to the meeting hosts to hire a professional interpreter in advance.

If you are looking for live interpretation during your next virtual meeting, here’s what to consider when hiring interpreters:

Language Proficiency

No, Zoom does not provide the interpreter. You, as the host, must hire or bring in your own professional interpreters. Why is that? Because language proficiency is not just about speaking two languages—it’s about interpreting them with nuance and precision in real time.

When choosing interpreters, look for:

• Certified or licensed professionals
• Fluency in both source and target languages
• Experience with Zoom or other RSI platforms
• Specialization in your industry (medical, legal, corporate, etc.)

Number of Languages Offered

Zoom’s interpretation feature currently supports up to 20 different language channels during a single meeting. This is more than enough for most events, but you’ll need to pre-assign interpreters to each language. Keep in mind, each interpreter can only handle one language direction at a time, so multiple interpreters may be necessary for bi-directional conversations.

Popular language pairings include:

• English ↔ Spanish
• English ↔ Chinese
• English ↔ Arabic
• English ↔ French

So plan ahead—especially if your event has a global reach.

How Often Do You Need a Zoom Interpreter?

This depends entirely on your audience. If your attendees speak multiple languages regularly, having a Zoom interpreter isn’t just a convenience—it’s a necessity. Use cases where interpretation is commonly needed:

• International business conferences
• Public health briefings
• Legal proceedings
• University webinars and orientations
• Government town halls

If you’re seeing signs of miscommunication or losing engagement among non-native speakers, it’s time to bring in an interpreter.

How Do I Enable Interpretation in Zoom?

It’s easier than you might think to enable the language interpretation feature on Zoom. We’ll go step by step to make sure your multilingual Zoom meetings run seamlessly.

Step 1: Make Sure Your Tech is Up to Speed

As a host, you must have a Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account in order to use the interpretation feature. You’ll also need to select “Generate Automatically” for the Meeting ID; otherwise, this feature won’t work.

The Global minimum version of Zoom is required for interpretation services, so don’t skip the software updates.

Step 2: Determine What Languages You Need to Offer

Think about the languages you need to offer in the meeting. When you add an interpreter to the meeting (which we will discuss in a few steps), you’ll also need to assign their language channel.

Step 3: Hire Interpreters

Once you know what languages you need, contact Metaphrasis to find a professional interpreter who can help. For Remote Simultaneous Interpretation, you will need to schedule an interpreter in advance, but you can hire an on-demand interpreter in 10 languages who can offer Video Remote Interpretation.

Step 4: Schedule a Meeting and Enable Language Interpretation

To schedule a meeting on Zoom, click “schedule meeting” and then select “Generate Automatically” next to the option “Meeting ID”.

You will then need to select “Enable Language Interpretation” next to the option “Interpretation.”

Step 5: Add the Interpreters’ Information

Now it’s time to add your interpreters’ information. You will need to enter each interpreter’s name, email address, and language. Zoom allows for up to 20 different interpreters but don’t worry – you can add or remove interpreters before the meeting as needed.

Step 6: Save

This is key! Once you’ve added the interpreters’ information, don’t forget to hit “Save.” If you need to make any changes, just go back in and select “Edit.”

Step 7: Inform Attendees

Once you have the interpreters lined up, let the Zoom participants know that language interpretation will be offered. Send an email with a run-down of how to join the meeting in their preferred language.

For the participants to hear their preferred audio channel, they will need to select “Interpretation” and then click the language they want. They can hit “mute original audio” if they only want to hear their audio channel.

Step 8: Start the Meeting and Click Interpretation

When it’s time to start the meeting, the host must start the meeting from a desktop version of Zoom (the mobile version won’t work for this step). After starting the meeting or webinar, the host should click “Interpretation” and “Start.” After those controls have been selected, the language interpreters will be able to start interpreting, and attendees can select the audio channel they want to join.

Troubleshooting – Tips for the Host

Enabling the language interpretation feature on Zoom is easy to use, but there are a few things to keep in mind to keep your meeting running smoothly:

• You must use Generate Automatically for the Meeting ID, not your Personal Meeting ID (PMI).
• The language interpretation feature only works with scheduled meetings and can’t be used in instant meetings.
• Language interpretation is not available in breakout rooms.

Troubleshooting – Tips for the Interpreters

If you are hired to work as a virtual interpreter, here are a few things to remember:

• Interpreters can only be assigned to one language audio channel and can only interpret between the original meeting audio channel and their assigned audio channel.
• Interpreters must join the Zoom with computer audio.
• Make sure you have a stable internet connection so you don’t miss any of the original audio.

Conclusion

Utilizing a Zoom interpreter for your remote meetings can truly be a game changer especially when clear, inclusive communication is a must have. In today’s digital, global society, it has become commonplace to host meetings in which participants use several different languages. Whether you are hosting an international board meeting, public health symposium, or community update, professional interpreters act as a bridge and communicate in real-time in other languages.

Zoom provides you with the digital infrastructure to remotely support modalities entail remote simultaneous intepertation (RSI) or provide video remote interpreting (VRI) services. However, the difference in the quality lies in the decision to engage with an expert human interpreter who interprets beyond the word to convey meaning, tone and emotion to your participants. If you take away anything from this guide, don’t leave language access to chance.

Plan early, hire qualified interpreters and prepare your participants to access interpretation features. A digital platform such as Zoom makes the logistics simple, but giving participants a real multilingual experience requires it to be conscious, designed, and planned.