Published Jul 17, 2024
Microsoft Teams introduces bidirectional support for live interpretation, enabling interpreters to switch translation direction between two languages. This feature reduces operational costs by requiring fewer interpreters. Rollouts begin in September 2024, with no admin action needed, but users should be informed.
Updated August 1, 2024: We have updated the rollout timeline below. Thank you for your patience.
With bidirectional support in Teams Live Interpretation, interpreters can now switch the translation direction between two languages by clicking on the button of the language they want to interpret into at the bottom of the screen. The highlighted language button will be the language the interpreter is translating into and attendees hear.
This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 403103.
When this will happen:
Targeted Release: We will begin rolling out early September 2024 (previously early August) and expect to complete by mid-September 2024 (previously mid-August).
General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): We will begin rolling out mid-September 2024 (previously mid-August) and expect to complete by late September 2024 (previously late August).
General Availability (GCC High, DoD): We will begin rolling out late October 2024 (previously late September) and expect to complete by early November 2024 (previously early October).
How this will affect your organization:
The new bidirectional capability allows tenants to hire fewer interpreters to do live translation in Teams meetings, reducing the operation costs for tenants.
What you need to do to prepare:
This rollout will happen automatically with no admin action required. You may want to notify your users about this change and update any relevant documentation as appropriate.