Kannada voice to text, free

Typing Kannada on a phone means hunting for ottaksharas on a crowded keyboard. Saying it is faster. Record a note or upload one you received, and this tool writes it out in Kannada script.

In Bengaluru and across Karnataka, work talk mixes Kannada with English words like service, bill and order. Those words are understood, and are usually written in Kannada script inside the sentence.

How to use it

1. Pick the language that is spoken (Kannada is already selected), or leave it on Auto-detect.
2. Press Record and speak, or Choose audio file to open a voice note you saved. Recording stops by itself after 30 seconds.
3. Press Convert to text. The text appears in the box below, ready to copy.
4. Need it in English? Press Translate to English. The same recording is translated.

Tips for Kannada

• Select Kannada instead of Auto-detect when the clip is short or has many English words, so it is not mistaken for another language.
• Area and street names (Jayanagar, Rajajinagar) come through well when said clearly; unusual shop names may need a small fix.
• Speak at your normal pace. Slowing down unnaturally tends to split words that should be joined.
• Sending the text to someone who reads only English? Use Translate to English on the same recording.

What the text looks like

ಇಂದು ಜಯನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಎಸಿ ಸರ್ವೀಸ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆ, ಒಂದು ಯೂನಿಟ್‌ಗೆ ಗ್ಯಾಸ್ ತುಂಬಿಸಬೇಕು.

“Serviced two ACs in Jayanagar today; one unit needs a gas refill.”