FaceTime call translation and suggested replies on your Mac
FaceTime is the app expats end up in for appointments: a clinic, a bank adviser, a school. Subtl reads the call audio on your Mac, shows the original sentence and its translation, and drafts an answer in the other person's language when a question is aimed at you.
Apple's own Live Translation covers Apple apps on recent systems. Subtl overlaps there and goes further in two ways: it drafts replies rather than only translating, and it behaves the same in every other call app on the machine.
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Setting it up with FaceTime
- 01
Grant microphone and system audio access
FaceTime and Subtl both use the microphone; macOS allows that. System audio access is what lets Subtl hear the other person.
- 02
Write down the goal of the appointment
Two sentences is enough: what you need to achieve and what you are worried about. Answer drafts stop being generic as soon as they know that.
- 03
Keep the overlay away from the video
Sidebar mode puts the text beside the FaceTime window instead of over the face you are talking to, which matters more than it sounds during a medical appointment.
What works
- FaceTime audio and video calls on macOS.
- Calls with people on iPhones or on the web link — the audio path is the same for you.
- Terminology you supply in the glossary: medication names, a diagnosis, an address, a case number.
- Answer drafts with the translation shown underneath, so you never say a sentence you have not understood.
What it does not do
- FaceTime on iPhone or iPad is not covered yet; the companion mode for mobile is a later phase.
- Subtl is not a medical, legal, or financial adviser, and its drafts are suggestions you decide to use or not.
- Use headphones. Subtl reads the speaker channel and your microphone separately, and without headphones your microphone picks up the other person through the speakers, which blurs the two channels.
Questions about FaceTime
How is this different from Apple's Live Translation?
Apple translates inside Apple apps on supported systems and does it well. Subtl adds a draft of what you could reply, uses documents you provide, and works in Zoom, Meet, Teams, Telegram and the rest, not only in Apple's apps.
Can I use it during a medical appointment?
Many people do, and it is one of the cases we designed for. Treat the translation as help, not as a certified interpreter: for consent forms, diagnoses, and anything you would sign, ask for a professional interpreter.
Is the conversation stored?
Audio is never written to disk or sent to us. The transcript stays on your Mac, and you can set it to auto-delete or not be kept at all.
Does the other person know?
FaceTime gives them no indication, because Subtl is not part of the call. Whether you should tell them depends on your jurisdiction — the law page lists what we know.
Does it work on an iPad?
Not yet. macOS first, Windows next, then the mobile companion.