Zoom will introduce real-time translation for 12 languages next year
Zoom plans to expand its live captioning feature next year to include support for more languages. The feature also gets a real-time translation function. The company is also looking to expand its whiteboard feature.
Zoom announced during its Zoomtopia conference that the live captioning feature will receive support for 30 different languages ”before the end of 2022″. The company has not yet clarified which languages this concerns. The first version of the closed captioning feature will be available to all users this year, but will only support English upon release.
In addition, the company reports that it is coming with a live translation function. That feature will also be available before the end of next year and should provide real-time translations in twelve languages. The company also does not disclose which languages for this function, but does report that the functions are based on the knowledge of Kites, a German start-up working on software that offers real-time translations through machine learning. Zoom acquired that company earlier this year.
Furthermore, Zoom is said to be planning to make its whiteboard feature more widely available. Zoom already allows users to create and share whiteboards. This allows users to take notes together, among other things. Currently, however, this is only possible during meetings and the company wants to make that feature available on “a wide number of devices” outside of Zoom meetings in the long term. The company also mentions an integration with Facebook’s Oculus Horizons Workrooms VR function. Zoom would release a standalone beta version of the whiteboard feature later this year.
A Zoom meeting through Oculus Horizon Workrooms. Image via Facebook