To transcribe a family recording, convert the old tape to a digital file, send it to the Potok bot on Telegram and export plain text. Files up to 2 GB work. Keep the original file: the text is for reading, and the sound is the real memory.
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
- Old audio quality is the weak spot: hiss, hum and distance make some words hard to hear, and the text shows those gaps.
- Keep the original tape too, because the voice itself is what matters most.
- Plain text is the safest way to keep a story, since it opens in any program for decades.
How to do it
- Digitise the tape. Copy a cassette or reel to a digital file with a tape player and a computer. A direct copy of the sound is enough.
- Back up the original. Make two copies of the digital file and keep the old tape as well.
- Open the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and send the file.
- Wait for the text. A long family evening returns as a file. For a big one, use the Upload button within 2 GB.
- Mark the gaps. Where the sound was unclear, the text may be wrong. Listen to those parts and fix them, or write a note in brackets.
- Add who is who. Write the names of the speakers and the occasion at the top of the document.
- Share with the family. Send the text around and ask relatives to correct names and places.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Tell me again how you and Grandma met.
[00:05] Speaker 2: It was at a dance in the village hall. She wore a green dress.
[00:12] Speaker 1: And you asked her to dance right away?
[00:16] Speaker 2: Not at all. I waited for the second song.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Throwing out the tape after copying | A better copy could be made in the future, and the tape is the true original. | Keep the tape and the first digital copy. |
| Trusting every word from a noisy section | Hiss and distance can turn words into similar-sounding ones. | Replay noisy parts and fix what you can. |
| Not writing down who is speaking | In ten years nobody remembers which voice is Grandpa. | Add a short key of voices and the occasion. |
| Over-cleaning the audio before sending | Heavy filtering can remove soft consonants and make speech harder to read. | Send the plain copy first, and filter only if needed. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Can old tape recordings be transcribed?
Yes, once they are digital. Quality varies, so expect some wrong or missing words in noisy parts.
Should I delete the audio after getting the text?
No. Keep the audio. The text may contain errors, and the voice is worth keeping.
Which format is best for family stories?
TXT or DOCX. TXT lasts longest, and DOCX lets you add notes and photos.
Do I need speaker labels?
They can help with several relatives. They are numbers, so add the names yourself.
What if the recording is in a dialect?
Dialects and old words may not come out right. Review those parts by ear.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Background noise (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Signal-to-noise ratio (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