Transcription vs Translation: Meaning, Examples & Use Cases
Dec 1, 2025
Key Takeaways
Transcription turns spoken audio into written text in the same language.
Translation converts written or spoken content from one language to another.
They are different processes, but often used together for accessibility, learning, and global communication.
Transcription focuses on capturing words accurately, while translation focuses on conveying meaning across languages.
Tools like Audionotes make both transcription and translation simple, fast, and accessible on any device.
Transcription and translation are often mixed up, especially when people are working with audio notes, lectures, videos, or multilingual content. They sound similar, but they solve entirely different problems.
Maybe you’re a student trying to turn lecture audio into written notes. Or you’re a content creator who wants your videos understood in another language. Or you simply want a tool that can do both without switching apps.
This blog breaks down what transcription means, what translation means, how they differ, where each one is used, and how to choose the right one depending on your task.
What is Transcription?
Transcription is the process of converting spoken audio into written text in the same language. If someone speaks in English, the transcript stays in English. No language change happens. It’s commonly used for:
Recorded calls
Lectures
Meetings
Interviews
Podcasts
Videos
Related Read: What is Automated Transcription?
What is Translation?
Translation is the process of converting written or spoken content from one language into another. If a document is in English and you need it in Spanish, that’s translation. Here, the focus is on meaning, tone, and cultural clarity, not just words.
It’s used for:
Books
Websites
Manuals
Global marketing
Movies
Legal or government documents
Multilingual communication
The Difference Between Transcription and Translation
People often confuse the two because both deal with converting information, but the purpose and output are very different. Here’s a simple breakdown that explains the difference between transcription and translation:
Aspect | Transcription | Translation |
|---|---|---|
Input | Spoken audio or video (lectures, meetings, podcasts, interviews). | Written or spoken content in one language. |
Output | Text in the same language as the original audio. | Text or speech in a different language. |
Goal | Create a clear and accurate written record of the speech. | Help people who speak another language understand the content. |
Skills Needed | Strong listening skills, ability to catch accents, attention to detail. | Fluency in both languages, cultural context, writing clarity. |
Example | Turning an English podcast into an English transcript. | Turning an English textbook into French for learners. |
Language Change | No — stays the same. | Yes — changes from one language to another. |
Focus | Captures words exactly (verbatim or edited). | Captures the meaning, tone, and cultural accuracy of each word/sentence. |
Complexity Level | Moderate — depends on audio clarity. | Higher — requires understanding idioms, nuance, and context. |
Common Uses | Legal notes, research, subtitles, accessibility, and interviews. | Websites, manuals, media, global business, and academics. |
Primary Process | Listen → Type (same language) | Understand → Interpret → Rewrite in another language |
Types of Transcription
Before diving deeper, here are the three most common forms of transcription to know:
Verbatim Transcription
It captures every single word, including pauses, fillers, and expressions, and is mostly used in legal settings, research, and media.
Edited Transcription
In this type of transcription, fillers are removed to clean up speech for readability. It’s common for business meetings, lectures, and content creation.
Intelligent Transcription
This is a more summarized and structured version, instead of a word-for-word text. It’s often used in productivity tools like Audionotes to create clean notes.
Types of Translation
Translation comes in different formats depending on purpose and context:
Literal Translation
This type of translation, as the name suggests, is a literal, word-for-word conversion. It works for simple sentences, but is not recommended for nuance-heavy content.
Meaning-Based Translation
The most common type of translation, it focuses on context, tone, and clarity.
Localized Translation
Localized translation adapts content for a specific region or culture. It’s useful in marketing, apps, websites, and entertainment.
Certified Translation
This type of translation is used for immigration, legal, or government documents and requires the individual to hold a certification.
Where Can You Use Transcription?
Transcription is useful whenever you want spoken words turned into written text for clarity, documentation, or accessibility.
Lectures & Classroom Sessions: Great for students who want written study material from recorded lessons. Helps with revision, note-taking, and catching up on missed classes.
Interviews (Journalistic, Academic, HR): Transcripts make it easier to analyze responses, pick quotes, and capture insights accurately without replaying recordings multiple times.
Meetings, Webinars & Conference Calls: Companies transcribe meetings to create minutes, track decisions, and share action items with teams.
Legal Proceedings: Every spoken detail matters in courtrooms and depositions. Transcription ensures accuracy and accountability.
Medical or Clinical Documentation: Doctors often dictate notes verbally. Transcription helps convert those recordings into structured patient reports and summaries.
Media, Podcasts & YouTube Content: Creators transcribe content to repurpose it into blogs, newsletters, captions, or SEO-friendly show notes.
Accessibility for the Hearing Impaired: Transcripts give individuals with hearing disabilities equal access to information.
Subtitles & Caption Creation: Transcription provides the foundation for subtitles before syncing text with video timing.
Where Can You Use Translation?
Translation supports cross-language communication across industries, cultures, and platforms.
Books, Research Papers & Academic Content: Translating academic materials ensures knowledge reaches students and researchers worldwide.
Websites & Mobile Apps: Businesses translate their platforms to make them feel local, trustworthy, and user-friendly for multilingual audiences.
User Manuals & Product Instructions: Clear instructions in a user's language help ensure safety and correct usage.
Marketing & Advertising Campaigns: Brands adapt messaging so it feels natural in another language, not robotic or direct word-for-word.
Movies, TV Shows & Subtitles/Dubbing: Translation helps entertainment travel across borders while keeping the emotional tone intact.
Government, Legal & Immigration Documents: Many documents need certified translations for official processing.
Healthcare & Medical Communication: Translations ensure patients understand prescriptions, care routines, and important medical instructions.
Customer Support & Training: Helps global teams align on information, onboarding, and customer care materials.
When Should You Use What?
Here’s a quick way to decide between the two:
Choose transcription when you want spoken audio turned into written text in the same language.
Choose translation when you want content to be understood by people who speak another language.
Choose both translation and transcription when you want an audio recording converted into text and then made available in another language.
How Audionotes Helps You With Transcription & Translation
If you want a simple tool that handles both transcription and translation, Audionotes gives you a clean, intuitive way to do it.
Transcription in Audionotes
Just record your voice, upload an audio or video file, import a YouTube link, or use the mobile app. Audionotes converts everything into clean, structured text automatically — ready to read, edit, or search.
You can also annotate your notes, highlight key points, chat with your transcript, find information quickly, and switch between mobile and web anytime during meetings, lectures, brainstorming sessions, or journaling.
Translation in Audionotes
Once your transcript is ready, you can translate it into 30+ languages with a tap. It works for lectures, meetings, videos, study notes, content creation, and team collaboration.
Translation helps you share information with multilingual teams or audiences without using another app. And because everything happens inside one platform, your workflow stays simple: capture → transcribe → translate → share!
Conclusion
Transcription and translation are often mixed up, but they do very different jobs. One converts audio to text, while the other converts meaning from one language to another. Both are essential today, especially when people learn, work, and create across borders.
With tools like Audionotes, you don’t have to switch between apps. You can record, transcribe, summarize, translate, and organize everything in one place, making your workflow faster and your ideas easier to manage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are automated transcripts compared with human-typed ones?
Automated transcripts are fast and usually very accurate when the audio is clear. Factors like background noise, accents, or multiple speakers can affect precision. But a quick manual review often gives the best results.
Can you translate audio without first creating a transcript?
Yes, it’s possible, but creating a transcript first usually improves clarity. It makes editing easier and ensures the final translation is accurate.
When should you choose translation instead of transcription?
Choose translation when your goal is to reach someone who speaks a different language. Choose transcription when you want a written text of the same-language audio.
Do people ever need both transcription and translation?
Yes. A common workflow for people wanting both these services is: audio recording → transcription → translation. This use case is generally for creating subtitles, interacting with international teams and classrooms, and multilingual content creation.