Best Multilingual Transcription Software in 2026
By Eman Khoubian, Founder & CEO · Updated
WhisperAI is our pick. It's the only tool here that handles all three hard cases on one self-serve plan with unlimited minutes: Business Pro, $24.99 a month. Every tool on this list transcribes more than one language. What separates them is what happens when people switch languages mid-recording, when you need the transcript in another language, and when the conversation is live.
| Tool | Transcribes | Translates into | Live meetings | Price, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhisperAI | 100+ languages | 87 languages, every plan | Live transcript in 62 languages, live translation, every plan | $24.99/mo, unlimited minutes |
| Happy Scribe | 150+ languages and dialects | 80+, from the same AI minutes | Notetaker for Meet, Zoom, Teams | $17/mo for 120 min; $89/mo for 6,000 |
| Sonix | 54+ | 54+, from the same hours | AI meeting recorder | $25/mo for 5 hours, or $10 an hour |
| TurboScribe | 98+ | 134+, on Unlimited | Not listed | $20/mo, unlimited |
| Notta | 58 | On Pro; add-ons for more | Real-time translation, 2 free uses a month | $8.17/mo billed yearly, 1,800 min |
| Otter | 17 | Through AI Chat, not speech | Live transcript, every plan | $16.99/mo for 1,200 min |
| Trint | 50+ | 70+, paid plans | 1 hour a month on Pro | $79/seat/mo billed yearly, unlimited |
| ElevenLabs | 90+ | Not stated | For developers, through its API | Credits: 330 a minute |
| Rev | 37+ on Pro | Beta, custom plan only | Not stated | $59.99/seat/mo for Pro |
Which transcription service supports the most languages?
The language count is the easiest number to compare, and it tells you less than it seems. Some tools count dialects as languages. Some count the languages they translate into, not the ones they can hear. And only one language matters to you: the one in your recording.
WhisperAI transcribes 100+ languages and translates into 87; the full list has every one.
By their own counts, Happy Scribe lists 150+ languages and dialects, TurboScribe transcribes 98+ and translates into 134+, ElevenLabs lists 90+, Notta 58, Sonix 54+, Trint 50+, Rev 37+ on its Pro plan and Otter 17.
Best AI transcription services for multiple languages: 9 tools
1. WhisperAI
Upload audio or video, up to 5 GB and 10 hours a file, or record a meeting in your browser. When people switch between English and one of 16 other languages, uploads keep each word in the language it was spoken in, with speaker labels on every plan. Live recordings take up to 6 spoken languages in a session.
Any transcript translates into 87 languages, Spanish to French included, with the same speakers and timestamps. In a meeting, Live translation puts every line in a second language as you go.
Free gives you 5 minutes a month, no card. Premium is $14.99 a month for 120 minutes. Business Pro is $24.99 a month, or $199 a year, with unlimited minutes.
2. Happy Scribe
Transcription and subtitles in 150+ languages and dialects, with translation into 80+. Translation draws on the same AI minutes as transcription. Its Notetaker records Google Meet, Zoom and Teams. Basic is $17 a month for 120 minutes of uploads, and Business is $89 for 6,000. Extra minutes are $0.20 each. Happy Scribe vs WhisperAI works through the numbers for an interview.
3. Sonix
Transcription and translation in 54+ languages. For a mixed recording you select every language spoken, and Sonix says this "performs best when language switches happen between speakers rather than mid-sentence". Translation uses the same hours as transcription. Core is $25 a month for 5 hours, extra hours are $10, and pay as you go is $10 an hour. Its plans include an AI meeting recorder. Sonix vs WhisperAI
4. TurboScribe
File transcription in 98+ languages, with translation into 134+ on the Unlimited plan. Unlimited is $20 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly, for one person, with files up to 10 hours. The free plan (3 files a day, 30 minutes each) doesn't list translation. Its pricing page lists files only: no meeting recorder, no live transcription, and nothing on recordings that mix languages. TurboScribe vs WhisperAI
5. Notta
A meeting notetaker that transcribes and translates 58 languages. Mixed languages and live translation come with a few free uses a month, and add-ons cover more. Bilingual Transcription (two languages at once) gets 4 free uses, then an add-on at $9 a month billed yearly or $15 monthly. Real-time translation in meetings gets 2 free uses a month, and translation add-ons start at $6 a month billed yearly. Pro is $8.17 a month billed yearly, with 1,800 minutes. Notta vs WhisperAI
6. Otter
A meeting assistant in 17 languages, one per file: you choose the language before you record or import. Otter "does not translate speech into another language" and points you to its AI Chat to translate conversation content instead. Live transcription is on every plan. Pro is $16.99 a month for 1,200 minutes, up to 90 minutes a conversation. Otter vs WhisperAI
7. Trint
Unlimited transcription in 50+ languages, with translation into 70+ on paid plans. A file with two languages in it has to be transcribed once per language: Trint's help center says to "re-transcribe the file for each language and then piece the quotes together". Detecting several languages live is on its Business plan; Pro gets one hour of live transcription a month. Pro is $79 a seat a month billed yearly.
8. ElevenLabs
Scribe, its speech-to-text model, transcribes 90+ languages and detects when speakers switch. Its speech-to-text and pricing pages don't mention translating the transcript, and its live version is sold to developers through the API. You pay in credits, 330 a minute, so the $6 Starter plan's 30,000 credits cover about 90 minutes.
9. Rev
AI transcription in English on the free plan, English and Spanish on Essentials, and 37+ languages, Spanglish included, on Pro. Translating AI transcripts is a beta on its custom Unlimited plan; human subtitles in 17 languages are a separate paid service. Essentials is $29.99 a seat a month and Pro $59.99. Rev vs WhisperAI
These are the nine tools we compared. We left out OpenAI's Whisper: it's a model you run yourself, and it only translates into English. Speech APIs priced for developers, such as Google, Deepgram and AssemblyAI, are out too, and so are human-first services such as GoTranscript.
Can it transcribe two languages in one recording?
One recording, both languages: WhisperAI (English + 1 of 16 in uploads; up to 6 languages live), ElevenLabs (Detects switches), Sonix (Best when the switch is between speakers), Notta (Bilingual, 4 free uses a month). Only in some cases: Rev (Spanglish, on Pro), Trint (Live, on Business; files once per language). One language per file, or not stated: Otter (Pick one language first), Happy Scribe (Not stated), TurboScribe (Not stated).
One recording, both languages
- WhisperAIEnglish + 1 of 16 in uploads; up to 6 languages live
- ElevenLabsDetects switches
- SonixBest when the switch is between speakers
- NottaBilingual, 4 free uses a month
Only in some cases
- RevSpanglish, on Pro
- TrintLive, on Business; files once per language
One language per file, or not stated
- OtterPick one language first
- Happy ScribeNot stated
- TurboScribeNot stated
Best AI tool to transcribe and translate foreign-language interviews
Interviews are where the language count stops helping. One commenter on Reddit describes "English and French presentations where the speaker is switching back and forth really quickly." Another commenter's workaround: transcribe "a recording twice, one for English and one for Spanish," then "export the SRT files and manually check and merge them."
In WhisperAI that's one choice before you upload. Open the language menu, choose Multi-Language (with English), and pick the other language: German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese or Chinese (Mandarin). Not sure which? Pick Auto-detect. If neither language is English, for example Kazakh and Russian, WhisperAI transcribes the whole recording in one language: whichever of the two it detects.
A bilingual interview in WhisperAI, from upload to subtitles
Step 1, Before you upload: Multi-Language (with English). Pick the other language, or Auto-detect. Step 2, The transcript: Both languages, as spoken. Speaker labels on every plan. Step 3, When it's done: Translate to…. Any of 87 languages, in its own tab. Step 4, Export: SRT. Same timings as the transcript.
1. Before you upload
Multi-Language (with English)
Pick the other language, or Auto-detect
2. The transcript
Both languages, as spoken
Speaker labels on every plan
3. When it's done
Translate to…
Any of 87 languages, in its own tab
4. Export
SRT
Same timings as the transcript
When the transcript's ready, translate it into the language your readers need. One transcript, one translation, and no merging two SRT files by hand.
For an interview on a call, record it live in your browser, set up to 6 languages for the session and turn on Live translation. Of the nine tools here, only WhisperAI and Notta list live translation for meetings.
Best multilingual speech-to-text for Hebrew, Russian or Japanese
WhisperAI handles all three, and all three get a live transcript when you record in the browser. Russian and Japanese pair with English in Multi-Language, so a call that moves between English and Russian keeps both. Hebrew and Japanese also get speaker labels live. More on each: Hebrew, Russian and Japanese.
Try it on a recording of your own: the free plan includes translation. For hours of interviews in more than one language, go straight to Business Pro and stop counting minutes.