Text translation or live speech translation on Windows: which do you need?

A message you can select and copy calls for a different workflow from a video or call you are listening to. The first starts with written text; the second starts with sound. Here is how to choose between two IliciLabs Windows applications without assuming they work in the same way.

When your starting point is written text: Iria

Iria is a paid Windows x64 translator for short, selectable text. For example, copy a support reply, translate it, check the result and paste it into your response. It supports a glossary and style options, but those are suggestions rather than guarantees; check important translations before sending them.

Its Replace action copies the result and sends Ctrl+V to the focused application. It does not check or restore the original selection, so confirm the destination before pasting. Iria is not a tool for capturing text from a game screen or preserving the layout of an entire document.

When your starting point is system audio: Aurora Subtitles

Aurora Subtitles is an Early Access application for Windows 11 x64. It can transcribe or translate audio played by the system and present captions in a personal overlay, for example while you listen to a call or video. Test the language pair and audio on your own computer: quality depends on the chosen model, language, hardware and source audio.

The microphone is a separate input: Aurora transcribes microphone audio in the target language; it does not translate that microphone audio. In the experimental Both mode, microphone events stay in Session Activity and are not sent to the overlay. The overlay is a personal view, not an automatic caption feed for the other participants.

A practical choice

• A written message or interface label: try Iria’s selected-text or clipboard workflow, then review the result in context.
• A video or meeting you are listening to: consider Aurora’s system-audio captions or translation and test them with your own audio.
• Your own microphone: check the microphone behaviour above; do not assume it provides live speech translation.

Iria processes translation text locally, although license and model operations need a network. Aurora’s core caption and translation processing is designed for the local computer, while downloads or licensing may need a connection. Aurora’s optional assistant is a separate network feature that can send session text to Codex/OpenAI; it requires separate access. Review the privacy needs and terms of your meeting before choosing a workflow.

Explore Iria for text or Aurora for system audio and check the current requirements before buying.