Tungs

Real-time translation for Microsoft Teams

Point Teams' microphone and speaker at Tungs and the conversation is translated in both directions while you talk.

Download for Mac

macOS 14 or later

How to set up Tungs in Microsoft Teams

Install Tungs, choose your two languages, then change the audio devices in Teams.

  1. STEP 1

    Set up Tungs first

    In Tungs, choose the language you speak and the language they speak, then select the microphone and headphones you actually use. Leave Tungs running alongside the call.

  2. STEP 2

    Open the Devices page in Teams settings

    In the Teams desktop app on your Mac, select Settings and more next to your profile picture, choose Settings, then select Devices.

  3. STEP 3

    Pick Tungs as your speaker and microphone

    Under Audio settings, choose Tungs Speaker from the Speaker dropdown menu and Tungs Microphone from the Microphone dropdown menu. Microsoft documents a primary audio device dropdown alongside these two, so check that Speaker and Microphone still read Tungs before you leave the page.

  4. STEP 4

    Turn off Teams voice processing

    Still on the Devices page, turn off Automatically adjust mic sensitivity and set Noise suppression to Off so Teams does not process the translated speech arriving on Tungs Microphone.

  5. STEP 5

    Confirm the devices when you join

    On the pre-join screen choose Computer audio, then open Audio settings to check the devices. In the call, select the dropdown arrow next to Mic and select More audio settings to confirm Speaker and Microphone still show the Tungs devices.

  6. STEP 6

    Verify with a test call

    Back on the Devices page, choose Make a test call to check how the mic and speaker are working. Microsoft notes this test call is currently unavailable on Teams for web and is available in English only.

Steps follow Microsoft Teams’s own documentation: Manage your device settings in Microsoft Teams Manage audio settings in Microsoft Teams meetings Voice isolation in Microsoft Teams calls and meetings My microphone isn't working in Microsoft Teams

Worth knowing

  • Voice isolation is the biggest risk. Microsoft says it "uses AI to block surrounding noise" and that it "also filters out sound from other speakers to prevent echoes," keyed to a voice profile you record in about 30 seconds. It would treat the synthetic translated voice as unwanted audio, so make sure it is not the active choice under Noise suppression.
  • Microsoft states "Noise suppression is turned on by default," and Automatically adjust mic sensitivity changes your mic gain as you speak. Both will gate or distort translated speech, so turn them off on the Devices page before the call. Depending on your build, Noise suppression appears either as levels (Auto, Low, High, Off) or as a toggle offering Background noise only and Voice isolation.
  • macOS microphone permission is separate, and Microsoft's page is written for an older macOS: it says System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Microphone, make sure Microsoft Teams is selected, then close all apps and restart your device. On macOS 14 or later, which Tungs requires, that screen is System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone.
  • If Tungs Microphone or Tungs Speaker is missing from a dropdown, Microsoft's only documented advice is for physical gear: "If your mic isn't in the Microphone dropdown menu, unplug and plug it back in." Nothing official covers virtual devices, so quitting and reopening Teams after installing Tungs is an untested workaround rather than a documented fix.

Questions

Do I need to change my Mac's system sound settings for Teams?

No. The Teams desktop app has its own Speaker and Microphone dropdown menus under Settings > Devices, so you select Tungs there rather than system-wide. That leaves macOS System Settings > Sound on your normal output, so music and other apps keep playing through your usual speakers or headphones.

Why does my translated voice sound clipped or robotic to the other person?

Teams applies its own processing to whatever arrives on the selected microphone. Noise suppression is on by default and Automatically adjust mic sensitivity changes gain while you talk, and both live on the Settings > Devices page. Voice isolation is the third factor: it filters out sound that does not match a voice profile you recorded, and Microsoft documents turning it off from the dropdown arrow next to Mic during a meeting, with the profile itself managed under Settings > Recognition.

Does the person I am calling need to install Tungs?

No. Tungs runs on your Mac and installs two virtual audio devices, Tungs Microphone and Tungs Speaker, which Teams treats as ordinary audio hardware. It translates speech in both directions while the call runs, across 13 languages. The other participant joins a normal Teams call, installs nothing, and needs no account.

Can I use Tungs with Teams in a web browser instead of the desktop app?

The desktop app is the reliable route, because Microsoft documents its Speaker and Microphone dropdowns directly. I could not confirm from Microsoft's documentation whether the Teams web app offers equivalent in-app device pickers; its published web guidance covers granting microphone permission in Chrome or Safari, and it notes the test call feature is unavailable on Teams for web. If you must use a browser, select Tungs in macOS System Settings > Sound and in your browser's own site permission settings, and expect less control than the desktop app gives you.

Other apps

Tungs is an audio device, so the same two devices work anywhere with a microphone and speaker menu.

13 languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese — with the spoken language detected automatically.