Use the symptom to find the setting
| What you see | What to check first | Fast test |
|---|---|---|
| Recognisable words in the original language | Captions may be in same-language mode. Look for translated captions and set the reading language. | Ask the speaker to say one full sentence and compare the output after selecting translation. |
| Words that sound like what was said but make no sense | The source language may be set to the other speaker’s language. | Have the Japanese speaker say コーヒーを飲みます (“I’ll have coffee”) with everybody else silent. |
| Correct until somebody switches languages | The app may still be listening for the previous language. Check whether the current mode detects changes or needs a manual switch. | Give each speaker their own turn. If one sentence works and the mixed sentence fails, repeat it in one language. |
| Your caption option is missing while another participant has it | Check the host, plan and participant device. Listener settings can differ. | Use the same meeting and test your own device. Ask the organiser to verify what’s enabled. |
Do one clean round trip
For the second test, say “I’ll have tea” in English and check whether the other screen shows お茶 rather than コーヒー. If both people get their own language when the other speaks, try a normal short exchange. If the first test fails, ask a speaker to type the sentence so both people can continue while you isolate the setting.
Google Meet’s captions settings distinguish the source and target. Zoom’s participant instructions separate the speaking and caption languages; which pairs are available is a host setting. Teams’ caption guide explains choosing the meeting’s spoken language and setting up translated captions. Follow the controls for your actual app and edition.
Why choose Hanashi?
If you’re choosing a person for a new conversation, look for a shared interest and agree on one simple recovery signal such as “Could you type that word?” Hanashi is designed for one-to-one conversations with Japanese hosts, with captions and translation for support. The repair habit is useful whichever tool you use.
If you need just to fix a call with somebody you know, work through the symptom table in the app you already have. Check delay and interruptions if translations are arriving in the right language but too late.