Who Said What? Speaker-by-Speaker Translation Is the Missing Piece in Multilingual Meetings
Published September 18, 2026 · 5 min read
Most caption tools solve half the problem. They tell you what was said — but not who said it, and not in your language. DBird does all three at once: original speech, translated line, speaker label — live, as it happens.
Try DBird Dual — FreeThe Problem: You Know What Was Said. You Don't Know Who.
Picture a six-person meeting. Four people are speaking — one in English, one switching between English and Spanish, the rest in German. The platform shows captions. But the captions are a flat, undifferentiated stream. You're watching words scroll past with no idea whether it was your manager, a client, or a colleague asking a question.
Now layer in translation. Most tools either give you the original with speaker labels, or a translation with no context of who said what. Neither is enough. In a real meeting, attribution matters just as much as content. “We need to reduce the budget” lands very differently depending on whether it came from finance or from the client.
What “Speaker-by-Speaker” Actually Means
DBird shows a separate captioned block per speaker, each with two lines:
Original speech stays on top so nothing is lost. The translated line appears immediately below, in your chosen language. Speaker name anchors every block so you always know who is talking. No bot, no recording, no delay — it all happens directly inside your browser tab.
How DBird Compares to Other Tools
There are several tools in this space. Here's how they stack up against what matters most in a live multilingual meeting:
| Tool | Dual translation | Speaker labels | No bot | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBird Dual | ||||
| Native platform captions captions only, no dual translation | ||||
| AI note-taking bots joins as a bot, records audio | ||||
| Browser translation tools page translation only, not live | ||||
| AI meeting summary tools post-call summary, not live translation |
* Native platform captions (Teams, Zoom, Meet) show speaker labels but offer no translation. DBird layers translation on top of those same captions without replacing anything.
Why the “No Bot” Part Matters More Than You Think
Tools like Otter.ai and Fireflies join your meeting as a visible bot participant. They request permission to record audio. In many organisations, especially in finance, legal, and healthcare, that immediately raises compliance and privacy questions. Participants notice the bot. Some become guarded. Candid conversation dries up.
DBird works differently. It reads captions that are already being generated by the platform — no audio is ever captured or sent anywhere. There is no bot, no join request, no recording. Your meeting stays exactly as it would be without the extension. The only person who knows DBird is running is you.
Getting Started — Three Steps
- Install DBird Dual from the Chrome Web Store — it works on Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
- Join a meeting on Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet and enable live captions from the platform's own toolbar.
- DBird detects the captions automatically and adds your chosen translated language below each speaker's line.
The free tier gives you 100 translated captions per day — enough for a full meeting. Premium unlocks unlimited use across all three platforms with a one-time payment, no subscription.
One Extension. Every Meeting.
DBird Dual covers Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet in a single install. You don't need to switch extensions depending on which platform your next meeting is on. Install once, and speaker-by-speaker translation follows you across all of them.
Know who said what — in your language
Speaker-by-speaker live captions & translation for Teams, Zoom and Google Meet. Free to start.