Translate Webex Meetings in Real Time

Live captions, 60-language translation, and AI voice for any Cisco Webex call — one Chrome extension, no admin console approval needed.

Why use Gaavala for Webex?

Gaavala adds real-time bidirectional translation to any Cisco Webex call, from your browser, in 60 languages. It is a Chrome extension — you do not need Webex administrator rights, a Webex Control Hub policy change, or any per-user translation license. You join the meeting at webex.com (or your organization's Webex host URL) in a Chromium browser, click the Gaavala icon, and press Start — capture begins instantly with no screen-share dialog, and live captions start streaming into the side panel and a floating overlay on the call.

The audio flows directly from your browser to Soniox's speech-to-text engine over an encrypted WebSocket. Gaavala's backend is not in the audio path — it handles authentication and subscription state only, and AI summaries run entirely on-device, so it never receives, stores, or logs meeting audio or transcripts. For industries where routing call audio through an additional vendor cloud would require legal or compliance review, this architecture is often the material difference between a tool you can deploy today and one that needs a formal procurement cycle.

On Pro ($24.99 per month, one-time 5-minute free trial available), Speak Mode lets you speak in your native language and have Gaavala synthesize your translated voice directly into the Webex meeting — so other participants hear you in their language. Push-to-Talk gives you walkie-talkie style control; Timed Speak is a hands-free alternative for conversational back-and-forth. Pro defaults to Soniox studio voices (28 voices across all 60 languages), or clone your own voice from a ~20-second sample.

Speak Mode behaves the same way in Webex as it does in Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. One extension, same workflow, every major host platform.

Why Gaavala Fits Cross-Language Webex Calls

How to translate Webex with Gaavala

  1. Add Gaavala to Chrome. Install the Gaavala extension from the Chrome Web Store, confirm the permissions, and pin the icon to your toolbar. Setup takes under 30 seconds.
  2. Join Webex in a Chrome tab. Open your Webex meeting in the web client at webex.com in Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Arc. Gaavala needs the browser tab because it captures tab audio.
  3. Open the side panel and press Start. Click the Gaavala icon to open the side panel, pick your source and target languages, and press Start. Capture begins instantly — no screen-share dialog — and live captions begin streaming.

Webex built-in vs Gaavala

FeatureWebex built-inGaavala
Live translationGated by enterprise SKU or licenseIncluded on Free and Pro
Language coveragePlatform-dependent, narrower set60 languages across every plan
PrivacyAudio proxied through vendor cloudDirect browser-to-Soniox streaming
SetupAdmin or tenant-level enablementChrome Web Store install, 30 seconds
Cross-platformWebex onlyTeams, Zoom, Meet, Webex
AI voice Speak ModeLimited or unavailablePro includes PTT + Timed Speak

Use cases

External Consultant and Vendor Calls

Join a client's Webex meeting as an external guest and follow discussions in their language without asking them to change meeting configuration.

Distributed Team Standups

Engineering, design, or customer-success teams spread across regions can run daily Webex standups with every participant reading along in their own language.

Regulated Industry Meetings

Legal, finance, and healthcare teams that cannot route meeting audio through another vendor's cloud get a direct-to-Soniox architecture that stays out of Gaavala's servers entirely.

Cross-Border Sales Calls

Sales professionals presenting to non-English-speaking prospects can use Speak Mode on Pro to respond in the prospect's language even without fluency.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a specific Webex plan to use Gaavala?

No. Gaavala is a Chrome extension that runs on your machine and does not depend on your Webex plan. It works on any Webex meeting you can open in a Chromium browser tab, including meetings you join as an external guest. There is no Cisco licensing step and no Webex Control Hub change required.

Does Gaavala work with the Webex desktop app?

Gaavala captures audio from Chrome browser tabs, so you need to join Webex through the web client. Most Webex invites offer a "Join from browser" option — use that and the meeting opens in a Chrome tab where Gaavala can capture audio. The Webex desktop app runs outside the browser and its audio cannot be captured via the Chrome tabCapture API.

Can other Webex participants see that Gaavala is running?

No. Captions render only in your own browser — inside the Gaavala side panel and a floating overlay on your meeting tab. Other Webex participants see nothing different. Gaavala does not post messages into the Webex chat, does not create a bot participant, and does not announce itself in any way.

How much does Gaavala cost?

Gaavala has a one-time free trial of 5 minutes of transcription, with no credit card required. Those 5 minutes are a lifetime allowance — once used, the free tier is exhausted and does not reset. The free trial covers all 60 languages, speaker diarization, and live captions. Pro is $24.99 per month, billed through Lemon Squeezy, and unlocks 120 minutes of transcription per day, Speak Mode (Push-to-Talk + Timed Speak), 28 Soniox studio voices plus your own cloned voice, and on-device AI meeting summaries.

Is Gaavala safe for meetings containing regulated data?

Gaavala's architecture is designed for this specific case. Meeting audio streams directly from your browser to Soniox over an encrypted WebSocket. Gaavala's backend is not in the audio path and cannot receive, store, or log meeting audio. The only content that reaches our servers is when you explicitly click "Generate Summary" — at which point transcript text (not audio) is sent. For HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2 contexts, this is a materially smaller surface than vendors that proxy meeting audio through their own cloud.

Related reading

How to translate a Cisco Webex meeting in real time

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