The best live caption and transcription tools for interpreters (2026)
Updated October 27, 2026. If you interpret over the phone or video, seeing what was just said helps you not miss a number, a drug name or a date. There are plenty of live caption and transcription tools, but almost none are built for interpreters: some are for meetings, some for travel, and some for people with hearing loss.
Here I compare eight, using what each one publishes on its own website or help page. I'm Kevin, a Spanish ↔ English medical interpreter, and I make Terpside, the first one on the list, so I'm not neutral. That's why I only include facts you can check, say where Terpside falls short too, and when another option suits you better.
The short answer
The best tool depends on three things: where the audio is processed (on your computer or in the cloud), whether you need the translation alongside, and what device you work on.
- Medical calls without the audio leaving your computer
- Terpside. It transcribes and translates English ↔ Spanish on Windows, with no account and no internet during the call.
- Many languages, in the browser or on your phone
- Interpreter (useinterpreter.com) or Interpreter Pro. They process the audio off your device and offer a Business Associate Agreement (BAA).
- Just the text, for free
- Chrome or Windows Live Caption. They process the audio on your device, but don't translate into Spanish.
- Meeting notes
- Otter.ai. It transcribes English and Spanish, but doesn't translate live.
- Face-to-face conversations, phone in hand
- Google Translate or Microsoft Translator. They aren't made to listen to a call on your computer.
Comparison table
| Terpside | Interpreter (useinterpreter.com) | Interpreter Pro | Otter.ai | Chrome Live Caption | Windows Live Captions | Google Translate (conversation) | Microsoft Translator | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Medical interpreters (English ↔ Spanish). | Interpreters. | Interpreters. | Meetings and notes. | Accessibility: captions for audio playing in Chrome. | Accessibility: captions for any audio on the PC. | Face-to-face conversations and travel. | Face-to-face conversations and travel. |
| Where the audio is processed | On your computer. Call audio never leaves it. | On their online service. They say they don't save audio, captions or translations. | Off your device, at a provider under a BAA. They say they don't store audio or transcripts. | On their servers. | On your computer. If you turn on translation, the text is sent to Google. | On your computer. | Online; offline only on some Pixel phones. | Online; offline packs available for translation. |
| English ↔ Spanish translation | Yes, on your computer, below each turn. | Yes, online. | Yes, online. | No live translation. | Optional, by sending the text to Google. | Only into English (or Chinese), and only on Copilot+ PCs. | Yes, spoken aloud and on screen. | Yes, on screen and spoken aloud. |
| Where it runs | Windows 10 and 11, with audio from any app. On Mac and other computers, a Chrome extension for browser-based platforms. | Web app, Chrome extension, Mac, Windows and Android. | Chrome extension. | Web and mobile app. | Only with audio playing inside Chrome. | Windows 11, with any audio on the PC. | Phone app. | Phone app (the Windows app was retired). |
| Account | No. | Yes. | Yes, with Google. | Yes. | No. | No. | No. | No. |
| Price | Free: 60 minutes a day. Pro: 19.90 USD a month, unlimited hours. | 20-minute trial. 15 USD a month (36 h), 40 USD (100 h) or 70 USD (200 h); packs from 10 USD. | Free: 120 minutes a month. Pro: 29.99 USD a month, unlimited. | Basic free: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation. Pro: 16.99 USD a month. | Free. | Free. | Free. | Free. |
Data from terpside.app, useinterpreter.com, interpreter-pro.com, otter.ai/pricing and the Google and Microsoft help pages, checked on October 27, 2026. Other products' prices and features change: check their websites before deciding.
How I compared them
I looked at what matters on a real medical call, in this order: where the patient's audio goes, whether I can read the translation without pasting anything anywhere, whether it separates who is speaking, whether it works with the agency's platform (browser or desktop program), and what a full-time month of about 160 hours costs.
I don't quote other tools' accuracy percentages: each one measures on its own audio and the numbers aren't comparable. The fair test is your own calls, and almost all of them have a free plan or a trial.
1. Terpside: transcription and translation on your computer
Terpside listens only to the call audio (the microphone is never opened) and shows each turn in large type, in a bubble with one color per speaker and the translation below. It recognizes and translates English ↔ Spanish on your own Windows computer. I built it for my own shifts and use it every day.
More at https://terpside.app/en/features/ and a demo with a made-up call at https://terpside.app/en/demo/
- Pros
- Audio and text never leave your computer and are not saved; no account and no internet needed during the call; works with any platform, browser or desktop; when a word has more than one possible translation, the medical glossary flags it; personal glossary with your own terms; on Pro, recognized doses, dates, times and phone numbers stay on screen for about a minute and a half.
- Cons
- English ↔ Spanish only. The full app is Windows-only (on Mac, a Chrome extension). Since everything runs on your computer, it needs a processor with 4 or more cores; on a busy computer it can fall behind.
- Price
- Free with 60 minutes a day, forever. Pro, 19.90 USD a month with unlimited hours, and a 5-day Pro trial, up to 2 hours a day, with no account or card.
2. Interpreter (useinterpreter.com)
The best-known tool for interpreters in English. It shows live captions and translation, with one color per speaker, and runs in the browser, as a Chrome extension, on Mac, on Windows and on Android.
- Pros
- 60+ languages, many platforms, quick term lookup and notes. They say they are HIPAA compliant and sign a BAA with organizations that need one.
- Cons
- The audio is streamed to their online speech recognition and the text goes through a translation provider, so you need internet and an account. Billing is by the hour.
- Price
- 20 free minutes; 15 USD a month for 36 hours, 40 USD for 100 hours or 70 USD for 200 hours. A full-time interpreter needs the 200-hour plan.
3. Interpreter Pro
A Chrome extension for interpreters that captures the tab audio and shows the transcription and translation next to the call.
- Pros
- 60 languages, text editing, term lookup and a personal glossary. They say call audio is processed under a BAA on every plan and that they don't store audio or transcripts.
- Cons
- Only works with browser-based platforms, not desktop programs. Needs internet and a Google account.
- Price
- Free with 120 minutes a month; Pro, 29.99 USD a month, unlimited; minute packs from 5 USD.
4. Otter.ai
Otter is a meeting assistant: it transcribes, summarizes and stores conversations so you can look them up later. It transcribes English, Spanish and other languages, one per conversation.
- Pros
- Good meeting transcription, summaries and search across recordings.
- Cons
- No live translation, and it stores transcripts on its service, the opposite of what a medical call needs. According to its pricing page, HIPAA is an add-on to the Enterprise plan.
- Price
- Basic free with 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation; Pro, 16.99 USD a month.
5. Chrome Live Caption
Built into Chrome, it captions any audio playing in the browser, Spanish included. According to Google, audio and captions are processed on the device and never leave it: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/10538231?hl=en
- Pros
- Free, nothing to install, no account. For many interpreters it's the first visual aid.
- Cons
- It rewrites the sentence while the person is speaking, doesn't separate speakers and only hears audio playing inside Chrome. To translate, the text is sent to Google.
- Price
- Free.
6. Windows Live Captions
Built into Windows 11, it captions any audio on the PC, including Mexican and Spain Spanish. Microsoft says audio and captions never leave the device: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-live-captions-to-better-understand-audio-b52da59c-14b8-4031-aeeb-f6a47e6055df
- Pros
- Free, local, and works with any program, browser or desktop.
- Cons
- A single line that keeps rewriting, with no speaker separation. Translation only exists on Copilot+ PCs and only into English or Chinese: it won't give you Spanish.
- Price
- Free with Windows 11.
7. Google Translate conversation mode
The phone app translates a turn-by-turn conversation and reads the translation aloud. It's made for two people speaking in front of the phone.
- Pros
- Free, many languages, very easy to use.
- Cons
- It doesn't listen to a call on your computer, and it reads the translation aloud, which is your job. Offline it only works on some Pixel phones. On a medical call, the patient's audio would also be processed online.
- Price
- Free.
8. Microsoft Translator
Microsoft's iPhone and Android app translates conversations, text and photos, with a split screen for two people and language packs for offline use.
- Pros
- Free, with offline translation once you download the languages.
- Cons
- The Windows app was retired and, according to the release notes of its June 30, 2026 version, so was multi-device conversation. Like Google Translate, it's made for talking in front of the phone, not for listening to a call.
- Price
- Free.
Which one should you choose?
If you interpret medical calls and don't want your patients' audio to leave your computer, Terpside is the option built for that: it recognizes and translates on your device, with no account, and Pro doesn't count hours. If Chrome or Windows captions fall short because they rewrite the sentence and don't give you the translation, it's the natural next step.
If you work with other language pairs, from your phone, or on a Mac with a desktop program, Interpreter or Interpreter Pro will serve you better. For meeting notes, Otter. For an in-person conversation, Google Translate or Microsoft Translator.
Whichever you pick, check first which tools your agency and your contract allow: what the patient says is protected health information. More in the comparison with Interpreter and Interpreter Pro (https://terpside.app/en/alternatives/) and in the guide to transcription without the cloud (https://terpside.app/en/offline-real-time-transcription/).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best live caption app for medical interpreters?
It depends on your priority. If it's keeping the patient's audio on your computer, Terpside: it transcribes and translates English ↔ Spanish on Windows, with no account and no cloud. If you need many languages or want to work from your phone, Interpreter (useinterpreter.com) or Interpreter Pro, which process the audio online under a BAA. If you only want to see the text, for free, Chrome or Windows Live Caption.
Is there a free caption app for interpreters?
Yes. Chrome and Windows Live Caption are free, but they don't translate into Spanish. Terpside has a Free plan, forever, with 60 minutes a day of transcription and translation. Interpreter Pro gives 120 free minutes a month and Interpreter a 20-minute trial.
Which transcription tool doesn't send audio to the cloud?
Of the eight in this comparison, Terpside and Chrome and Windows Live Caption process audio on your computer. Interpreter, Interpreter Pro, Otter, Google Translate (except offline on some Pixel phones) and Microsoft Translator (except with offline packs) process it online.
Can I use Google Translate during a medical call?
It's not a good idea. It's designed for a conversation in front of the phone, not for listening to call audio on your computer, and pasting the patient's sentences into a web translator takes health information off your device. Always check what your agency allows.
Is Otter.ai good for interpreting?
It's good for transcribing meetings, not for interpreting: it doesn't translate live and it stores transcripts on its service. According to its pricing page, HIPAA is only available as an add-on to the Enterprise plan.
How much does a tool like this cost for full-time work?
At about 160 hours a month: Terpside Pro costs 19.90 USD a month and Interpreter Pro 29.99 USD, both with unlimited hours; with Interpreter you need the 200-hour plan, 70 USD a month. Chrome and Windows captions are free, with no on-device translation into Spanish.
Try it on your calls
Free with 60 minutes a day, no account or card. The Pro trial lasts 5 days, up to 2 hours a day.