Otter.ai announced Tuesday that it is expanding its multilingual capabilities to support 31 languages in total. The update introduces a new transcription feature designed to follow conversations as speakers switch between different languages during the same meeting.
The company stated that the upcoming feature will automatically detect language changes and continue transcribing without requiring users to adjust settings. For example, a call could move from English to Korean to Portuguese, with Otter following the conversation throughout. This update aims to address a common challenge for global teams, where language differences can make meetings and collaboration more difficult.
Expanding Language Support
This represents the largest language expansion for Otter to date. Thirteen of the new languages are available now, including Mandarin Chinese, Korean, German, Italian, Cantonese, Portuguese, Russian, Indonesian, Malay, Dutch, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Polish. The remaining 14 languages are coming soon and include Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Hebrew, Norwegian, Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Czech, Hungarian, and Romanian.
The newly added languages run on Otter’s own speech models. The company told TechCrunch it trained them using publicly available datasets and worked with native-speaking volunteers to review transcripts and check accuracy. An Otter spokesperson told TechCrunch that the goal is to break down language barriers so any company, no matter where they are based, can build a system of record for voice AI communication.
Beyond Transcription
The announcement comes as Otter continues to expand beyond transcription and into other workplace AI tools. This follows its $320 million funding round from General Catalyst. The company recently introduced Work Mode, which uses meeting history and connected apps to help users prepare for upcoming calls. For instance, the feature pulls information from previous customer conversations, outstanding action items, notes from teammates’ similar calls, and recent Google Drive files.
Another recent addition is Live Assist, which provides real-time coaching during meetings. It analyzes the conversation and offers relevant suggestions based on what has already been talked about and what is happening in the moment. These tools are part of Otter’s broader strategy to integrate more deeply into the daily workflows of international teams.
Source: TechCrunch
