English to French Voice Translator

How it works

Most of the work is in the English box, before anything turns into French.

1. 1

   Record, then upload

   Upload your English take, up to 10 minutes and 100 MB. The language starts on English (US); switch it to UK, Australia or India if that fits the speaker. Sign in, then start the transcription.

2. 2

   Edit what you said

   Remove the false starts and the "um, let me think", spell the names properly and say dates in full. What you leave in the box is exactly what gets translated.

3. 3

   Get the French, then proofread

   French is already picked as the target. Press Translate and copy the result. If the browser has a French voice, Read aloud plays it to the person in front of you. Have a French speaker read anything important.

What English leaves out and French needs

French asks questions that English never answers, and the translator has to guess. Check these before you send.

• Tu or vous: there is no switch

  English has one "you", so your recording gives no clue, and this tool has no setting for it. With a client, a landlord or anyone you do not know well, French normally calls for vous. Read the result, and if it says tu where you meant vous, change it by hand or ask a French speaker before you send.

• Your gender and theirs

  "I'm ready" is je suis prêt from a man and je suis prête from a woman. "The manager" and "my friend" also have to pick a form in French. The transcript does not say who is speaking, so correct these words by hand.

• France or Quebec

  There is no target-region setting, so the wording is not aimed at one country. A Quebec reader may expect courriel for email, which Quebec's language office recommends, and may read déjeuner as breakfast rather than lunch. If your reader is in Quebec, give the time as well as the meal.

• Dollars, feet and dates stay as you said them

  The translator is told never to convert units or currencies. Feet stay feet and dollars stay dollars, so if a reader in Lyon needs meters or euros, say them in the recording. Say "March 4" and not "3/4": French readers put the day first.

• Names stay put, and your idioms cost you

  Names of people and companies are kept as they are. "Touch base" and "ballpark figure" get translated for meaning, with a note in English telling you how. Plain sentences need fewer of those guesses.

When you need French from your own voice

Talking is faster than writing a message in a language you barely use.

• A reply to a French-speaking client

  Talk through the quote or the delay on the drive back, upload it, and paste the French into your email. Keep the English copy so you know what you promised.

• Instructions for a crew or a warehouse

  Record the job steps once at the site and share them in French with the team in Montreal or Marseille. Check measurements and part numbers against your own English.

• A short talk or a class handout

  A teacher or trainer can record a ten-minute explanation and hand out the French text. It is a first draft for you to correct.

• A note to family

  A message for French-speaking relatives, in your words and with your details, when your written French is not up to it. Read aloud can play it back if your browser has a French voice.

• Questions for an interview

  Say your questions in English and take the French to the interview, then get your subject's consent to record their answers. A French speaker should check the wording first.