{"article":{"id":26660468516631,"url":"https://otterai.zendesk.com/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/26660468516631.json","html_url":"https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/26660468516631-Transcribe-conversations-in-English-Spanish-French-German-Japanese-or-Chinese-Simplified","author_id":1902597107005,"comments_disabled":true,"draft":false,"promoted":false,"position":0,"vote_sum":35,"vote_count":141,"section_id":360008279213,"created_at":"2024-09-27T00:22:17Z","updated_at":"2026-06-07T08:35:34Z","name":"Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, or Chinese (Simplified)","title":"Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, or Chinese (Simplified)","source_locale":"en-us","locale":"en-us","outdated":false,"outdated_locales":[],"edited_at":"2026-05-06T17:26:08Z","user_segment_id":null,"permission_group_id":3069674,"content_tag_ids":["01GXVNXW5KFQF90X3KN7EXREP9","01HXA158SB64B2D5DXE926SB9A","01J8RDMBYBT7HDDEKE63ZEHYQV","01J8RDME3ZCSMBRV5T5YCHVM84","01K5FNRH3V488XGKAKR83MKKAJ"],"label_names":["spanish","french","japanese","how to change language","español","record in a different language","record in spanish","transcribe in french","supported language","change language to spanish","espanol","français","francais","record in french","transcribe in spanis","transcribe in japanese","日本語","Nihongo","I transcribed incorrectly","how to transcribe in another language"],"body":"

Otter supports transcribing a conversation in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, or Chinese (Simplified). When you select a language in settings, Otter can transcribe conversations in that language.

\nTip: You can transcribe both French and English simultaneously. Set your default language to French, and the system will automatically switch to English when detected during the meeting.
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Change the default language

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You can change the default language that Otter will use to transcribe conversations. Once you select a language, Otter will transcribe in that language going forward.

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\nNote: Otter can only transcribe in one language at a time. If you have meetings or recordings with different languages, you will need to select the associated language before the meeting or recording. Our team is working to bring multi-language transcribing in future updates. Stay tuned!
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  1. \n

    Click on your profile in the upper left corner and select Account Settings from the expanded menu. Click on the language drop-down next to Language on the right side.

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    Select the default language.

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    \nNote: German and Chinese (Simplified) are currently still in beta. 
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    3. \n
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✅ Conversations will be transcribed in that language going forward.

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\nNote: Only transcription processing is affected for the language selected. The Otter user interface (UI), such as settings, menus, and navigation, will remain in English. We hope to bring full UI language support in future updates.
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What parts of the conversation are transcribed?

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Change the default language on mobile

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\nNote: Settings will apply across both the web and mobile app.
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  1. Tap on Account. Select Account Settings.
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    2. \n
  2. Tap Conversation Language.
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    Select the default language. Tap the back icon to save your selection.

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    \nNote: German and Chinese (Simplified) are currently still in beta. 
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    4. \n
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✅ Conversations will be transcribed in that language going forward.

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\nTip: You can use Otter Chat to translate the transcript into other languages. 
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Japanese language

FAQs

I changed the language. Will it update the user interface (UI) in Otter as well? 

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No. Changing the language will only affect transcription processing for a conversation.

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Other parts of Otter UI, such as settings, navigation, and menus, will all remain in English. We hope to bring full UI language support in future updates. 

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Can I record in multiple languages for a conversation? 

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No. At this time, you will need to select the default language before recording.

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If you have selected English, but need to record in Spanish for the next meeting, you will need to update the setting first to record in Spanish.

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Our team is working on supporting multi-language recording in future updates. Stay tuned!

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Do you support transcribing in French and English simultaneously? 

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Yes. You can transcribe both French and English simultaneously. Otter supports auto-switching to English if the default language is set to French. 

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If your meetings are primarily in French and English, we recommend setting the default language to French.

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Do you support transcribing in other languages with English simultaneously besides French?

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No. We currently only support transcribing in French and English simultaneously. Set your default language to French to transcribe in both French and English. Our team is working on supporting multi-language recording in future updates. Stay tuned!
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I forgot to change the language before a meeting. Can I reprocess it in a different language? 

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No. At this time, there is no way to reprocess a conversation into a different language post-recording.

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The conversation will be processed in the language set at the beginning of the recording.

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Re-import the conversation audio file to transcribe in another language.

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  1. \nExport the conversation audio file in Otter.
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  2. \nFollow the steps above to switch your language to the correct one.
    3. \n
  3. \nImport the audio file into Otter to be transcribed in the set language.
    4. \n
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\nNote: Contact our Otter Support Team if you have a specific question about your conversation. 
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I changed the language halfway through a meeting. Will that meeting be recorded in the new language? 

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No. The conversation will be transcribed in the language that was set at the start of the recording. If you switch the language partway through the recording, it will continue to transcribe in the language that was set at the start of the recording. 

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\nNote: Contact our Otter Support Team if you have a specific question about your conversation. 
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Do you support any other languages? 

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We currently only support transcribing in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified); however, we hope to support more languages in the future. Stay tuned!

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What is the difference between English (US) and British English (UK)?

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Selecting an English dialect will reflect the most common spelling for that dialect when transcribing a conversation.

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\nTip: Add custom vocabulary for any spelling or custom words you want Otter to transcribe. 
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Which Chinese languages are supported for transcription?

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We currently support spoken Mandarin Chinese. We hope to support more languages and dialects in the future such as Cantonese and other dialects. Stay tuned!

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Can I transcribe in Chinese (Traditional)?

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We currently support transcription for spoken Mandarin with Simplified Chinese output. 

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