Microsoft is taking another (giant) leap into making remote and hybrid meetings more inclusive with the introduction of its new 'Interpreter Agent' feature for Teams. Unveiled at Microsoft Ignite 2024, this mind-blowing feature is set to make its public preview in early 2025 and proved to be the talking point of the event in Chicago.

Clearly language is a challenge and a potential barrier for all international organizations. It's desirable for all participants to converse in their native language, but given the geographical spread of most large businesses and the diversity even within one office location - this is rarely possible. Challenges of meetings where all participants are not speaking in their first tongue include:

Imagine a world where meeting participants are in different global locations, speaking their own different native languages, and an AI-powered meeting tool is providing live translation to a chosen language. Not only this - the resulting voices are not automated bots, but each person's own speech, translated. As Wesley Budd, Strategic Partner Manager at Symity, says:

"We've gone from science fiction to science non-fiction".

Currently named Interpreter Agent, the platform is part of the Microsoft 365 Copilot license and enables real-time voice translation in meetings while preserving the speaker's voice and accent. Major languages are currently supported, with more expected to roll out quickly. The voice-matching capability is made possible through Microsoft's "voice coach" feature, which allows users to record sample phrases to train the system on their unique speaking patterns. The Interpreter Agent can then identify who is speaking in a multi-person meeting and translate accordingly.

Budd described how he was updating Charterhouse / Symity's sales team on this key takeaway from Ignite, and one salesperson highlighted how he sometimes struggles with reading the subtitles on a translated meeting. The salesperson suggested that this new feature would remove that, by no longer requiring participants to read from the screen - enabling them to focus instead on expressions and body language. This preserves the nuance and emotional context of the conversation, allowing participants to fully engage and understand each other.

The potential benefits of the Interpreter Agent are clear, from boosting productivity in global organizations to enabling more inclusive and engaging multilingual meetings. As Budd put it - "to be able to have that breakdown that language barrier even further is fantastic."

In an increasingly globalized business landscape, tools like the Interpreter Agent will be essential for driving productivity, inclusion, and deeper connections between teams. While still in development, this AI-powered innovation represents an exciting step forward in Microsoft's mission to make remote collaboration as seamless as in-person interactions.