To transcribe an audio diary, send each voice entry to the Potok bot on Telegram. Files up to 2 GB work, and short ones come back as text in the chat. Export TXT or MD to keep a journal you can search. Privacy matters with a diary, so decide what you send and keep the originals safe.
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
- Short files are the norm for a diary, so most entries come back as text in the chat after a short wait.
- Plain text is easy to keep, back up and search years from now in any editor.
- A diary is personal: send only what you are happy to hand to a service, and keep the audio on your own device.
How to do it
- Decide what to send. Sort entries into those you want as text and those you prefer to leave as sound only.
- Open the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and find your saved entries or record a new one in the chat.
- Send an entry. Forward a voice message you recorded earlier, or attach an audio file. One entry per message keeps things tidy.
- Read the reply in the chat. A short entry appears as text in the conversation, so you can copy it right away.
- Export for the archive. Save TXT or MD. Name each file with its day, using the date style you like.
- Store it where you control it. Put the files in a folder you back up. Delete the chat copy if you do not want it kept there.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Tuesday evening. The meeting went better than I expected.
[00:07] Speaker 1: I want to remember how calm I felt walking home along the river.
[00:15] Speaker 1: Note to self: call Anna about the weekend.
Sample text written by us to show the layout of a transcript. It is not the output of the recognition engine and not a real recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sending entries that mention other people by name | The text now holds details about them that you may not want stored. | Leave such entries as audio, or edit the names out of the text. |
| Deleting the audio after transcribing | You lose the tone of voice and any word the text got wrong. | Keep the original recordings alongside the text. |
| Merging a week of entries into one long file | Search and review get slow, and one error spoils the whole file. | Send each entry on its own and file them by day. |
| Never reading the text back | A misheard word can sit in your journal for years. | Skim each entry once while it is fresh in your memory. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Is a diary entry too short to transcribe?
No. Short voice messages are the easiest case and come back as text in the chat.
Can I keep the text private?
You control what you send and what you save. Send only what you are comfortable sharing, and store exports on your own device.
Which format suits a journal?
TXT or MD, since both are plain text that any editor can open.
Do I need speaker labels for my own voice?
Not usually. With one speaker, labels add nothing, so you can leave them off.
Can I send voice messages forwarded from another chat?
Yes. The bot accepts a forwarded voice message as well as an audio file.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Voice recorder (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Text file (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