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How to get the full transcript of a recording

The transcript is what Sally builds the summary from: who said what, and when. This guide shows what the transcript response contains, how to check that a transcript exists and how to keep the answer small.

Before you start

Quick navigation

  1. Fetch the transcript
  2. Check the status first
  3. Keep the answer small

1. Fetch the transcript​

GET /v1.0/directories/{directoryId}/recordings/{recordingId}/transcription

The answer holds two lists that belong together:

  • speakers has one entry per voice with speakerId, speakerNumber and, where Sally could resolve it, name and emailAddress.
  • segments holds the time-coded pieces of speech with startTime and endTime in seconds, the text and a speakerId from the speakers list. You do not need a second call to resolve the speaker of a segment.

Reference: GET/v1.0/directories/{directoryId}/recordings/{recordingId}/transcription

2. Check the status first​

A finished transcription run is not the same as an existing transcript. Look at the recording first:

  • isTranscriptionCompleted: the run is over, whatever the outcome.
  • isTranscriptionSucceeded: there is a usable transcript. This is the field to check.
  • transcriptionCompletionReason: why the run ended, one of succeeded, noSpokenAudio, fileEmpty, languageNotDetected, quotaExceeded, error or unknown (still running).

Reference: GET/v1.0/directories/{directoryId}/recordings/{recordingId}

This means

A meeting in which nobody spoke produces a finished run without a transcript. That is not an error and does not need a retry, noSpokenAudio says so plainly.

3. Keep the answer small​

Important

Transcripts are the largest responses in this API, and almost all of it is segments. If you only want to know who took part, ask for ?fields=speakers. The segments are then not sent at all. Field selection explains the rules.