Skip to content

How-To

Best Live Captioning and Transcription Tools for Teachers in 2026

Live captioning and transcription tools for teachers, compared: real-time translation for English learners, review after class, privacy and price.

By Logan Shaffer · · 12 min read

In a class with English learners, a captioning tool has more to do than put text on the board. Students need captions they can follow at lesson speed, help in their own language, and something to reread after the bell. Schools need to know where the audio goes and how long anything is kept.

This guide compares 13 live captioning, transcription and translation tools on those points, from the free captions in slide software to services sold to whole districts. We make MAMAKO, so we put it first; we describe every other entry from its maker's own pages as of October 2026.

How We Compared Them

Every entry answers the same seven questions, from the maker's own help, pricing and privacy pages, read on 4 October 2026:

  • Best for
  • Live captions
  • Live translation
  • On students' or parents' devices
  • After class
  • Privacy, including whether your data trains AI models
  • Price

Live captions show the speaker's words as text in the language spoken. Live translation turns that speech into another language as it is spoken, as text or audio. Where a maker's pages left a question unanswered, we left that line out.

MAMAKO

MAMAKO captions the teacher live on the classroom board and translates each line for students still learning English. It runs in Chrome or Edge on the laptop the teacher already projects from.

  • Best for: subject classes taught in English, from middle school through high school, with English learners in the room, and the parent conferences and staff meetings around them.
  • Live captions: English, on the board or in a caption bar over slides, videos and websites, with each word highlighted as the teacher says it.
  • Live translation: 38 languages, every one Chrome's built-in translator offers, translated on the teacher's laptop. The lesson's key terms stay in English with the student's word in brackets, and the board can show two languages side by side.
  • On students' or parents' devices: students follow the board, or the teacher can turn on Student Screens so each student reads the lesson in their own language on a school laptop by typing the class code. Afterwards they open the recap on any device by link. Students need no account. At parent conferences and staff meetings, people scan a QR code to read the captions on their phones, in English or the language the teacher translates into, and a parent can speak a reply in their own language that the teacher reads in English.
  • After class: a recap with the day's key words, which the teacher checks before sharing it by link, with a translation into one language the teacher picks beside the English. The recap can also go into Persian or Urdu.
  • Privacy: no audio is kept, names on the class roster are removed before anything is saved, a lesson's transcript is deleted 7 days after the lesson (sooner if the school asks), a parent conference's within 48 hours, and MAMAKO does not use school data to train AI models. How MAMAKO handles student data has the details.
  • Price: sold to schools as a pool of class hours that any teacher at the school draws on, from about 100 hours for a small school to 1,500 or more for a large one, with every feature included. We size the pool and quote it after a demo.

Wordly

Wordly (opens in a new tab) is AI interpretation for meetings, events and classes, sold to schools as packages of hours.

Pocketalk Sentio

Pocketalk makes handheld translators and says its translation tools are used in over 500 school districts worldwide (opens in a new tab). Pocketalk Sentio (opens in a new tab) is its browser-based live translation for one speaker and many listeners.

  • Best for: a teacher or leader speaking to a mixed-language group in a lesson or meeting.
  • Live captions: Sentio transcribes the speaker as it translates.
  • Live translation: the Premium Unlimited plan (opens in a new tab) interprets 44 spoken languages into 77, as text and audio.
  • On students' or parents' devices: listeners scan a QR code or open a link and pick a language, with no app.
  • After class: the host can download the interpretation history (opens in a new tab) as a CSV file.
  • Privacy: Pocketalk says Sentio complies with COPPA, FERPA and GDPR, and with the ISO 27001 security standard.
  • Price: $999 for a year of Premium Unlimited, with no automatic renewal.

PowerPoint Live Subtitles

PowerPoint (opens in a new tab) can caption the presenter during a slide show, on the projected screen.

  • Best for: teachers who present from PowerPoint and want captions with nothing for students to install.
  • Live captions: in the language you speak, with 8 spoken languages fully supported and 15 in preview, which Microsoft says are somewhat less accurate.
  • Live translation: subtitles in one of more than 60 languages at a time. Microsoft's presenter tips (opens in a new tab) tell bilingual speakers to stay in the language they chose.
  • On students' or parents' devices: Present Live (opens in a new tab), which put subtitles on the audience's own devices, is deprecated.
  • After class: Microsoft's help page describes no transcript to save.
  • Privacy: your speech is sent to Microsoft to make the text.
  • Price: part of PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and PowerPoint 2024, and the help page also gives steps for PowerPoint for the web. Microsoft's school plans (opens in a new tab) run from free (Office 365 A1, web apps) to $3.25 per teacher a month (A3, desktop apps), so check that subtitles work on your plan.

Google Slides Captions

Google Slides (opens in a new tab) captions the presenter at the bottom of the screen, in Chrome, Edge or Safari.

  • Best for: quick captions on the board from a Slides deck, at no cost.
  • Live captions: in the language spoken, with no punctuation. They stop after 30 idle minutes, and administrators can turn them off.
  • Live translation: Google's help page describes none.
  • On students' or parents' devices: the presenting screen only, or the shared screen in Google Meet.
  • After class: captions are not stored.
  • Privacy: the browser's speech service turns speech into text and passes the text to Slides.
  • Price: free with Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals (opens in a new tab), for qualifying schools.

Microsoft Translator

The Translator for Education (opens in a new tab) site describes students or parents joining a conversation by code to read a teacher's words on their own phones. Microsoft's app listings now say that feature has been retired.

Microsoft Teams Live Captions

Teams live captions (opens in a new tab) work in meetings and calls, and each participant turns them on for themselves.

  • Best for: schools on Microsoft 365 that run online lessons or parent meetings in Teams.
  • Live captions: 57 spoken languages and locales.
  • Live translation: 31 caption languages for every participant, when the organizer has a Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
  • On students' or parents' devices: yes, inside a Teams meeting, so students in the room join a call.
  • After class: captions are not saved. A transcript (opens in a new tab), if turned on, stays in the organizer's OneDrive in the original language only.
  • Privacy: caption data is deleted after the meeting. Speech recognition may draw on the invitation, participant names and participants' recent emails to improve accuracy.
  • Price: Teams is free (opens in a new tab) for students and teachers with a school email. Teams Premium (opens in a new tab) is a per-user add-on, and we found no published education price.

Google Meet Captions and Translation

Meet live captions (opens in a new tab) are free, and each person turns them on for themselves.

  • Best for: schools on Google Workspace that run online classes or parent meetings in Meet.
  • Live captions: 88 languages and locales, 62 of them in beta.
  • Live translation: translated captions (opens in a new tab) in 69 languages, still rolling out, on certain paid editions including Google AI Pro for Education. Speech Translation (opens in a new tab) pairs English with six languages, and Google lists participants under 18 among the cases where it may not work.
  • On students' or parents' devices: yes, inside a Meet call.
  • After class: transcripts (opens in a new tab) in eight languages on Education Plus or the Teaching and Learning Upgrade, saved to the organizer's Drive and off by default for student licenses.
  • Privacy: for education editions, Google says Meet uses no data for advertising and stores no audio or video (opens in a new tab) unless someone records the meeting.
  • Price: Education Fundamentals is free and has no transcripts or translated captions. Google quotes Education Plus and the AI Pro for Education add-on on request.

Ava

Ava (opens in a new tab) is a captioning app built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, with school plans and a human-corrected option, Ava Scribe.

Verbit

Verbit (opens in a new tab) sells AI and human-reviewed captioning, transcription and translation to colleges and universities, and says it serves K-12 districts too.

  • Best for: institutions meeting disability accommodations and ADA Title II rules at scale.
  • Live captions: real-time captions and CART-style transcription for lectures and events. CART is live captioning typed by a trained captioner.
  • Live translation: real-time, in 28 or more languages.
  • On students' or parents' devices: captions reach screens in the room, remote learners or students' own devices.
  • After class: transcripts, plus AI summaries and quizzes.
  • Privacy: Verbit's privacy policy (opens in a new tab) says it keeps customer data to improve its services, including machine learning for its speech recognition.
  • Price: no public price. Every plan (opens in a new tab) starts with a demo.

Live Transcribe

Live Transcribe (opens in a new tab) is Google's free Android accessibility app, built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

  • Best for: one student reading along on an Android phone, ideally with a microphone near the teacher.
  • Live captions: the spoken language as text on the phone, in over 80 languages and dialects (opens in a new tab), on Android 12 and up.
  • Live translation: Google describes none between spoken languages.
  • On students' or parents' devices: only the phone running the app.
  • After class: optional history, kept on the phone for up to three days.
  • Privacy: the Play listing says audio is not kept once it is transcribed, and it reports no data shared with third parties. Google's help page says audio and transcriptions are encrypted and stored for a short time in the app.
  • Price: free, and preinstalled on Pixel phones.

Otter.ai

Otter.ai (opens in a new tab) is an AI note-taker that transcribes lectures and meetings, joins Zoom, Teams and Meet calls, and writes summaries.

Genio Notes (Formerly Glean)

Genio Notes (opens in a new tab) is a study app: a student records class on their own device and gets a transcript and study tools. Glean became Genio (opens in a new tab) in June 2025.

Which One Should You Use?

Start from the job, and from what your school already pays for.

  • Occasional captions, no budget: PowerPoint or Google Slides. PowerPoint can add one translated language, which suits a class that shares a home language.
  • A deaf or hard-of-hearing student: start from the student's support plan (an IEP or 504 plan in US schools). Ava, Verbit and Live Transcribe are built for this.
  • Parent evenings and board meetings in many languages: Wordly or Pocketalk Sentio, or Teams and Meet if your school already pays for translated captions.
  • A quick word with a parent: Microsoft Translator on one phone, in split screen.
  • Your own notes: Otter.ai, or Genio Notes for students who record lectures.
  • Subject classes with English learners every day: MAMAKO, which keeps the subject's English terms inside the translation, gives students a recap to reread, and captions the school's parent conferences and staff meetings from the same pool of hours.

Whatever you choose, ask where the audio goes, how long the text is kept, and whether either one trains an AI model.

References

  1. Wordly (2026). Educational Translation for Classes, Meetings & Events. Wordly, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.wordly.ai/education-translation (opens in a new tab)
  2. Wordly (2026). Display Wordly Captions on Screen. Wordly Knowledge Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.wordly.ai/display-wordly-captions-on-screen (opens in a new tab)
  3. Wordly (2026). Accessing Transcripts. Wordly Knowledge Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.wordly.ai/accessing-transcripts (opens in a new tab)
  4. Wordly (2026). Wordly FAQ. Wordly Knowledge Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.wordly.ai/wordly-faq (opens in a new tab)
  5. Wordly (2026). Wordly Security and Privacy Practices | AI Translation Platform. Wordly, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.wordly.ai/wordly-security (opens in a new tab)
  6. Wordly (2026). Wordly Pricing | AI Translation & Captions for Meetings and Events. Wordly, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.wordly.ai/pricing (opens in a new tab)
  7. Pocketalk (2026). SENTIO. Pocketalk, Checked 4 October 2026. https://pocketalk.com/sentio (opens in a new tab)
  8. Pocketalk (2026). Pocketalk Sentio Premium Unlimited. Pocketalk, Checked 4 October 2026. https://pocketalk.com/product/sentio-premium-unlimited (opens in a new tab)
  9. Pocketalk (2026). Pocketalk SENTIO (AI Live Interpretation) User Manual. Pocketalk, Checked 4 October 2026. https://manual.pocketalk.com/sentio/noqr/en/index.html (opens in a new tab)
  10. Pocketalk (2026). Education. Pocketalk, Checked 4 October 2026. https://pocketalk.com/education (opens in a new tab)
  11. Microsoft (2026). Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint. Microsoft Support, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/present-with-real-time-automatic-captions-or-subtitles-in-powerpoint-68d20e49-aec3-456a-939d-34a79e8ddd5f (opens in a new tab)
  12. Microsoft (2026). Lectures and presentations - Education - Microsoft Translator. Microsoft Translator, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/education/lectures-and-presentations/ (opens in a new tab)
  13. Microsoft (2026). Present Live: Engage your audience with Live Presentations. Microsoft Support, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/present-live-engage-your-audience-with-live-presentations-039aa2cc-67fa-4fb5-9677-46ed8a060c8c (opens in a new tab)
  14. Microsoft (2026). Free Microsoft Office 365 for Schools | Microsoft Education. Microsoft Education, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office (opens in a new tab)
  15. Google (2026). Present slides with captions. Google Docs Editors Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9109474?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  16. Google (2026). Compare Editions. Google for Education, Checked 4 October 2026. https://edu.google.com/workspace-for-education/editions/compare-editions/ (opens in a new tab)
  17. Microsoft (2026). Microsoft Translator for Education - Microsoft Translator. Microsoft Translator, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/education/ (opens in a new tab)
  18. Microsoft (2026). Live conversations - Education - Microsoft Translator. Microsoft Translator, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/education/live-conversations/ (opens in a new tab)
  19. Microsoft (2026). Microsoft Translator - Apps on Google Play. Google Play, Listing updated 30 June 2026. Checked 4 October 2026. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.translator (opens in a new tab)
  20. Microsoft (2026). Microsoft Translator App - App Store. App Store, Version 26.7.1, dated 30 June. Checked 4 October 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-translator/id1018949559 (opens in a new tab)
  21. Microsoft (2026). Translator for iOS FAQs - Microsoft Translator. Microsoft Translator, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/help/ios/ (opens in a new tab)
  22. Microsoft (2026). Use live captions in Microsoft Teams meetings. Microsoft Support, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-live-captions-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-4be2d304-f675-4b57-8347-cbd000a21260 (opens in a new tab)
  23. Microsoft (2026). Start, stop, and download live transcripts in Microsoft Teams meetings. Microsoft Support, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/meetings/start-stop-and-download-live-transcripts-in-microsoft-teams-meetings (opens in a new tab)
  24. Microsoft (2026). Microsoft Teams for Schools and Students | Microsoft Education. Microsoft Education, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/teams (opens in a new tab)
  25. Microsoft (2026). Microsoft Teams Premium licensing - Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Learn, Checked 4 October 2026. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/teams-add-on-licensing/licensing-enhance-teams (opens in a new tab)
  26. Google (2026). Use live captions in Google Meet - Computer. Google Meet Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/meet/answer/15077804?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  27. Google (2026). Use translated captions in Google Meet - Computer. Google Meet Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/meet/answer/10964115?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  28. Google (2026). Learn about Speech Translation - Computer. Google Meet Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/meet/answer/16221730?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  29. Google (2026). Use Transcripts with Google Meet - Computer. Google Meet Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/meet/answer/12849897?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  30. Google (2026). Security & privacy for Meet education editions. Google Workspace Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/a/answer/9822731?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  31. Ava (2026). Ava | Live Captions for your School. Ava, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.ava.me/education (opens in a new tab)
  32. Ava (2026). How to translate a conversation with Ava. Ava Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.ava.me/en/articles/4236217-how-to-translate-a-conversation-with-ava (opens in a new tab)
  33. Ava (2026). What Languages and Countries Are Supported by Ava?. Ava Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.ava.me/en/articles/1215141-what-languages-and-countries-are-supported-by-ava (opens in a new tab)
  34. Ava (2026). Captioning Group Conversations on Ava. Ava Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.ava.me/en/articles/2752252-captioning-group-conversations-on-ava (opens in a new tab)
  35. Ava (2026). How does Ava guarantee privacy and safety of my data?. Ava Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.ava.me/en/articles/1215157-how-does-ava-guarantee-privacy-and-safety-of-my-data (opens in a new tab)
  36. Ava (2026). Ava Plans - Always at the Best Price. Ava, Checked 4 October 2026. https://www.ava.me/pricing (opens in a new tab)
  37. Verbit (2026). Education Accessibility: Captions, Transcripts, ADA Compliance. Verbit, Checked 4 October 2026. https://verbit.ai/education-accessibility/ (opens in a new tab)
  38. Verbit (2026). Privacy Policy. Verbit, Last updated November 2025. Checked 4 October 2026. https://verbit.ai/privacy-policy/ (opens in a new tab)
  39. Verbit (2026). Transcription Pricing & Solutions. Verbit, Checked 4 October 2026. https://verbit.ai/plans/ (opens in a new tab)
  40. Google (2026). Use Live Transcribe. Android Accessibility Help, Checked 4 October 2026. https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/9158064?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
  41. Google (2026). Live Transcribe & Notification - Apps on Google Play. Google Play, Checked 4 October 2026. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.audio.hearing.visualization.accessibility.scribe (opens in a new tab)
  42. Otter.ai (2026). Lecture Notes - Real-time for Students & Teachers. Otter.ai, Checked 4 October 2026. https://otter.ai/education (opens in a new tab)
  43. Otter.ai (2026). Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, or Chinese (Simplified). Otter.ai Help Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/26660468516631-Transcribe-conversations-in-English-Spanish-French-German-Japanese-or-Chinese-Simplified (opens in a new tab)
  44. Otter.ai (2026). Supported languages. Otter.ai Help Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360047247414-Supported-languages (opens in a new tab)
  45. Otter.ai (2026). Record a Zoom meeting. Otter.ai Help Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360048787653-Record-a-Zoom-meeting (opens in a new tab)
  46. Otter.ai (2026). Share a conversation. Otter.ai Help Center, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/360048338793-Share-a-conversation (opens in a new tab)
  47. Otter.ai (2026). Privacy & Security. Otter.ai, Checked 4 October 2026. https://otter.ai/privacy-security (opens in a new tab)
  48. Otter.ai (2026). Pricing. Otter.ai, Checked 4 October 2026. https://otter.ai/pricing (opens in a new tab)
  49. Genio (2026). Follow along with Live Captions for Genio Notes. Genio, Checked 4 October 2026. https://genio.co/notes/live-captions (opens in a new tab)
  50. Genio (2025). Goodbye Glean, Hello Genio. Genio, Published 3 June 2025. Checked 4 October 2026. https://genio.co/blog/goodbye-glean-hello-genio (opens in a new tab)
  51. Genio (2026). Live Captions - Genio Help Centre. Genio Help Centre, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.genio.co/article/319-live-captions (opens in a new tab)
  52. Genio (2026). Which languages do you support?. Genio Help Centre, Checked 4 October 2026. https://help.genio.co/article/343-which-languages-do-you-support (opens in a new tab)
  53. Genio (2026). AI at Genio: Responsible AI in Higher Education Learning Tools. Genio, Checked 4 October 2026. https://genio.co/ai-hub (opens in a new tab)
  54. Genio (2026). Pricing for Individuals - Compare plans and unlock better learning. Genio, Prices shown in US dollars to a US visitor. Checked 4 October 2026. https://genio.co/pricing/individuals (opens in a new tab)
  55. Genio (2026). Genio - Department and Institution Wide | Pricing. Genio, Checked 4 October 2026. https://genio.co/pricing/institutions (opens in a new tab)

All posts