MacWhisper languages: what it transcribes, how it translates, and its limits with mixed audio

By Ryleigh Newman · Published October 11, 2026

MacWhisper lists 100 languages for transcription. It handles one language per file: its help center says it cannot transcribe a file with several languages at once. Translating a finished transcript is part of its Assistant feature, into more than 30 languages on the Mac. For Chinese, the script can come out Simplified when you wanted Traditional, and there is a prompt that helps.

I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about MacWhisper with that in mind. Every fact about MacWhisper here comes from its own help center, read on October 11, 2026.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

A file with two languages in it

MacWhisper's own advice is to transcribe the file twice, once for each language, and combine the results by hand. The article says the team is looking into ways to improve this.

1. Set the language to the first one and transcribe.
2. Set it to the second and transcribe again.
3. Keep the parts each pass got right.

Simplified or Traditional Chinese

Chinese audio can come out in the wrong script. MacWhisper's help center says this comes from Whisper itself, which was trained on a mix of Simplified and Traditional text. Its suggested workaround is a prompt:

1. Open Settings, Advanced.
2. Scroll to the Prompt section.
3. Type a sentence in the script you want, as context for the transcription.

The article's example is a short sentence in Simplified Chinese that says the following are sentences in Mandarin. It also says the approach will not always work. After the fact, find and replace can fix repeated wrong characters.

Translate a transcript

Translation is one of the Assistant's tasks, alongside summaries and prompts about a transcript. The article lists translation into more than 30 languages, on the macOS version of the app.

• Website version. AI features run through a provider you set up with your own API key, or a local model. The pricing page covers what Pro includes.
• App Store version. Whisper Transcription sells the Assistant as an optional subscription. If you use your own API keys you do not need it.
• What leaves the Mac. A cloud provider receives the transcript text you send it. A local model keeps it on the Mac.

Translate while you dictate

In the website version, dictation can run a prompt on what you said, and you can tie a prompt to an app. MacWhisper's first example for App Specific Prompts is to always translate your dictation into Spanish in a chat app you use with Spanish speakers.

1. Open Settings, Dictation, App Specific Prompts.
2. Add the app with the plus button. It has to be running to appear.
3. Choose a prompt from your dictation prompt list.

The MacWhisper dictation page covers prompts and setup.

How YapToText handles languages

MacWhisper from its help center and site, read October 3 to 11, 2026. YapToText from its own settings.

If you need a language outside YapToText's 29, or a translated transcript, MacWhisper is the better tool. Bilingual dictation on a Mac covers dictating in two languages, and the Mac dictation languages page lists what Apple supports.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

The short version

• Languages. 100, one per file.
• Two languages in a file. Transcribe twice and combine.
• Chinese script. A prompt in the script you want, under Settings, Advanced.
• Translation. The Assistant, into more than 30 languages, with an AI provider.
• Dictation. An app-specific prompt can translate as you speak.

If MacWhisper changes how it handles languages, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Related

• MacWhisper guides: every page on this site about MacWhisper, by topic
• How to use MacWhisper: transcribe a file, export it, and dictate
• MacWhisper dictation: how to turn it on, add AI prompts, and fix apps where it does nothing
• MacWhisper Find and Replace: correct the same mistake in every transcript, and guide Whisper with a prompt
• MacWhisper pricing: what the free version does and what Pro adds for €64
• The best MacWhisper model for your Mac: WhisperKit and Turbo on Apple silicon, cloud on Intel
• Dictating in two languages on a Mac: switch as you talk, or set it per dictation
• Mac dictation in other languages, and in more than one
• MacWhisper not working: what each symptom means, and the fix

Sources

• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/23-multiple-languages-in-a-file (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/9-chinese-simplied-and-traditional-troubleshooting (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/22-assistant (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/31-app-specific-dictation-prompts (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://www.macwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-11)
• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-11)

Questions