Free tool
Audio translator
This free audio translator writes down what was said in a recording and translates it into the language you choose, line by line, with a time on every paragraph. Copy the translation or save it as text, Word or subtitles, with the original beside it.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is stored
Drop your audio file here, or Choose your audio file
MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG or WebM. Up to 30 minutes of each file, 3 free files a day.
Recording interviews or calls every week? NoteOwl transcribes them on your Mac with unlimited transcription, labels each speaker and keeps every recording searchable. Nothing is uploaded.
How it works
How do you translate an audio file?
Choose the recording and the language to translate into. Your browser cuts the sound into short pieces, which are transcribed in the language spoken; the transcript is then translated line by line, so every translated line keeps the time it was said.
- 1
Drop in the recording
An MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, OGG or WebM file: a voice memo, an interview, a lecture, a voice message.
- 2
Pick the languages
The spoken language is detected, or you can set it. Then choose the language to translate into. Up to 30 minutes of each file.
- 3
Read and download
The translation appears with times. Save it as text, Word, SRT or VTT, or switch to the original transcript and save that.
What do you get from a translated recording?
The translation as paragraphs with times, ready to copy or save as text or Word, and the same translation as subtitles. The original transcript stays one click away, so you can check any line against what was really said.
- Translation (.txt, .docx)
- What’s in itParagraphs in the new language, each with the time it was said
- Good forReading, quoting, sharing, notes
- Translated subtitles (.srt, .vtt)
- What’s in itThe translation as timed subtitles of one or two lines
- Good forA video of the same recording, a player
- Original transcript
- What’s in itWhat was said, in the language it was said, with the same times
- Good forChecking a line against the translation
| Result | What’s in it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Translation (.txt, .docx) | Paragraphs in the new language, each with the time it was said | Reading, quoting, sharing, notes |
| Translated subtitles (.srt, .vtt) | The translation as timed subtitles of one or two lines | A video of the same recording, a player |
| Original transcript | What was said, in the language it was said, with the same times | Checking a line against the translation |
Why is the recording transcribed before it’s translated?
Because a written transcript keeps the times and lets you check both halves. The speech is written down in the language spoken, then each line is translated with the lines around it as context. A word misheard in the first step is translated as heard, so clear sound matters twice.
Can it translate audio to English?
Yes, and that’s its default: drop in a recording in another language and it comes back in English. It also works from English into many languages, and between Spanish and its most common partners. Either way, it translates audio to text: you read the result, you don’t hear it.
How accurate is the translation?
Clear speech comes back as a translation you can read and quote. We tested translation into each language on the list, and each goes to the AI model that did best in it. Names, numbers said quickly and slang are the likeliest slips: check those against the original.
What recordings do people translate?
Anything with speech in a language someone needs to read in another.
Interviews
An interview held in another language, as a transcript you can quote from in yours.
Lectures and talks
A class or a conference talk in a language you’re still learning, as notes you can read.
Voice messages
A WhatsApp or Telegram voice note from family or a client abroad, as text in your language.
Calls and meetings
A recorded call with a supplier or partner, so everyone can read what was agreed.
Podcasts and radio
An episode in another language, as a translated transcript to read or cite.
Field recordings
Research interviews, oral histories and site visits, ready for a report in another language.
Is there a page for your file type or language pair?
Yes: each page below is this same translator, set up for one kind of file or one pair of languages, with what to watch for in that pair.
By audio file type
From English
Into English
Spanish and another language
- Spanish to French
- French to Spanish
- Spanish to Portuguese
- Portuguese to Spanish
- Spanish to Italian
- Italian to Spanish
- Spanish to German
- German to Spanish
- Spanish to Catalan
- Catalan to Spanish
- Spanish to Chinese
- Chinese to Spanish
- Spanish to Japanese
- Japanese to Spanish
- Spanish to Korean
- Korean to Spanish
- Spanish to Russian
- Russian to Spanish
- Spanish to Dutch
- Dutch to Spanish
Want every recording transcribed on your Mac?
Use NoteOwl. It imports recordings of any length and transcribes them on your Mac with unlimited transcription, labels each speaker and keeps every conversation searchable. For one file to text in its own language, use the audio to text converter.
FAQ
Questions about translating audio
Is this audio translator free?
Yes. Translate 3 recordings a day, up to 30 minutes of each, with no account. The translation, the original transcript and every download are included.
Is my recording uploaded?
No. Your browser reads the file on your device and sends short pieces of its sound to a cloud AI transcription service, then the text of the transcript to a cloud AI translation service. Each transcribes or translates and discards what it was sent. NoteOwl stores no audio and no text.
Can it translate audio to English?
Yes. Choose English under “Translate into” and drop in a recording in any of the languages listed. The transcript is written in the language spoken, then translated into English line by line.
Does it speak the translation out loud?
No. It gives you the translation as text, Word or subtitles, not a new voice recording. To hear it, play the original alongside the translated subtitles.
Does it say who is speaking?
No. The web translator writes the words without speaker names. NoteOwl on a Mac labels each speaker in the transcripts it makes.
What if the recording mixes two languages?
Leave the spoken language on Detect automatically: each part is written in the language it was said in, and lines already in the language you translate into are kept as they are.
How is this different from the video translator?
Both transcribe and translate the speech. The audio translator leads with a translated transcript to read; the video translator takes video files and leads with translated subtitles timed to the video.
Keep exploring
More free tools
- Video translatorA free video translator: drop in a video and download subtitles in another language, timed to the speech, as SRT or VTT; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitle translatorA free subtitle translator: drop in an SRT or VTT file and download it in another language, every subtitle keeping its number and times; SRT, VTT or bilingual SRT; nothing is stored
- Online voice recorderRecord your voice in the browser with a level meter, timer and pause, play it back, and save it as MP3 or WAV; nothing is uploaded
- Mic testA free online mic test: a live level meter, a microphone picker and a 5-second recording to play back, in your browser
Related
- Audio to text converterTranscribe audio to text free: drop in an MP3, M4A, WAV or other recording and get an AI transcript with times, as text, SRT, VTT or Word; nothing is stored
- Audio to textTranscription software for your Mac: drop in an audio or video file and get a speaker-labelled transcript with timestamps, unlimited, with nothing uploaded
- Speaker recognitionTranscripts that say who said what: speakers separated automatically, and a voice named once is recognised in later meetings, on your Mac
Every recording transcribed and searchable, on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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