Council meetings and town halls
Open meetings in the languages residents speak.
Live Translation for Public Meetings and Constituent Services
Open every public meeting to every resident. Maestra Live translates council sessions, hearings and community forums with AI voice and captions in 100+ languages, on chamber screens and on residents' own phones.
A 30-minute walkthrough for agencies at every level. The free tool needs no form and no sales call.
- 100+ languages
- Public comment, both ways
- Chamber screens or devices
- Transcripts for the archive
This public meeting is now in session. Interpretation is available in your language. Scan the code on the screen to follow along with captions or translated audio, and to take part in public comment.
Phiên họp công khai này hiện đã bắt đầu. Dịch vụ phiên dịch có sẵn bằng ngôn ngữ của bạn. Hãy quét mã trên màn hình để theo dõi bằng phụ đề hoặc âm thanh đã dịch, và để tham gia phần ý kiến công chúng.
What Is Government Translation?
Government translation delivers public meetings, hearings and constituent services in other languages in real time, as live captions, translated audio, or both. Residents follow and take part in their preferred language.
Built for public sessions
Council meetings, town halls, public hearings and community forums share one pattern: officials at a podium, residents in the room and online, and a record that must be kept. Live translation fits all three.
Public comment in both directions
Residents speak in their own language during public comment, and officials hear the translation in real time. Other attendees follow in the language they prefer.
Open or private, by how you share
Share the session publicly for open meetings, or share the link or QR code only with intended participants for internal sessions.
How to Join a Multilingual Public Meeting
Translate your next public meeting
Start a live session in your browser, or book a walkthrough for your agency.
Ways to Provide Language Access at Public Meetings
Agencies usually choose between staffed interpreters, translated materials, and AI translation.
| Staffed interpreters | Translated materials only | AI live translation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live participation | Yes, for the languages staffed | No — residents read after the fact | Yes, in 100+ languages |
| Lead time | Days to weeks per language | Days | Minutes |
| Languages covered | Those you can staff | Those you can translate in advance | 100+ |
| Public comment | Through an interpreter | Not covered | Residents speak their language; officials hear it translated |
| Record | Minutes and audio | Written translations | Transcripts and translated audio when saved |
| Best fit | Proceedings where certified interpreters are required | Notices and written documents | Recurring meetings, forums, outreach and routine sessions |
Requirements for certified interpreters vary by jurisdiction and proceeding. Check what your context requires.
In Chambers, Hybrid or Remote
Residents attend in person, watch the livestream, or both. The meeting stays available in their own language either way.
In chambers
Officials speak from the podium. Attendees in the room listen to the translated speech or read live captions on their own phone, and captions can also run on the chamber screens.
Remote and livestreamed
Council meetings and community forums reach residents at home through your livestream or meeting platform. Everyone opens the same session, picks a language and listens or reads live.
Archive and outreach
Save the transcript and translated audio for the public archive. Use the same setup for neighbourhood meetings and civic engagement events.
- Two-way translation for public comment and Q&A
- Automatic speaker and language detection
- Custom glossaries for agency names, titles and acronyms
- Captions on chamber screens or on attendee devices
Government Translation Across Platforms
Connect Maestra to the conferencing and broadcast tools agencies already use for public meetings and hearings.
Zoom
Add live translation and captions to Zoom meetings and webinars.
Learn More
Microsoft Teams
Translate Teams meetings and live events for multilingual audiences.
Learn More
OBS
Send translated captions into your OBS livestream.
Learn More.webp)
vMix
Mix translated captions into vMix production.
Learn MoreBuilt for Government Agencies
Designed for agencies that need reliable language access for every constituent and every public session.
Two-way translation
Residents speak in their own language during hearings and Q&A, and officials respond in theirs.
Automatic speaker and language detection
Translation follows council members, presenters and residents in the same session.
Open or private sessions
Share publicly for open meetings or only with intended participants for internal sessions.
Captions on screens or devices
Show captions on chamber screens, or send them to attendee devices.
Custom glossaries
Agency names, policy terms, official titles and program acronyms stay accurate.
Transcripts and audio
Save sessions for public archives and post-meeting reference.
Public Sessions We Translate
Built for multilingual communities
100+ Languages supported
Two-way Public comment and Q&A
Zero Apps for residents to install
4 Platform integrations
Trusted by teams and individuals at:
Government Translation FAQs
How do I translate a live government meeting?
Connect Maestra to your meeting platform, council chamber microphone or audio source, choose the spoken language and the languages to translate into, then start the session. Residents join with a QR code or link and choose their language.
Can Maestra translate council meetings, town halls and public hearings?
Yes. Live translation works across council meetings, town halls, public hearings, community forums and other public-facing sessions.
Can residents and officials speak different languages in the same meeting?
Yes. Maestra detects the spoken language and switches translation automatically, so officials and residents can each speak in their own language.
Can I display live translations on chamber screens?
Yes. Live captions can be displayed on chamber screens, side displays or any in-room screen, and also sent to attendee devices.
Is it secure and private?
Content processed through Maestra is encrypted in transit and at rest. You can share a session publicly for open meetings or only with intended participants. For specific compliance requirements, book a demo.
How many languages are supported?
Maestra supports 100+ languages for live captions and spoken AI voice, and saved sessions can be translated into 125+ languages.
Can residents join without downloading an app?
Yes. Residents scan a QR code or open a link in any browser on a phone, tablet or desktop. No app install and no account are required.
Does it support multilingual public comment?
Yes. During public comment residents speak in their own language and officials hear the translation in real time, while other attendees follow in their preferred language.
Can I access transcripts and audio afterwards?
Yes. Both can be saved when the relevant options are enabled in your session settings before the meeting starts, for public archives and constituent access.
Is AI translation acceptable for formal language-access requirements?
That depends on your jurisdiction and the proceeding. Some contexts require certified human interpreters. Many agencies use AI translation to widen access for routine meetings and forums, so confirm what your policy requires.
Ready to open your meetings to every resident?
Book a walkthrough for your agency, or start a free session now and hear the live translation yourself.