Also useful: no-CC live captions · podcast bilingual captions · YouTube dual subtitles · iPhone Duo live translate
Google’s Chrome Help describes Live Translate as translating captions into one language you choose under “Translate captions to,” so you see a single translated line — not the original and the translation together. For a live captions translator that keeps both languages on screen, BelliedMonkey’s Live Subtitles app path on Mac and iPhone shows bilingual captions for whatever is playing (macOS 26 / iOS 26 or later). It is a separate product from Chrome Live Caption; there is no documented integration.
As of October 2026, Chrome Help documents Live Caption under Settings → Accessibility → Live Caption (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook). Google says Live Caption audio and captions are processed locally and never leave your device. Live Translate sends captions to Google to translate them. You pick a single “Translate captions to” language; captions appear in a draggable bubble. Caption languages and translate-to coverage are listed on Google’s help page — re-check before you rely on a specific language pair.
One translated line is fine for accessibility and quick gist. Language learners who want to check meaning usually want two lines: original speech as text, plus the translation. That is the job of a bilingual live-subtitles tool, not of a single Translate-to setting.
BelliedMonkey has no code relationship with Chrome’s system Live Caption feature. Do not assume they run together or that one replaces the other — that interaction is undocumented. (In BelliedMonkey’s own codebase, “live caption” wording can also refer to YouTube’s scrolling subtitle DOM for the extension, which is unrelated to Chrome’s accessibility Live Caption.)
On Mac and iPhone, Live Subtitles shows bilingual captions for whatever the device is playing — a floating bar on Mac, picture-in-picture on iPhone. It needs iOS 26 or macOS 26, plus permission for screen recording and system-audio recording. On-device recognition is free of charge; correction and translation use the translation engine. The optional small free credit after sign-in does not cover real-time listen-and-translate.
Exact permission dialog labels: use the current App copy on your device; do not invent labels from memory.
Currently free; no account required for core use. Optional sign-in adds a small free credit on the international build. Bring your own AI key (stored on your device; requests go to the provider you choose) or use the free machine-translation route. The free-credit path is relayed through BelliedMonkey’s servers, which do not store the content — do not read that as absolute “never through our servers.”
If YouTube, an X video, or a podcast already has a caption/transcript track, the browser extension can show dual subtitles (original + translation) on those surfaces. That path does not run speech recognition in the page for videos with no track, and it is not a Chrome Live Caption integration. See How to get dual subtitles on YouTube and No subtitles? Bilingual captions on any video.
| Chrome Live Caption + Live Translate | BelliedMonkey Live Subtitles (app) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lines shown | One language (per Google Help) | Original + translation |
| Where | Chrome on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS (per Google) | Mac (macOS 26+), iPhone (iOS 26+) |
| Works with no caption track | Yes (from audio, per Google) | Yes (system audio, with permission) |
| Relationship | Separate product | Separate product — no documented integration |
| Cost | Built into Chrome | Currently free; optional small free credit (does not cover real-time listen-and-translate) |
Google’s help page describes translating into one “Translate captions to” language — a single caption line, not original + translation together (as of October 2026; re-check the current Chrome UI).
Follow Chrome Help: Settings → Accessibility → Live Caption, enable Live Translate, then choose Translate to.
Use BelliedMonkey Live Subtitles on Mac or iPhone (macOS 26 / iOS 26): original and translation together for system audio.
They are separate products with no documented interaction in BelliedMonkey’s codebase — we do not claim they run together or replace each other.
Currently free; no account required. Optional sign-in adds a small free credit. Recognition for Live Subtitles runs on your device at no charge; correction and translation use the translation engine; the free credit does not cover real-time listen-and-translate.
Primary CTA: Get BelliedMonkey on the App Store (Mac and iPhone). Currently free. See both languages while you listen.
Setup help: /setup.html.
Related: videos with no CC · podcast bilingual captions · YouTube dual subtitles · iPhone Duo live translate.