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Writer's pictureJohn DaSilva

My Workaround for Getting Otter AI to Transcribe Spanish Audio (Step-by-Step Guide)

Image on a desktop with a keyboard, mouse, cup of coffee and pencils. With text saying step by Step Guide on how to use Otter AI in Spanish. With the OtterAI logo, and the Action Items Lab logo.

Image Credit - John DaSilva @ Action Items Lab

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Otter AI's Potential for Spanish Audio


I've been exploring various transcription tools for use with Spanish audio files, and I stumbled upon a creative workaround with Otter AI, primarily known for its English transcription capabilities.


First, as reported in the Action Items Lab Otter AI review, Otter AI does not technically work in Spanish. However, I wanted to share how I managed to get my Spanish conversations and recordings transcribed accurately, despite Otter AI's primary design for English. It involved a bit of ingenuity and the use of ChatGPT (or the translation software of your choice).


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Here's a Step-By-Step Guide on I Used Otter AI to Transcribe in Spanish


Step 1: Recording Spanish Conversations in Otter AI

I started by recording Spanish conversations directly in Otter AI, just like I would with any English audio. The app did its job capturing the audio and even tried to identify who was speaking, which was quite impressive.


Step 2: Transcribing Spanish Audio to English Text

Otter AI then automatically transcribed the audio into English. Of course, this wasn't a direct translation from Spanish but rather a rough English transcription of what it 'heard'. It was clear to me this step wasn't about accuracy in translation but setting the stage for the next steps.


Step 3: Bridging Languages with ChatGPT

I took the English transcript (that is actually Spanish) generated by Otter and copied it into ChatGPT. This was where the magic happens. I asked ChatGPT to convert the English text back into Spanish by creating and using the following prompt:


PROMPT


You are an expert at Spanish to English translation and work very hard to ensure the accuracy of any translation. For context, I will paste below a transcript from a Spanish language conversation that was transcribed using Otter AI. Otter AI recorded the Spanish words using English text. Please translate the text to Spanish. When translating, be sure to hold to a direct translation as close as you possibly can. You should not try to edit or change for tone, flow, readability or make any other improvements. Your role is to convert the English back to Spanish while staying as close as possible to the original. [paste your transcribed text below]


Step 4: Final Edits for Translation

Since my high school Spanish isn’t up to the task of editing these documents, I had a colleague go through the translated Spanish transcript to make necessary corrections. I could have also asked ChatGPT to compare its own work, but I preferred the manual route in this instance.


Final Verdict: Otter AI and Spanish Transcription Compatibility

While Otter AI might not offer direct Spanish-to-Spanish transcription, I found this method using both Otter AI and ChatGPT to be a clever workaround. The output from ChatGPT was a machine-translated version of my original Spanish audio, and it was fascinating to see how technology could bridge the gap between languages, even if it was a bit roundabout.


This workaround requires a little patience and a bit of manual editing, but it's a viable solution for those needing Spanish transcriptions and prefer the capabilities of OtterAI.


Though a workaround, to me, it's a fascinating example of how we can leverage different tools like OtterAI and ChatGPT to meet our needs. Developing this workaround not only answered my question about Otter AI's Spanish transcription capabilities, but also offered a glimpse into the potential of combining different AI tech tools to fulfill specific needs.


If you're curious about whether Otter AI works with Spanish or looking for a solution to transcribe Spanish audio, this method might be the innovative solution you need, despite its imperfections.


You can try OtterAI Basic for free!



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