Slack huddle live captions and translation in 60+ languages
Slack's captions are English only and disappear when the huddle ends. SonicMeet shows bilingual, real-time captions on your side of any huddle, in the Slack app or in Chrome, and keeps the transcript.
Slack's captions are English only, and gone when the huddle ends.
Anyone can turn them on from the expanded huddle window, but there is no language to pick and nothing is saved. To keep any of it you need AI notes, a separate feature with its own rules.
AI huddle notes follow the plan and the room.
Paid plans only. A member, not a guest, starts them; everyone in the huddle is told; the notes and transcript land in a canvas in the huddle thread. Not available in huddles with people from other companies or guests. Slack lists eight tested languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
Which SonicMeet do you need for Slack?
It depends on where you huddle, not on your Slack plan.
Most huddles
You huddle in the Slack desktop app
Captions the audio of the Slack window. Nothing changes inside Slack, and nothing is installed in your workspace.
Captions overlay the Slack tab, nothing to download. Slack runs huddles in Chrome and Firefox; the extension runs in Chrome and Edge, so Chrome is the sure overlap.
If Slack opens in its own window, it is the desktop app.
How to get live captions and translation in a Slack huddle
About a minute, once.
1
Install SonicMeet
Desktop app for the Slack client, extension for Chrome. Sign in with Google; free to start.
2
Join the huddle and open SonicMeet
Pick the language you read. Nothing to turn on in Slack, nothing to ask your admin for.
3
Read captions live
Translation above, original below. Tap any line to save it as a note; the transcript stays after the huddle ends.
Pick the language you read
SonicMeetSlack detected
Spoken language
Auto detect
Translate to
Spanish
Bilingual captions
Start captions
Leave the spoken language on Auto detect; set only the language you read.
Read bilingual captions during the huddle
Live captions · SonicMeetLIVE
Dana · EnglishEN → ES
Una rápida antes del standup: ¿lanzamos la corrección hoy o esperamos al proveedor?
Quick one before standup: do we ship the fix today, or wait for the vendor?
Sam · EnglishEN → ES
Lanzadla. Dejo las notas de la versión en el hilo.▍
Ship it. I'll drop the release notes in the thread.
Target: Spanish
Translation on top, original right under it. Tap a line to save it as a note.
Instant when the huddle moves fast. Accurate when the wording matters.
Both on every plan, switchable mid-huddle from Settings in the caption area.
Default
Instant
Translates as the words arrive, with sub-second delay, so you can answer in the flow of the conversation.
Best for: quick huddles, standups, pairing on a bug.
Full-sentence translation
Accurate
Waits for the full sentence and uses a stronger model with far more context, so technical terms and names land right. Runs roughly 1 to 5 seconds behind Instant.
Best for: client huddles, design reviews, anything with numbers, names or terms you will act on.
Slack huddle captions in your language
Per-language guides: what works as the spoken language, and as the translation.
SpanishJapaneseSimplified ChinesePortuguese (Brazil)GermanFrenchKoreanTraditional Chinese (Taiwan)RussianItalianArabicCantoneseAll 60+ languages
Slack huddle live captions and translation FAQ
Does Slack have live captions in huddles?
Yes, in English only. Turn them on from the cog icon in the expanded huddle window, or the three dots on mobile. There is no other language, and Slack does not save the captions when the huddle ends. SonicMeet captions the huddle audio itself in 60+ spoken languages, translates it live, shows both lines, and keeps the transcript.
Can Slack translate a huddle?
Not live. Slack AI can translate a message you click on, on Business+ and Enterprise+, and only you see the result; it does nothing for speech in a huddle. SonicMeet translates what people say as they say it, on your side, into any of 60+ languages.
How do I get a transcript of a Slack huddle?
With Slack: turn on AI notes. That needs a paid plan and a member, not a guest, to start it; everyone in the huddle is notified; the notes land in a canvas in the huddle thread with the transcript inside, and that transcript does not show up in search. With SonicMeet: the transcript builds on your side in every huddle, on any plan, and you can tap a caption line during the huddle to save it as a note.
Does it work in Slack Connect huddles with other companies, or with guests?
Yes. Slack's AI notes are not available in huddles with external people or guests, which is exactly where you most need a record you can read. SonicMeet only uses what you hear, so it works the same in a partner's channel, a shared DM or a huddle with a guest, and nobody has to be on any particular plan.
Does it work on the free Slack plan?
Yes. Free Slack limits huddles to two people and leaves out AI notes; it says nothing about what runs on your computer. SonicMeet gives you the same captions, translation and transcript as on any paid plan.
Will other people in the huddle know?
No. Slack tells everyone when AI notes start; SonicMeet is not a Slack app and not a bot, so nothing is announced in the huddle, nothing appears in the thread, and nothing is installed in your workspace. Captions render on your screen only. Audio is processed by SonicMeet and its speech provider in real time, and we don't keep an audio recording.
Slack desktop app or Slack in the browser?
Both. SonicMeet for Windows and Mac captions the audio of the Slack window. If you use Slack in a browser, Slack runs huddles in Chrome and Firefox and the SonicMeet extension runs in Chrome and Edge, so use Chrome. Mobile is the one place it does not run: SonicMeet is desktop software.
Do I need a Slack admin to approve it?
No. SonicMeet is not a Slack Marketplace app, does not connect to your workspace and needs no app approval. It is software on your own computer, so on a company-managed device follow your company's rules for installing programs or browser extensions.
Do I need Slack's own captions turned on?
No. SonicMeet transcribes the huddle audio itself, so Slack's captions can stay off, or on if you like reading both.
How accurate is the translation?
Two modes, chosen per huddle. Instant translates as the words arrive with sub-second delay. Accurate waits for the complete sentence and translates it with a stronger model and far more surrounding context, which makes a visible difference on technical terms, product names and natural phrasing, roughly 1 to 5 seconds behind Instant. Switch from Settings in the caption area at any time.
Does it work with screen sharing and video?
Yes. SonicMeet uses the huddle's audio, so it does not matter whether someone is sharing a screen, drawing on it or has video on. Anything you can hear in the huddle gets captioned.
Is it free?
Yes to start. Install SonicMeet, sign in with Google, and you get a one-time 20 minutes of free captions with both translation modes. Paid plans add hours. There is nothing to buy from Slack, for you or for anyone else in the huddle.
More meeting platforms
Same captions, same notes, on the other apps your team lives in.