To transcribe a sermon, send the service recording to the Potok bot on Telegram with timestamps on. Files up to 2 GB work, enough for a full service with music. Export plain text for the newsletter, and check every scripture reference and name before you share it.
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
- Plain text can be pasted into a bulletin, a website or an email without any layout problem.
- A recording of a whole service holds hymns and prayers, so trim the file to the sermon itself if you can.
- Timestamps let a listener who reads the text find the same place in the audio.
How to do it
- Trim to the sermon. Cut the recording to the talk itself. Singing and long silences add noise to the text.
- Open the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and start a chat with it.
- Switch on timestamps. They help when you pull a short passage for a quote card or a study group.
- Send the file. Attach the audio as a file. If the whole service is very large, up to 2 GB, use the Upload button of the mini app.
- Check references and names. Book names, chapter numbers and verse numbers are easy to mishear. Play each one back and correct it.
- Format for readers. Split the text into paragraphs, add a title and speaker name, and keep any quotations clearly marked.
- Share the text. Export TXT for newsletters, or PDF for a printed handout. Ask the speaker before you publish it.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Good morning, everyone. Please be seated and open to the reading we heard earlier.
[00:08] Speaker 1: Today I want to talk about patience, and why it is so hard in a busy week.
[00:17] Speaker 1: Let us start with a small story from my own family.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping the check of references | A wrong chapter or verse misleads readers who look it up. | Verify every reference against the source text. |
| Publishing without the speaker's consent | The speaker may want to rephrase or leave out private examples. | Send the draft to the speaker before it goes public. |
| Transcribing the hymns | Lyrics come out as broken lines and clutter the page. | Trim music from the file or delete those lines. |
| Leaving the text as one block | Readers give up on a wall of words. | Break it into short paragraphs at each change of thought. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Why choose plain text for a sermon?
It opens everywhere and pastes into bulletins and websites. You add headings and paragraphs after the draft is checked.
Can I send the recording of the whole service?
Yes, within the 2 GB file limit. Trimming to the sermon makes the text cleaner and shorter to review.
Does it handle scripture quotes correctly?
Treat references as items to check. Names of books and numbers are easy to mishear, so verify each one.
Can volunteers share the work of review?
Yes. Export DOCX and let two people read different halves while the audio plays.
Do I need timestamps?
They are optional but useful. They connect a quoted paragraph to a point in the recording.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Text file (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Lecture (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