# Languages

See which languages Speechmatics supports for transcription and translation, including bilingual packs.

To choose a transcription model, refer to [Models](/speech-to-text/models.md).

The languages, packs, and options on this page apply to the Enhanced and Standard models. The Melia 1 model is multilingual: it transcribes the individual languages listed here and switches between them automatically, without language selection. You can use their language codes as [language hints](/speech-to-text/batch/input.md#language-hints). Melia 1 does not support the `auto` option, the bilingual and multi-language pack codes, or translation. For Melia 1, refer to [Models](/speech-to-text/models.md).

The Agent STT API uses the Linden 1 model, which supports the same languages as Realtime transcription. Translation is not available. For Agent STT, refer to [Models](/speech-to-text/models.md#linden-1).

## Transcription languages[​](#transcription-languages "Direct link to Transcription languages")

To automatically identify the language in an audio file, use the [Language Identification](/speech-to-text/batch/language-identification.md) feature.

To dynamically update your system with the latest languages and features offered by Speechmatics, use the [Feature Discovery](/speech-to-text/features/feature-discovery.md) endpoint.

Speechmatics supports the following languages. Your ability to use any or all of them depends on the languages you are contracted to use.

Speechmatics takes a global-first approach to languages. A single language pack supports many accents and dialects, so you do not need to know which accent is in your audio before selecting a language. This approach achieves high accuracy compared to accent-specific language packs.

| Language                               | Language code                     | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Automatic                              | `auto`                            | Automatically detect the language using the [Language Identification](/speech-to-text/batch/language-identification.md) feature. Currently supported with Batch transcription only.                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Arabic                                 | `ar`                              | Global Arabic gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents and dialects, including (but not limited to) Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Arabic spoken in the Gulf, Egypt, and the Levant.                                                                                                                                                       |
| Arabic & English bilingual             | `ar_en`                           | Ideal when transcribing Arabic and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under Arabic and English.                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Bashkir                                | `ba`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Basque                                 | `eu`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Belarusian                             | `be`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Bengali                                | `bn`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Bulgarian                              | `bg`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Cantonese                              | `yue`                             |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Catalan                                | `ca`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Croatian                               | `hr`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Czech                                  | `cs`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Danish                                 | `da`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Dutch                                  | `nl`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| English                                | `en`                              | Global English gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) English spoken in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, and by non-native speakers. To standardize spelling, specify the [output locale](/speech-to-text/formatting.md#output-locale).                                          |
| Esperanto                              | `eo`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Estonian                               | `et`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Finnish                                | `fi`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| French                                 | `fr`                              | Global French gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) French spoken in France, Canada, and Belgium.                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Galician                               | `gl`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| German                                 | `de`                              | Global German gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) German spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Greek                                  | `el`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Hebrew                                 | `he`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Hindi                                  | `hi`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Hungarian                              | `hu`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Indonesian                             | `id`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Interlingua                            | `ia`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Irish                                  | `ga`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Italian                                | `it`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Japanese                               | `ja`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Korean                                 | `ko`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Latvian                                | `lv`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Lithuanian                             | `lt`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Malay                                  | `ms`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Malay & English bilingual              | `en_ms`                           | Ideal when transcribing Malay and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under Malay and English.                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Maltese                                | `mt`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Mandarin                               | `cmn`                             | Global Mandarin can output [Traditional or Simplified characters](/speech-to-text/formatting.md#output-locale) and gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.                                                                                                          |
| Mandarin & English bilingual           | `cmn_en`                          | Ideal when transcribing Mandarin and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under Mandarin and English.                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Mandarin Malay Tamil & English         | `cmn_en_ms_ta`                    | Ideal when transcribing Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English.                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Marathi                                | `mr`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Mongolian                              | `mn`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Norwegian                              | `no`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Persian                                | `fa`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Polish                                 | `pl`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Portuguese                             | `pt`                              | Global Portuguese gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) Portuguese spoken in Portugal and Brazil.                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Romanian                               | `ro`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Russian                                | `ru`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Slovakian                              | `sk`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Slovenian                              | `sl`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Spanish                                | `es`                              | Global Spanish gives high-accuracy transcription across many accents, including (but not limited to) Spanish spoken in Spain, the US, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, and Peru.                                                                                                                                                            |
| Spanish & English bilingual            | `es` (with domain=`bilingual-en`) | Ideal when transcribing Spanish and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under English and Spanish. [Requires the domain config to be set](/speech-to-text/languages.md#bilingual-and-multi-language-packs).                                                                                                |
| Swahili                                | `sw`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Swedish                                | `sv`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Tagalog (Filipino) & English bilingual | `tl`                              | Ideal when transcribing Tagalog (Filipino) and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under English.                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Tamil                                  | `ta`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Tamil & English bilingual              | `en_ta`                           | Ideal when transcribing Tamil and English in the same media file or stream. Supports all accents and dialects listed under Tamil and English.                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Thai                                   | `th`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Turkish                                | `tr`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Ukrainian                              | `uk`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Urdu                                   | `ur`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Uyghur                                 | `ug`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Vietnamese                             | `vi`                              |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Welsh                                  | `cy`                              | Welsh must be explicitly added to the [expected languages](/speech-to-text/batch/language-identification.md#expected-languages) list when using the Language Identification feature. Otherwise a [language not supported for transcription error](/speech-to-text/batch/language-identification.md#language-not-supported-for-transcription) is returned. |

Each language is uniquely identified by a two-letter code (ISO 639-1) or three-letter code (ISO 639-3) in API requests and responses.

## Translation languages[​](#translation-languages "Direct link to Translation languages")

Translation is available with the Enhanced and Standard models. It is supported for most Speechmatics languages, with the supported translation pairs listed below. For more details, see [Translation](/speech-to-text/features/translation.md).

| Audio language                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Translation target language                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| English (en)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               | Bulgarian (bg), Catalan (ca), Mandarin (cmn), Czech (cs), Danish (da), German (de), Greek (el), Spanish (es), Estonian (et), Finnish (fi), French (fr), Galician (gl), Hindi (hi), Croatian (hr), Hungarian (hu), Indonesian (id), Italian (it), Japanese (ja), Korean (ko), Lithuanian (lt), Latvian (lv), Malay (ms), Dutch (nl), Norwegian (no), Polish (pl), Portuguese (pt), Romanian (ro), Russian (ru), Slovakian (sk), Slovenian (sl), Swedish (sv), Turkish (tr), Ukrainian (uk), Vietnamese (vi) |
| Bulgarian (bg), Catalan (ca), Mandarin (cmn), Czech (cs), Danish (da), German (de), Greek (el), Spanish (es), Estonian (et), Finnish (fi), French (fr), Galician (gl), Hindi (hi), Croatian (hr), Hungarian (hu), Indonesian (id), Italian (it), Japanese (ja), Korean (ko), Lithuanian (lt), Latvian (lv), Malay (ms), Dutch (nl), Norwegian (no), Polish (pl), Portuguese (pt), Romanian (ro), Russian (ru), Slovakian (sk), Slovenian (sl), Swedish (sv), Turkish (tr), Ukrainian (uk), Vietnamese (vi) | English (en)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Norwegian Bokmål (no)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | Norwegian Nynorsk (nn)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |

## Bilingual and multi-language packs[​](#bilingual-and-multi-language-packs "Direct link to Bilingual and multi-language packs")

These packs handle a fixed set of languages that you select in advance. To transcribe audio without selecting languages, including spontaneous switching across all supported languages, use the Melia 1 multilingual model. Refer to [Models](/speech-to-text/models.md).

The Enhanced and Standard models can transcribe a selected combination of languages in one media file or stream, including speakers who switch between the languages in that pack. Each pack covers a fixed set of languages that you select with the `language` property.

Supported packs are:

| Language pack                    | Transcription config                           |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Arabic and English               | `{"language": "ar_en"}`                        |
| Malay and English                | `{"language": "en_ms"}`                        |
| Mandarin and English             | `{"language": "cmn_en"}`                       |
| Mandarin Malay Tamil and English | `{"language": "cmn_en_ms_ta"}`                 |
| Spanish and English              | `{"language": "es", "domain": "bilingual-en"}` |
| Tamil and English                | `{"language": "en_ta"}`                        |
| Tagalog (Filipino) and English   | `{"language": "tl"}`                           |

This config selects the Mandarin and English pack:

```
{
  "type": "transcription",
  "transcription_config": {
    "model": "enhanced",
    "language": "cmn_en"
  }
}
```

This config selects the Spanish and English pack, which requires the `domain` property:

```
{
  "type": "transcription",
  "transcription_config": {
    "model": "enhanced",
    "language": "es",
    "domain": "bilingual-en"
  }
}
```