# Which languages does Canto transcribe?

> Canto auto-detects the spoken language — there is no language picker — and handles conversations that switch languages mid-sentence.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/supported-languages/

Canto detects the spoken language automatically — you never pick a transcription language, and there is no setting for it. This works independently of the app language: you can run Canto in English and record a meeting held in German, and the transcript comes out in German.

## Do I need to set a language before recording?

No. Record in whatever language the conversation happens in; detection runs during transcription. This also means you can't set it wrong — there is no picker to forget. If a transcript still comes out in an unexpected language (usually very short or noisy audio), see [The transcript is in the wrong language](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/wrong-language-detected/).

## What if people switch languages mid-conversation?

Mixed-language conversations are transcribed as spoken. If a meeting starts in English and drifts into Spanish, or a speaker drops a sentence of French into a Bosnian conversation, each part is transcribed in its own language. There is nothing to configure.

Canto does not translate: the transcript stays in the language that was spoken. If you want notes or answers in your own language, that's what the app language controls — see below.

## Is the transcription language the same as the app language?

No, and this is the distinction that trips people up:

- **Transcription** — auto-detected from the audio, any language, no setting.
- **App language** — one of 13 languages you choose in settings: English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish, Norwegian, Swedish, Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. It controls the interface *and* everything AI writes: titles, notes, action items, and chat answers.

So a recording of a Dutch meeting with the app language set to English gives you a Dutch transcript with English notes and an English title. See [Change your app and AI language](https://usecanto.com/help/account/change-language/) for how to switch.

## Which languages work best?

Detection and accuracy are strongest for widely spoken languages, and Canto is tested across the 13 app languages plus the other major European and world languages. Very rare languages, heavy dialects, and poor audio reduce accuracy — a close microphone matters more than the language spoken. See [Get the best audio quality](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/microphone-tips/), and the per-language details on the [languages hub](https://usecanto.com/languages/).

## Does this apply to notetaker meetings too?

Yes. A meeting recorded by the Canto notetaker bot goes through the same transcription pipeline as a recording made on your phone, including auto-detection and mixed-language handling. See [What is the Canto notetaker?](https://usecanto.com/help/notetaker/what-is-the-notetaker/)

Related articles:

- [How does transcription work in Canto?](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/how-transcription-works/)
- [Change your language](https://usecanto.com/help/account/change-language/)
- [The transcript is in the wrong language](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/wrong-language-detected/)