Google Meet Interpreting, Yes it is ‘Free’... and You Get Exactly What You Pay For

This weekend, I finally got the chance to try out Google Meet's simultaneous interpreting feature in an online assignment. I’d heard it was launched but hadn’t yet tested it myself, so I was genuinely excited to see it in action.

Until I wasn’t.

Interpretation features across platforms (like Zoom and Webex) typically have one key strength in common: practicality. Google, however, seemed to overlook this entirely when designing their feature.

As an interpreter, there’s already a lot of prep involved before an assignment. When it’s time to start, I expect to simply log in, turn on my mic, and get to work. I also need to move freely between windows for quick research without losing track of the conference.

Now, I can forgive some limitations since Google Meet is a web-based platform rather than dedicated software, but the impracticalities are… exhausting.

First, you have to install a Chrome extension ( I’m not sure if it’s compatible with other browsers). Then, you log into the “Main” meeting room. By now, the client will have sent you a separate “Interpreter link”—because, yes, there are two separate links. After that, you wait for someone to let you into both rooms.

See the picture below for reference.

Here's how the interpreting channel will look like. Notice controls below.

1 2

Picture number 1 is how the interpreting channel will look like. And number 2 is how the "main channel" will look like.

And here's how it looks as a WHOLE.

You’ll immediately notice that the interpretation controls (for adjusting the volume of the main and interpreting channels) effectively lock you out of the main chat box. No matter how much you wrestle with those controls, they simply won’t budge.

And remember, each language requires its own Google Meet link. So imagine coordinating 6-7 separate channels for every single language and language pair.

In the meeting I attended, we had three booths: French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Most of the meeting was one-way interpretation, but there was always a chance that a Spanish or Portuguese speaker might take the floor. My booth partner and I aren’t fluent in either of those languages, so I raised the obvious question: what about relay?

One of the brilliant interpreters in the meeting suggested that the "Main" channel would be English, so any interpreter interpreting in English would activate their mic there, but the foreign language speaker would have to join the interpreter's designated language. - confusing I know.

Let's break it down

In other words, say we have booths A, B, and C, plus the main channel Y. If a speaker uses a language other than English, they should log into channels A, B, or C, turn on their mic there, while the interpreter (also in the same booth) activates their mic in the main channel Y and speaks there.

This may be a solution, but it’s far from practical. Most participants don’t care about these details; many don’t even bother with headphones or proper mics. So what makes anyone think they’ll install an extension, join two meetings, mute and unmute appropriately, speak, listen, and then bounce back to their original meeting?

Plus, anyone who needs interpretation in languages A, B, or C has to join those channels using separate links. They can remain in the main Y channel if they want, especially to view any presentations, but it’s ultimately on them to manage it all.

Honestly, writing this is exhausting—imagine actually doing it every time?!

Is Google Meet Interpretation really all bad? Isn’t there at least one redeeming quality to it?

I'm far from its biggest fan. But let's not overlook its advantages entirely. For students without the budget or resources to activate a premium service on the “big” platforms, Google Meet's simultaneous interpreting feature offers a genuinely accessible solution. It’s free to download, easy to access, and honestly quite handy for schools or training programs (like the one I attended). It allows instructors to manage and monitor both sides effectively within a single window, which could really enhance the learning experience for budding interpreters.

That said, this feature falls flat in any professional setting, for both participants and interpreters. It’s simply not equipped for the demands and expectations of high-stakes environments.