Interpreter vs Zoom
Quick answer
Zoom has live captions, translated captions, and AI voice translation for video meetings. Everyone joins the same Zoom call, and the system handles transcription and translation. Good for VRI or multilingual team meetings.
Interpreter transcribes phone calls in real-time. You're on a call through any phone system, and it captures the audio so you see every word while interpreting.
If you're an OPI interpreter working phone calls, Zoom's transcription won't help. Your clients are calling phone numbers, not joining Zoom meetings. Interpreter captures that phone audio.
What Zoom does
Video conferencing with live captions. Everyone joins the same meeting link, Zoom transcribes. 49 languages for captions.
Translated captions: $5/month add-on, 46 languages, only host needs it. AI Companion 3.0 (December 2025) added real-time voice translation too.
Good for VRI or multilingual team meetings. The AI translation is meant to reduce need for human interpreters in some settings.
What Interpreter does
Captures any audio from your computer—VoIP, softphones, landlines via computer—transcribes while you work.
Medical call through your agency: medication names, dosages, case numbers on screen as spoken. No asking people to repeat, no scribbling.
Two-way translation side by side. No meeting links, no video. Works with whatever phone system you have—clients don't change anything.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Interpreter | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Phone call transcription | Video meeting platform |
| Works with phone calls | ||
| Captures system audio | ||
| Two-way translation | ||
| Requires participants to join | ||
| Languages | 60+ | 49 (captions) |
| Session time limits | None | 40min (free) |
| HIPAA compliant | With BAA | |
| Pay-as-you-go |
Pricing comparison
For an interpreter working 40 hours/month:
$10–$16/month
Polyglot Mini: $0.25/hr ($10). Polyglot: $0.40/hr ($16). No session limits.
$13.33+/user/month
Pro: $13.33/mo + $5/mo for translated captions. Free tier: basic captions, 40min limit. Everyone must join Zoom.
Zoom's pricing is per-user subscription. Interpreter is pay-as-you-go. But the real difference: Zoom only works when everyone joins the video call.
Choose Zoom if
- Everyone can join the same Zoom meeting
- You're doing VRI (video remote interpreting)
- You want AI to handle some translation automatically
- Your organization already uses Zoom for meetings
Choose Interpreter if
- You're working phone calls, not video meetings
- Your clients call a phone number, not a meeting link
- You're the interpreter, not being replaced by AI
- You need HIPAA compliance for medical calls
- You want pay-as-you-go without per-user subscriptions
The real question
Zoom's transcription and translation are solid. AI Companion 3.0 does real-time voice translation. Worth knowing if you do VRI through Zoom.
But OPI isn't video calls. It's phone calls. Patient calls hospital, customer calls bank. They dial a number, not a meeting link.
Zoom transcription only works inside Zoom. Phone calls? Zoom can't reach that audio. Interpreter captures whatever's coming through your computer without clients changing anything.
One more thing: Zoom's AI translation is designed to replace interpreters. Interpreter is designed to support you while you do the work.