1. Connect headphones and open your meeting app
Use headphones for the first setup. Join a meeting or run the meeting app’s speaker test and confirm that the original audio plays. For a browser meeting, select that browser as the audio source in Linggua.
2. Install the virtual microphone
In Settings → Audio, choose “Install virtual microphone” and follow the installer. Installation briefly interrupts system audio, so complete it before a meeting. The meeting app will then offer a microphone named Bridge Virtual Mic.
3. Select input and output devices
Linggua captures your speech from your physical microphone. Your meeting app receives original or translated speech through Bridge Virtual Mic. Select headphones or speakers in the meeting app; Linggua’s translated audio follows that playback device.
| Setting | Selection | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Linggua microphone | Your headset, USB or built-in microphone | Capture your speech |
| Meeting app microphone | Bridge Virtual Mic | Send your original or translated speech |
| Meeting app speaker | Your physical headphones or speakers | Play original or translated meeting audio |
4. Check languages, audio source and permissions
For Chinese–English interpretation, set “I speak” to Chinese and “They speak” to English. Confirm the meeting app in the audio source selector. Microphone access captures your speech; system audio recording captures the other participants. These are separate permissions.
- Allow microphone and system audio recording when macOS prompts you.
- To review permissions, open System Settings → Privacy & Security. Permission names vary by macOS version.
- Quit and reopen Linggua if macOS asks you to restart the app after changing a permission.
5. Choose what you hear and what you send
“Their voice” and your microphone mode are independent. You can listen to original English with Chinese captions while translating your own Chinese speech into English.
- Original voice + captions: hear the original voice and read source and translated text.
- Translated voice + captions: hear translated speech with captions; the original meeting audio is muted.
- Original voice only: hear the original meeting audio without generating incoming captions.
- Check your microphone mode after starting. The current client starts muted. Choose Translate to send translated speech, or Original voice to speak without translation.
6. Test each direction
Ask the other participant to speak English and check audio and captions. Then switch your microphone to Translate, speak Chinese and ask them to confirm they hear English. Testing each direction separately helps isolate listening and speaking problems.
- Check whether the meeting app’s own microphone control is muted.
- Confirm that the selected audio source is the app hosting this meeting.
- After changing a headset, microphone or playback device, reconnect as prompted and test both directions again.