What is a transcript? A transcript is a written record of spoken words from audio or video. It can follow the speech closely or be tidied into clean text. Interviews, meetings, lectures and court hearings all produce transcripts, and some add speaker names and times.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- The two main styles are verbatim, which keeps every filler word, and clean, which drops them to improve reading.
- A transcript is searchable, so you can find a sentence in an hour of talk by typing a word instead of listening again.
- Extras are added on top of the words: speaker labels, timestamps, paragraph breaks and notes such as [laughs].
- A transcript is a document for reading; subtitles are a timed display for viewing, and the two can be made from each other.
- A machine transcript is a first draft, since names, numbers and mixed speech still need a human read-through.
What it looks like
Interview with a city planner
Speaker 1: What changed after the new bus lane opened?
Speaker 2: Travel times dropped, and the lane is used all day.
Speaker 1: Will it be extended?
Speaker 2: That depends on the budget.
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a transcript and a caption?
A transcript is a document of the full speech. A caption is a short timed piece of text shown on screen, often with sound notes.
What should a good transcript include?
The spoken words, readable paragraphs and, when useful, speaker labels and timestamps. Add notes only for sounds that carry meaning.
Is a transcript a legal record?
Court transcripts follow strict rules and are made by trained staff. A machine transcript of a recording is not a certified record.
How do I get a transcript from a recording with Potok?
Send the file or voice message to the bot. A short result arrives in the chat and a long one as a file you can save as TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT or VTT.
Can I edit a transcript afterwards?
Yes. Open the exported TXT or DOCX file in any editor and correct names, numbers and unclear passages.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Transcript (law) (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Transcription (linguistics) (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram