Interpreter requires the Microsoft 365 Copilot paid add-on — $30/user/month (Enterprise) or $21/user/month for organisations with up to 300 users (Business). Monthly usage limits apply per licensed user and are tracked against the user who enables Interpreter in the meeting. Check current limits in your M365 admin centre or Microsoft documentation — these figures are subject to change. Your IT admin enables Interpreter via the Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy cmdlet in PowerShell — refer to Microsoft Learn for required parameters and syntax. Voice simulation (translating using the speaker's own voice) can be enabled or disabled separately. Pricing reflects standard US list pricing and may vary by region, currency, or enterprise agreement.
Additional languages are on Microsoft's roadmap. Check Microsoft's Teams feature roadmap for the latest additions.
| Scenario | Supported? |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Teams meetings | Yes |
| Channel meetings | Yes |
| Teams calls (VoIP and PSTN) | Yes |
| Windows / Mac desktop app | Yes |
| iOS / Android mobile | Yes |
| Web browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox) | Yes |
| 1:1 calls | No |
| Teams Rooms (physical meeting rooms) | No |
| Town halls | No |
| Webinars | No |
| Microsoft Teams Free | No |
| Voice data stored or retained | No — processed in real time, not stored |
| Usage limits | Monthly per licensed user (Microsoft-defined; check admin centre for current figures) |
Interpreter is not available in the meeting menu. Your IT admin has not enabled it. Enable via Set-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy in PowerShell — see Microsoft Learn for the full syntax and required parameters.
The translation has noticeable lag. Interpreter works in real-time — there is an inherent delay of 1–3 seconds between the original speech and the translated audio. This is normal and expected. It is not a fault. Speakers should pause slightly between sentences to allow the translation to catch up in complex discussions.
Heavily accented or fast speech is mistranslated. Interpreter uses Azure Cognitive Services for speech recognition. Very strong regional accents or very fast speech reduce recognition accuracy, which cascades into translation errors. Speaking clearly and at a moderate pace improves output quality significantly.
Technical vocabulary or acronyms are incorrect. Machine translation handles general language well but can mistranslate industry-specific terms, abbreviations, and proper nouns. For high-stakes technical discussions, brief key participants on critical terminology before the meeting or follow up with a written summary.
The monthly usage limit is reached. Usage is tracked per licensed user. When a user hits their limit, Interpreter becomes unavailable until the next billing period. Microsoft defines the exact threshold and it may change — check current limits in the M365 admin centre. For heavy users, prioritise which meetings require live interpretation.