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How to Translate a Google Meet in Real Time — Chrome Extension Guide

To translate Google Meet with Gaavala’s Chrome extension, open the actual call in your desktop browser, choose the caption language in Gaavala and press Start. This guide separates Meet’s own captions from Gaavala’s and explains admission, audio capture and spoken replies.

Original + translation, paired — Timestamps, language badges, and both sides of every sentence — what was said and what it means stay together.

What You Need

Before starting, make sure you have:

A Chromium-based browser, version 116 or later. Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc, and Opera all qualify. Safari and Firefox are not supported because they do not implement the extension APIs Gaavala depends on.
A Google Meet link. Any meet.google.com/... URL works — whether it came from a Google Calendar invite, a chat message, or a "guest" link with no account attached.
Install the extension, sign in and check browser permissions before the meeting. Time varies with account and organization policy.

Gaavala’s captions do not depend on Google Meet’s native translation feature. You must still be allowed to join the meeting in its browser client and install and use the extension. Your organization may restrict browser extensions, sign-in or external speech services; check those policies before the call.

Before choosing a plan, compare free trials and recurring free meeting-translation allowances against the length and platform of your actual calls.

Step 1 — Install Gaavala from the Chrome Web Store

Install Join waitlist if your browser policy allows it. Review the permissions, pin the extension, open its side panel and sign in with Google or Microsoft.

The free trial includes 5 minutes of translated captions in total. It never renews, needs no credit card and does not include Speak Mode.

Step 2 — Join Your Google Meet in a Chrome Tab

This is the step that trips people up on other platforms — but Meet makes it effortless. Google Meet has no first-class desktop application; it lives in the browser. Click your meet.google.com link and it opens directly in a Chrome tab. There is no "open the desktop app?" dialog to cancel and no "join from your browser" link to find. This is exactly why Meet is the easiest platform for the extension.

Allow microphone and camera access if prompted, confirm your name (or enter one if you are joining as a guest), and click to ask to join or join the call as normal. Leave this tab open for the duration of the meeting. You can switch to other tabs freely — the audio capture continues regardless of whether the Meet tab is in the foreground.

The only requirement is that the call runs in a Chrome tab, which on Meet is the default and only behavior. Gaavala captures audio from a Chrome tab using the tabCapture API, so as long as Meet is in a tab — and it always is — you are set.

Step 3 — Open the Gaavala Side Panel and Press Start

Wait until you have been admitted to the Meet call and can hear its audio. With that Meet tab focused, open Gaavala, choose the caption language and press Start.

Meeting audio goes directly to Soniox. Before enabling capture, review how Gaavala processes audio and stores local transcripts.

Step 4 — Choose the Caption Language

Gaavala’s target-language control changes its own captions, not Google Meet’s captions or speech translation. Source speech is detected automatically; Original keeps the spoken language.

Step 5 — Read Live Captions (or Speak Back with Pro)

Read Google Meet captions in the side panel; export TXT, SRT or JSON, or request an on-device summary on a supported device.

Google Meet’s mute does not stop an active Speak session. Stop Speak in Gaavala or release the held button when you want translated speech to stop.

For Pro speech controls, see Speak Mode; choose among 68 studio voices or set up your own voice.

Common Issues

Captions show "no audio detected"

This is almost always a focus issue — the extension captures the tab that is active when you press Start. End the session, make sure the Meet tab is the focused tab, and click Start again. Other common causes: the Meet tab is muted at the OS level, or the call has not yet started broadcasting audio (for example, you are still in the green-room preview screen before joining). Make sure you have actually joined the call, not just opened the join page.

Translated captions in Meet and Gaavala captions disagree

Two caption engines can produce different translations of the same speech. Compare the original wording, language settings and context before deciding which version is correct. You can turn off one caption surface to reduce visual clutter; a difference alone does not prove that either engine is more accurate.

Guest joins and waiting rooms

If you are joining a Meet as a guest, you may land in a waiting room until the host admits you. Gaavala cannot capture meaningful audio while you are still in the waiting room, because no call audio is playing yet. Wait until you are admitted and the call audio is audible, then press Start. If you pressed Start too early, just end the session and start it again once you are in.

Why the Extension Needs the Google Meet Web Client

Use the actual Meet call tab in a supported Chromium browser. A Calendar invitation or pre-join preview is not the live conversation; wait until you are admitted and can hear the other participants.

Audio processing and local history: Gaavala privacy guide.

Choose between native translation and Gaavala

Google Meet offers translated captions on eligible plans, with separate lists of spoken and caption languages. It also offers Speech Translation for supported language pairs and eligible subscriptions. A qualifying host can enable speech translation for meeting participants; being a guest does not automatically rule it out. Check Google caption documentation and Google Speech Translation documentation for plan, language and availability requirements.

Capability	Native feature	Gaavala
Translated captions	Depends on the plan, host and settings described above	One-time 5-minute trial; Pro 120 minutes/day
Language coverage	Check the provider’s current source/target lists	60 languages
Spoken translation	Separate feature and eligibility; consult the linked sources	Speak Mode on Pro
Guest access	May be available through an eligible host	Use an accessible browser meeting; browser policies still apply
Cross-platform workflow	Google Meet only	Teams, Zoom, Meet and Webex
Audio for Gaavala translation	Google Meet	Direct from the browser to Soniox

Check whether your Meet account and language pair qualify for native captions or speech translation. Then compare Gaavala’s browser workflow and outgoing-voice controls.

FAQ

How much does it cost, and how does the free trial work?

The free trial gives you 5 minutes of transcription total, with no credit card required — a one-time lifetime allowance that never resets. It covers all 60 languages, speaker diarization, and TXT/SRT/JSON export. Speak Mode is not included in the free trial; it is a Pro-only feature. Pro at $19.99/month unlocks 120 minutes of transcription per day (resetting at 00:00 UTC) along with Speak Mode's 68 Soniox studio voices and native voice cloning. Pro is billed through our payment partner, which acts as the Merchant of Record, and you can cancel any time from the side panel.

Will other Google Meet participants know I am using Gaavala?

Captions stay in your Gaavala panel; translated Speak output is audible to the call, so follow its transcription and translation rules.

Is my meeting audio uploaded to Gaavala servers?

Meeting audio goes directly from your browser to Soniox; see the privacy guide for the separate data flows and local history.

Do I need a Google Workspace plan for this to work?

No Workspace subscription is required for Gaavala’s Google Meet captions in your browser. You still need permission to join the meeting and use the extension under the applicable browser policies.

Can I use Gaavala on a phone or tablet?

Use a supported desktop browser; this Chrome extension does not run in mobile browsers.

Get Started

Join waitlist

Install the extension, sign in and check browser permissions before the meeting. Time varies with account and organization policy.

Billed through our payment partner (Merchant of Record). Prices exclude VAT and sales tax — the payment partner adds the tax due in your country at checkout.

Translate Google Meet calls in real time with Gaavala