Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
To transcribe a recording, send the bot @potok_now_bot audio or video as a file in private messages: sending as a document will do too. Documents do not work in groups. The bot sends short text to the chat and long text as a TXT or DOCX file. 60 minutes per month are free; for dictation there is the Potok app (potok.now).
The recording is a file, an interview, a lecture or a video from a meeting, and it needs to be turned into text. For this it is sent to the Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot in private messages.
How to send the bot audio or video as a document to transcribe
Act in a private chat with the bot, not in a group:
- Open the chat with the bot @potok_now_bot.
- Send it an audio or video file. Sending as a document will do too: in private messages the bot accepts a file including as a document.
- Wait for the reply. Timecodes and speaker markup can be turned on.
- Short text arrives as a message in the chat, long text as a file; the file format, TXT or DOCX, is chosen in the bot settings.
The finished transcript stays in the My recordings section, and it can be opened again. Other ways to work with voice and text are collected in the dictation guides. How the bot works overall, see the article about audio to text through a Telegram bot.
If the file is not transcribed
The first thing to check is where you are sending it. Documents do not work in groups: there the bot takes only voice messages, video notes and audio up to 10 minutes, and videos and files as a document must be sent to it in private messages. Only Russian speech is recognized, and there is no translation into another language.
When the bot will not suit
The bot transcribes finished recordings, and the Potok app dictates text into a field: they have one subscription, in the bot and in the app. The bot transcribes 60 minutes per month for free. The Potok app is a cloud one: the internet is needed for recognition. The bot transcribes recordings on Potok servers in Russia. For a video call the bot does not join it itself, so the meeting must be recorded by the program itself.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, in private messages the bot accepts audio and video as a file, including one sent as a document. Documents are not supported in groups.
No. Documents do not work in groups: the bot takes only voice messages, video notes and audio up to 10 minutes there, and a file as a document must be sent to it in private messages.
Voice input is real-time dictation: you speak and immediately get text in the active field. Transcription turns an already finished audio or video recording (for example, a meeting recording) into text after the fact. The Potok app handles the first task, live dictation; finished recordings in Russian are transcribed by its Telegram bot @potok_now_bot.
Yes, several platforms have built-in meeting transcription: Zoom for cloud recordings, Microsoft Teams during the meeting, Google Meet on Google Workspace plans. The alternative is to record the sound and process it with a separate transcription service after the call. The Potok app does not do this kind of transcription, it is for live dictation; a call recording can be sent as a file to Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot.
Voice input is real-time dictation into the active text field. Transcription turns an already finished audio or video recording (a lecture, a call, a podcast) into text after the fact, often with diarization (splitting by speaker).
With Potok you can dictate the minutes live, speaking them during or right after the meeting. Transcribing an already recorded audio file of a meeting (a finished Zoom or Telemost recording) is a separate transcription task: such a file can be sent to Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot.
Recording to text
Send a recording to Potok's Telegram bot or upload a file of up to 2 GB in the bot's mini app. The first 60 minutes of every month are free.
Open @potok_now_bot in TelegramPrimary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com
Transcribe a recording in Telegram
Voice messages, video notes, audio and video are transcribed by Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message from any chat, or send a file or a YouTube, VK Video or RuTube link. A short recording comes back as text in the chat, a long one as a file; timestamps and speaker labels can be turned on. The buttons give a short summary, tasks and deadlines, an answer to a question about the recording and export to TXT, DOCX, PDF or SRT. Large files, up to 2 GB, are easier to upload in the bot's mini app, via the Upload button next to the input field. The bot recognizes Russian speech; 60 minutes per month are free.