Malagasy results: what to expect
Malagasy has very little training data in the speech model. Expect a rough draft with many errors, even on good audio. It works best on slow, clear speech from one speaker close to the microphone. Kabary and other formal oratory can work if the speaker is clear; hiragasy performances, choirs, markets and phone calls give much weaker text.
A timed draft still helps with long recordings, because you correct lines with the player following along instead of starting from nothing.
Upload the recording as it is: MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, a voice message or a phone recording. You can also record from your microphone in the upload box. Nothing needs converting first.
Malagasy spelling
Malagasy uses the Latin alphabet without c, q, u, w or x, with o pronounced like u and y used at the end of words. Points to check:
- Final vowels are often barely pronounced, so the model may drop or change them (for example, the final -a, -ka and -tra endings).
- Long words formed with prefixes and suffixes may be split in the wrong place.
- The ô in some words and accented vowels used in some texts may be missing.
- Names of people and places, which are often long, are a common error.
Official Malagasy, regional speech and French
Official Malagasy is based on the Merina speech of the highlands around Antananarivo, and that is what the model handles best. Coastal varieties such as Betsimisaraka, Sakalava or Antandroy differ in vocabulary and sounds and need many more corrections.
French is widely mixed in, especially in education, business and the capital. Keep Malagasy selected when Malagasy dominates; a French lecture with Malagasy examples should be transcribed with French. Auto-detect is unreliable for Malagasy, so set it yourself.
The transcript opens next to a player that highlights the current line. Click a line to hear it again, correct the word in place, and your changes save automatically.
What people record in Malagasy
Common files are church services and sermons, voice messages from family, interviews for research and NGO work in Madagascar, radio programmes, and recordings with elders for family history. Malagasy communities in France and Réunion bring family recordings as well.
Export TXT, DOCX, PDF, CSV, SRT or VTT, with timestamps and speaker names switched on or off per export. Speaker labels are available on paid plans or with a Minute Pack.
For video files, see the Malagasy video to text page.