In the legal world, where every word counts, AI translation tools are changing the way international teams work. Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams offer real-time translation solutions, but each platform has specific advantages depending on the context:

• Zoom: Ideal for external meetings due to its ease of use, subtitles in over 36 languages, and a transcription accuracy of 99.05%. Additionally, it meets strict security standards such as ENS High and offers advanced privacy options like Zero Data Retention.

• Microsoft Teams: Perfect for internal collaboration in business environments. Its integration with Microsoft 365 and tools like Microsoft Purview ensure strong regulatory compliance. It supports voice interpretation and subtitles in over 50 languages.

Both platforms have limitations in the accuracy of machine translation, especially in complex legal contexts. Combining these tools with human review is key to ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.

Quick Comparison

The decision depends on your needs: Zoom is more practical for international meetings, while Teams excels in security and business collaboration.

1. Zoom

Language Support

Zoom stands out for its ability to automatically detect when participants switch between supported languages during meetings. This feature allows real-time translation of speech in meetings and webinars, generating subtitles in more than 36 languages. For legal teams working with international clients, this tool eliminates the need for external interpreters, facilitating smoother communication.

The accuracy of translations varies between 70% and 90%, depending on the language and clarity of speech. However, it is not without challenges. A study revealed that 46% of Chinese idioms are poorly translated by automated tools. This highlights the importance of proper preparation for complex legal meetings, where every linguistic detail can be crucial. Moreover, Zoom excels not only in translation but also in the quality of its transcriptions.

Transcription Accuracy

When it comes to transcriptions, Zoom makes a difference. According to a report from TestDevLab (2024), the platform leads with a word error rate (WER) of only 7.40%, compared to 10.16% for Webex and 11.54% for Microsoft. This means its transcriptions have 27% and 36% fewer errors than those of Webex and Microsoft, respectively, achieving an impressive 99.05% accuracy in context, grammar, and phrasing.

Despite these results, it is important to remember that AI-generated transcriptions are not infallible and may contain errors. In legal contexts, where every word carries weight, reviewing the generated content is essential.

"When I know AI Companion is on, I can actually focus more on the meeting. I can focus on the people and be more engaged. I don't feel like I have to stop and write something down, otherwise I'll miss it. I'm like, 'Nope. AI Companion's got it.' I can be in the moment and have a conversation. It's hard to put a price tag on that." – Karl Mosgofian, former Chief Information Officer, Gainsight

Legal and Compliance Features

Beyond its technical capabilities, Zoom strictly adheres to the security regulations required in the legal sector. The platform obtained the ENS High certification on April 29, 2024, which establishes security standards for government agencies, public organizations, and service providers in Spain. This certification specifically includes Zoom AI Companion, ensuring that the translation and AI functions meet the public sector's information protection requirements.

For legal teams handling sensitive data, Zoom offers the option of Zero Data Retention (ZDR), which immediately deletes entries after generating a meeting summary. Furthermore, clients in the European Economic Area (EEA) can choose to store certain data within the region, such as meeting information, seminars, and team chats. The platform also facilitates responses to requests for access or deletion of personal data and has a European support team to manage this information within the EEA. These measures ensure a high level of security and privacy.

Integration and Workflow

Zoom integrates its translation features directly into the platform. Translated subtitles are included in Zoom Workplace Enterprise plans and available as an add-on in paid plans, with an additional cost of €5.00 per month.

To optimize meetings, it is recommended to identify in advance the preferred languages of the attendees and provide interpreters with key information about the agenda, topics, and specialized terminology. Zoom employs a federated approach to artificial intelligence, combining its own model with third-party technologies like OpenAI GPT 3.5, GPT 4, and Anthropic Claude 2. It is important to note that Zoom does not use customer content to train its AI models, thereby preserving the confidentiality of legal conversations.

With its translation and transcription tools, Zoom offers comprehensive support for legal meetings, allowing for accurate documentation and translation of complex conversations in international settings.

2. Microsoft Teams

Language Support

Microsoft Teams takes multilingual communication to another level with its dual translation capability: voice interpretation and live subtitles. Thanks to Azure AI Services, the platform enables real-time voice translation through an interpreter agent, providing translated subtitles and transcriptions as the meeting progresses. Participants can select their preferred language, activating multilingual voice recognition and facilitating seamless communication.

Teams supports up to 16 language pairs for interpretation in a single meeting, which is especially useful in contexts such as international legal meetings. Currently, Teams' interpreter covers nine main languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Simplified Chinese (Mandarin), Italian, German, French, and Korean. Additionally, for translated subtitles, the platform extends its reach to over 50 languages, covering the major languages of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

An interesting advancement is the real-time voice-to-voice translation feature, which uses artificial intelligence to simulate the user's voice in another language. This tool promises to make international meetings more fluid and natural.

Legal and Compliance Features

For legal environments, Microsoft Teams offers a robust set of tools designed to ensure regulatory compliance. These include Microsoft Purview solutions, such as communication monitoring, retention policies, data loss prevention (DLP), eDiscovery, legal hold, and audits. Teams complies with international standards such as ISO 27001, ISO 27018, SSAE18 SOC 1 and SOC 2, HIPAA, and the EU Model Clauses (EUMC).

To protect sensitive data, Teams employs Customer Key, which allows customers to manage their own encryption keys. According to a survey by Thomson Reuters, 82% of legal professionals find AI useful in the legal field, and 51% believe it should be implemented even more. However, ensuring traceability and data protection remains a crucial challenge.

Additionally, ASC Recording Insights, a certified solution for Teams, allows for the recording of calls, meetings, shared screens, videos, and chats in compliance with regulations. Everything is securely stored in Azure, using Azure AI Services for transcription and Azure OpenAI to generate summaries and sentiment analysis.

"With ASC Recording Insights, Microsoft Teams users can meet complex regulatory recording and archiving requirements with 'just one click' within Teams." – Mike Ammerlaan, Director of Marketing for the Microsoft 365 Ecosystem, Microsoft

Integration and Workflow

To enable the translation feature in Teams, a Microsoft 365 Copilot or Teams Premium license is required. Organizers must enable interpretation and indicate language pairs when scheduling the meeting. However, this functionality is not available in meetings with end-to-end encryption (E2EE).

"It's like being in the UN General Assembly, but while speaking in a myriad of languages, each person can easily understand all others." – Petra Glattbach, Senior Business Program Manager, Microsoft Digital

"AI has completely changed the game in multilingual communications. This is a defining moment in communications, and we are committed to ensuring that every participant in any Teams meeting worldwide can express themselves and feel understood." – Harin Lee, Senior Product Manager, Teams product group

Simultaneous Translation by Zoom | DEMONSTRATION

Advantages and Disadvantages

After evaluating the specific capabilities of each platform, it is time to analyze their advantages and disadvantages in the legal field. Both Zoom and Microsoft Teams have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to legal meetings with AI-driven translation.

Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis

Zoom shines for its ease of use and reliability. With a market share of 55.91% in 2024 as a videoconferencing tool, it has established itself as a solid choice for external meetings with clients or international legal advisors. Additionally, its AI Companion is included in paid plans, while Teams requires purchasing Microsoft Copilot Pro Business for an additional cost of €30/user/month. It also stands out for its advanced audio settings, such as noise reduction and custom isolation.

On the other hand, Microsoft Teams is distinguished by its integration into business environments and regulatory compliance. With 320 million active monthly users, it offers tools like Microsoft Purview to monitor communications, manage retention policies, and perform eDiscovery. Its integration with Microsoft 365 facilitates collaborative work on documents, something essential in the legal field.

Critical Limitations for the Legal Sector

Both platforms face challenges in the accuracy of translations generated by artificial intelligence. The quality of transcriptions may depend on factors such as clarity of speech, background noise, and language complexity. For example, Zoom's AI Companion only supports English for custom functions. For other languages, it is necessary to correctly set the subtitle language to improve transcription.

It is advisable to activate AI tools only when necessary, avoiding keeping them on by default. Additionally, it is not recommended to use them during meetings that address confidential or sensitive information.

Comparison of Key Features

This table highlights key differences, helping to decide based on the specific needs of the legal sector.

Implementation Considerations

For external legal meetings with international clients, Zoom is more practical due to its flexibility and ease of access. Its breakout room system is ideal for hybrid environments and allows integration with a wide range of third-party applications. On the other hand, Teams is a better choice for internal collaboration in organizations that already use Microsoft 365, thanks to its focus on security and document management.

The decision between both platforms will depend on factors such as AI functionality, additional costs, and the regulatory compliance needs that each legal firm has for its multilingual operations.

Conclusion

Deciding between Zoom and Microsoft Teams depends on factors such as accuracy, integration, and how they optimize workflow. Both platforms offer solid tools, but their suitability varies based on the specific needs of each legal firm.

Accuracy in translations is key for legal professionals, as legal terminology demands a high level of precision. AI tools can achieve up to 85% professional accuracy. However, this technical precision must be complemented by human review to ensure legal validity. Combining the speed of AI with expert oversight is an effective strategy for meeting legal standards.

After analyzing the features of each platform, Zoom stands out for its ease of use in external meetings, especially useful when dealing with international clients. On the other hand, Microsoft Teams excels in internal collaboration, thanks to its integration with Microsoft 365 and its focus on security and compliance tools.

Currently, over 60% of legal teams use AI tools, achieving cost reductions of up to 50%.

It is important to evaluate aspects such as regulatory compliance needs, the type of meetings you hold most frequently, and the available budget. Whatever platform is chosen, adopting a hybrid approach that combines the efficiency of AI with human review is essential to ensure legal standards and the accuracy of documents.

To increase efficiency, tools like Jamy.ai offer integrated solutions in both Zoom and Teams, including advanced features like automatic transcription, task detection, and support for more than 50 languages. These types of solutions help optimize multilingual legal meetings and improve overall productivity.

FAQs

What impact does the accuracy of automatic translations have on complex legal meetings?

The importance of accuracy in automatic translations for legal meetings

In the legal field, accuracy in automatic translations is not just a technical detail; it is an absolute necessity. An error, no matter how small it may seem, can trigger serious consequences, especially in complex legal meetings. AI-based translation tools, while practical, often fail to interpret legal nuances or specific terms within the context. This can lead to misunderstandings or even misinterpretations that compromise the outcome of a case.

While these technologies are useful for more general tasks, in legal environments it is imperative that translations are reviewed by human experts. This oversight guarantees not only accuracy but also the certainty that linguistic details do not alter the meaning of a document or conversation. In jurisdictions where a single word can change everything, this human review is more than advisable: it is essential.

What aspects of security and privacy should I consider when using AI translation tools in Zoom and Microsoft Teams?

Security and privacy in AI translation tools

When using AI-based translation tools on platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, it is crucial to pay attention to certain aspects related to security and privacy. Here are the most important points:

• Data encryption: It is essential that the information shared during meetings is protected against unauthorized access. Encryption ensures that data is only accessible to authorized individuals.

• Compliance with regulations: Verify that the tools used comply with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This ensures that the information is handled according to current laws.

• Responsible management of sensitive data: Ensure that the data dealt with in meetings, especially confidential information, is managed appropriately and with the utmost care.

These points not only help protect the information shared, but also create a safe and trustworthy environment, especially in meetings addressing professional or legal topics.

What aspects should be evaluated when choosing between Zoom and Microsoft Teams for international legal meetings?

Zoom vs. Microsoft Teams: Which is better for international legal meetings?

When choosing between Zoom and Microsoft Teams for international legal meetings, there are several key aspects you should consider to make the best decision:

• Quality of videoconferencing: Connection stability and high resolution are essential, especially in meetings where every detail matters.

• Integrations and tools: Evaluate whether the platform fits your daily processes and if it allows integration with tools like CRMs or virtual assistants that can streamline your work.

• Regulatory compliance and security: Ensure that the platform complies with applicable legal regulations and offers end-to-end encryption to protect sensitive information.

• Ease of use: It is crucial that both your team members and external participants can access and operate the platform without complications.

Both options offer advanced features, but the final choice will depend on the specific needs of your team and the particular context of your international meetings.

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