Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
OGG with the Opus codec is the format in which Telegram stores voice messages; the voice message itself already has a Transcribe button, but without Premium it gives only a few transcriptions per week. A whole file is transcribed by the Potok bot [@potok_now_bot](https://t.me/potok_now_bot) or the bot's mini app: send it and the finished text comes back. 60 minutes per month are free.
OGG is a container that most often holds sound in the Opus codec: this is the kind of file in which Telegram saves voice messages and video notes, so the phrase “a file in ogg format” almost always means an exported or forwarded voice message.
Transcribing an OGG file: how to get text
- If the .ogg file is already saved on a computer or a phone, send it to the bot @potok_now_bot in Telegram (you can as a document) or upload it in the bot's mini app.
- You do not need to convert the file to another format beforehand: both the bot and the web version accept it as it is.
- If it is a voice message forwarded from another chat, you can forward the whole message itself; saving the file separately is not required.
- Wait for the reply: a short recording comes back as text right in the chat, a long one as a separate file, TXT or DOCX.
Terms you meet in a transcript
- Timestamps are time marks of the form
[mm:ss]before a line; you can turn them on in the settings to quickly find the moment you need in the original recording. - Speaker labeling is the labels Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on before each line when there are several voices in the recording; the bot does not identify participants' names, only ordinal numbers.
- SRT and VTT are subtitle files with the same timestamps that can be laid over a video separately; besides them, text export to TXT, DOCX, Markdown and PDF is available.
- My recordings is the section where all transcripts are stored: you can open a finished text again at any time without forwarding the file anew.
Why transcribing a recording with several voices is harder than ordinary dictation by one person is explained in a separate article.
When the bot will not fit
If the Opus recording is not in Russian, recognition will not cope: the service has no language settings other than Russian, and it does not translate text either. Of links it understands only Telegram, YouTube, VK Video and RuTube; the path through Instagram or TikTok is closed.
Who exactly spoke in the recording is shown only by the ordinal number of the line: the service will not put in a person's name, and you would have to do that yourself after transcription. A finished transcript is made only from an already existing file: you cannot run it in parallel with a conversation. The service is also cloud-based: processing runs on Potok's servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. How different transcription services compare with each other is shown in the comparison of audio-to-text transcription services.
Frequently asked questions
No, there is no need to convert: the bot and the web version accept an .ogg file as it is, and you do not need to prepare it separately.
The Transcribe button in Telegram without Premium gives only a few transcriptions per week. If you need a file with timestamps, speaker labels or subtitles, forward the same voice message to the Potok 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.
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.
Transcribe your own recording
Forward a voice message, or send a file or a YouTube, VK Video or RuTube link to Potok's Telegram bot, and the text arrives in the same chat. 60 minutes per month for free.
Open @potok_now_bot in TelegramPrimary sources: core.telegram.org · www.ixbt.com · developers.sber.ru · t.me
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.