What each person gets

FeatureFor a person speaking JapaneseWhen it helps
Live captionsText in Japanese appears on screen.You understand Japanese and need help catching a word, or you’re listening in a noisy setting.
Translated captionsText in your chosen language appears on screen.You want help understanding the speaker while still hearing their voice.
Speech translationYou hear translated audio in your chosen language.Looking at text while following a demonstration or watching facial expressions would be hard.

Why choose Hanashi?

Choose Hanashi if the goal is a conversation with someone from Japan whose interests you share. The captions have a job during that conversation. Hear the person’s real voice, glance at the text when you lose the thread, then ask a follow-up about what they said.

For two people who already know each other, pick the format based on how they want to follow the call. Translated audio is a better candidate if they need to watch a demonstration and keep their eyes off the captions.

Two people may need different help

One person may understand most of what they hear and only want captions for missed words. The other may need translated text or audio for most of the call. Ask each person what output is useful, then test what the platform lets each guest enable separately.

Look for a setting called something like “Translate to” or “Translate speech.” Seeing a captions button on your own device only proves you can open the menu. Check the language under it and ask the other person to verify what they see or hear.

Read for meaning, then check details

Machine translation can produce a fluent sentence after mishearing a word. Noise, crosstalk, names and idioms make this more likely. Wait for the translated thought before responding, then ask a short confirmation question when the detail matters.

For example, someone might say “I’ve got Friday off.” If the translation sounds unclear, ask “Are you free this Friday?” and type the date. A clear chat message is easier to refer back to than a line of scrolling captions.

Captions depend on the product and plan

Google documents translated captions and translated audio separately in Meet. Apple’s FaceTime guide describes Live Translation as on-screen captions. Check that the product name, feature name and plans in the documentation match what you’re about to use.

See translated call apps compared or open the scripted translation demo for a concrete example.

Sources