International journalism means interviews in foreign languages, code-switching mid-conversation, sources with heavy accents, and the constant challenge of accuracy when you're working in your second or third language.
Common Multilingual Transcription Scenarios
Full interview in a foreign language
The simplest case: specify the language and get a full transcription. For common languages (Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic), leading AI tools achieve accuracy comparable to native-language transcription.
Code-switching interview (mixed languages)
More complex: sources often switch between languages mid-sentence, especially in bilingual regions or when discussing technical topics where they default to English. The best AI tools handle this automatically.
Translated transcription
You want the transcript in your language (English) even though the interview was in another. Most AI tools can transcribe in the original language; getting a translated transcript requires a second step or a tool that offers integrated translation.
Accuracy note for non-English languages: AI transcription accuracy varies by language. Major European languages are reliable at 95%+. Less-resourced languages may have higher error rates — always verify quotes for lesser-spoken language interviews.
Workflow for International Correspondents
- Record the interview
- Transcribe in the original language (2 minutes for a 60-min interview)
- Use AI translation for initial comprehension pass
- Verify key quotes against the original audio before publishing
- Cite the original language quote alongside translation when possible
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