Translate a WhatsApp voice message: read the gist in your language
Forward a voice note in another language to Abrège and get a summary in the language you choose, in the same chat, in seconds. No app, no file to upload.
Free to try. No download, no sign-up.
Abrège
online
Forwarded message
- Wants to move Sunday brunch to Saturday noon
- Her cousin Marie is coming with her new boyfriend
- Needs your confirmation before 8pm tonight
Another language vs your language
A voice note in a language you half understand is
a guessing game
.
A summary in your language settles it.
Replaying a voice note three times to catch one number is the usual workaround. Abrège transcribes it in the language spoken, then writes the summary in the language you picked: the request, the date, the amount, the question asked of you.
Summary · 6 s
- • Meeting moved to Tuesday 2pm.
- • Confirm with the client before tonight.
- • Bring the file we prepared.
- • Send the signed contract if ready.
How to translate a WhatsApp voice note, in practice
WhatsApp has no built-in voice message translator. Its native transcription, where it exists, gives you the words in the language spoken, and nothing more. If a supplier, a landlord, a client or your in-laws send voice notes in a language you only half follow, you are left replaying the audio or pasting a rough transcript into a translation app.
Abrège shortens that. You forward the voice note to the Abrège contact, like you would to a friend. It transcribes the audio in its original language, then writes the summary in the language you set: English, French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese. The reply lands in the same WhatsApp chat, usually within 10 to 30 seconds.
Let's be precise about what you get, because it matters: a translated summary, not a word-for-word translated transcript. The full transcription (on by default for new accounts) stays in the language the person spoke. For most voice notes that is exactly what you need, the gist in your language, with the original text on hand to check a detail.
Translate a voice note to English (or another language), step by step
Set the language of your summaries once
By default, the summary follows the language of the voice note: a Spanish voice note gets a Spanish summary. To have everything summarised in English instead, type "menu" in your chat with Abrège, open Settings, then choose the summary language. You can pick English, French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese, or go back to automatic at any time.
Once it is set, every voice note you forward comes back summarised in that language, whatever language it was recorded in. Nothing to repeat each time.
Forward the voice note and read the summary
Long-press the voice note, tap "Forward", pick the Abrège contact. On iPhone, Android, WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, the move is the same. The sender is not notified: forwarding a message in WhatsApp leaves no trace on their side.
The summary pulls out what you would otherwise have to decode: names, dates, times, amounts, addresses, and the questions the person asked you. The full transcription, on by default for new accounts and switchable in the same settings menu, follows the summary, in the original language.
Voice notes in several languages, or mixed ones
Many voice notes mix languages: English with Hindi, French with Arabic, Spanish with English. The transcription model handles a large number of languages, and a forced summary language means the summary comes back in yours even when the speaker switches mid-sentence.
Honest limit: accuracy depends on the language, the accent, the audio quality and background noise. Widely spoken languages come through well; for less common languages or heavy code-switching, check the key facts against the original before acting on them. That's true of any automatic transcription.
Translating a WhatsApp voice message: the options compared
There's no perfect tool here, only trade-offs. This is what each route really gives you.
| Native transcription + translate app | Upload to a translation site | Abrège | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Raw text, then a translation of that text | Translated text, word for word | A summary in your language, plus the original transcript if you want |
| Steps | Transcribe, copy, paste into another app | Export the audio, upload, wait, copy | Forward the voice note |
| Languages | Limited by what WhatsApp transcribes on your phone | Depends on the site | Summary in English, French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese |
| Long voice note | A long text to read, twice | A long text to read | A few lines |
| Price | Free | Often free with limits | Free: 5 summaries/month, then from €3/month |
If you need a sworn or word-for-word translation, for a contract or an official document, none of these replaces a human translator. For everyday voice notes where you need to know what's being asked of you, a summary in your language is the fastest route.
How it works
Three seconds, zero effort.
Forward the voice note
To Abrège, on WhatsApp. Yours or a friend's.
It listens for you
Six seconds, then the audio is deleted.
You read what matters
The key points, the thing to do. Nothing else.
The voice note from the other side of the family
« Your partner's aunt sends a two-minute voice note in Portuguese about Sunday lunch. You catch "domingo" and not much else. You forward it to Abrège, with summaries set to English. Fifteen seconds later: "Lunch moved to 1pm at her place, not the restaurant. Asks if you can bring dessert, and whether the kids eat fish." You reply in two lines, in her language if you like. »
Amnesiac by design.
We keep nothing.
The moment your summary goes out, the audio file is destroyed from our servers. Unrecoverable, no copy kept. We don't want your data, just to save you time.
One thing to be clear about: to be transcribed, the audio passes through OpenAI's API. That's the only step where it leaves us. See the details .
Deleted immediately
The audio is erased right after the summary is sent.
Never in your groups
Abrège only sees the voice notes you forward it. Never your other chats.
Encrypted in transit
Everything travels over TLS 1.3, impossible to intercept on the way.
Thousands of hours handed back to real life.
The time our users no longer spend listening to rambling monologues. Added up, it starts to count.
Format acceptés :
Frequently asked questions
About Translate a WhatsApp voice message: read the gist in your language
Can WhatsApp translate voice messages?
How do I translate a WhatsApp voice note to English?
Do I get a full translated transcript?
Which languages can the summary be written in?
Does the person who sent the voice note know I forwarded it?
Where does the audio go?
Pricing
Free to try. 3€ to never go without.
Start free, step up whenever you need to.
Free
Perfect for putting the AI to the test on your first voice notes.
0€
- 5 free summaries / month
- Limited settings
Starter subscription
🎁 2 months free
⚡️ Price locked for life
- 50 summaries / month
- Full Dashboard access
- Full customisation
Need more? Plans for heavy users (up to 500 summaries / month) are available. See all plans →
Cancel in one click from your account.
FAQ
Questions? We've got answers.
- No, never. Abrège works like any regular WhatsApp contact: it only sees the messages you forward or send it directly. It has no access to your other conversations, your groups, or your address book. WhatsApp itself guarantees this: a third-party app cannot read chats it hasn't been invited to. When you forward a voice note, only that one file reaches Abrège, nothing else. And once the summary is sent back, the audio file is immediately deleted from our servers, with no copy kept. To be transparent: to be transcribed, that audio passes through OpenAI's API, the only step where it is handled outside our servers. The rest of your messages stays strictly between you and the people you talk to. In short: Abrège can only read what you explicitly choose to show it, and nothing more.
- When you forward a voice note to Abrège, it goes through three quick steps. First transcription: the audio is turned into text by OpenAI's transcription models. Then the summary: a language model pulls out the key points and the action to remember. Finally delivery: you get the result right in your chat, in a few seconds. On the data side, we keep nothing: the audio file is deleted from our servers as soon as the summary is sent to you, with no copy kept, and the text is erased within the hour. Your summary stays in your WhatsApp chat, on your side. Our servers are hosted in Europe and everything is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3).
- Yes, rather well. Abrège relies on OpenAI's transcription models, trained on a huge amount of real spoken language, not just textbook speech. In practice it handles regional and non-native accents very well. Everyday language comes through too: slang, casual expressions, hesitations (“er…”, “um…”), broken sentences or fast delivery. That's exactly the point of a genuine, recent AI model compared with basic word-for-word transcription. The limits: on very noisy audio, with several people talking at once, or very rare proper nouns, the transcription may make a few approximations. Even then, you still get your summary, and you can ask for the full text to check the details.
- It's commitment-free, and built to stay simple. You start free, with 5 summaries a month, no card required. After that, the subscription starts at 3€/month (launch offer, price locked for life as long as you stay subscribed), with 50 summaries a month included. Payment goes through Stripe, fully secure: card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You can switch plans or cancel in a single click from your dashboard, with no need to explain yourself or write to a support desk. No fixed term, no sneaky renewal, no nasty surprise on your bill.
- Of course, and it's one of its handiest uses. Two ways to do it: either forward Abrège a voice note you received from someone else, or record a voice memo straight into your chat with it, just like you would with any contact. Either way, you get a clear summary back in seconds. Plenty of people use it to talk to themselves: dictate your ideas while walking, and get a written, structured note back. Great for prepping a report, clearing your head before a meeting, or turning a stray thought into a concrete task.
- Yes. In WhatsApp, long-press a first voice note, select the others, then tap “Forward” and pick Abrège. Each voice note is handled on its own: you get one summary per voice note, sent as a reply to it, so you always know which is which. Handy after a meeting, or when a chat filled up with voice notes while you were busy. Each voice note counts as one summary in your monthly quota.
- That's up to you, and you have three options: the summary only, the summary followed by the full text, or the full text only, without a summary. The summary saves time when a glance is enough; the full text is there to check a detail, a date or an exact quote. The full text arrives in the chat, or as a .txt file when it's too long for a single message (you can also choose always as a message or always as a file). Everything can be set from WhatsApp (type “menu”, then Settings) or from your dashboard, and you can even just tell the bot, for example “I want the transcription”. The setting can be changed at any time.
- On purpose, Abrège does not join groups, and that's a privacy choice. A bot sitting in a group could read everyone's messages, which we refuse on principle. So the flow stays simple: when someone drops a 3-minute voice note in the family or work group, you forward it privately to Abrège, you get the summary in seconds, and you come back to the group with the gist. Nobody else needs to install anything, and no message from the group passes through Abrège except the one you choose to send it. Handy, and respectful of everyone.
- Too long, didn't read: we save you time on WhatsApp. Stop scrolling and try the bot. Cheers. 🍿
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Our guides on the topic, in detail
How to transcribe a WhatsApp voice note to text: the complete 2026 guide
WhatsApp has transcribed voice notes natively since late 2024. Here is how to switch it on, why it so often stays greyed out, and the four other methods for when it falls short.
Read the article · 7 minHow to summarise a WhatsApp voice note: 4 methods tested in 2026
Want to summarise a WhatsApp voice note without listening to the whole thing? Here are the 4 methods that exist in 2026, their pros, their limits, and the one that actually works.
Read the article · 5 minWhatsApp automatic transcription: why it isn't enough (and how to do better)
WhatsApp has offered native transcription since 2024. In practice, it's often disappointing. Here's why, and what works better when you really need it.
Read the article · 6 minWho's behind Abrège
“I built Abrège because I'd had enough of 5-minute voice notes to say what fits in two sentences.”
It's a tool I use every day myself, and I build it to stay simple, honest and respectful of your privacy.
Mark Hadj Hamou
Founder of Abrège
Stop listening.
Start reading.
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