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Guide

Multilingual dictation on a Mac

If you write in more than one language, your Mac can keep up. Apple Dictation lets you add several languages and switch between them. Dictation apps can detect the language as you speak. Here is how each works and what to do when the wrong alphabet shows up.

By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked on 12 October 2026

On this page
  1. Apple Dictation in several languages
  2. Dictation apps: auto-detect or pin a language
  3. Which languages local models cover
  4. Tips for mixed-language dictation
  5. SpeechBee in more than one language
  6. Questions
  7. Keep reading
  8. Sources

Apple Dictation in several languages

  1. Open System Settings, click Keyboard, and go to Dictation.
  2. Click Edit next to Languages, then select each language and region you want.
  3. While dictating, switch languages by clicking the language shown next to the cursor, or press the Globe key, if your keyboard has one, and choose a language.

Apple notes that Dictation is not available in every language or region, and features vary by language. Its feature availability page lists which languages support which features.

Dictation apps: auto-detect or pin a language

Apps built on local speech models usually offer two ways to work:

  • Auto-detect. The app works out which language you are speaking. Convenient if you switch often, or mix languages in one message.
  • Pin a language. You tell it which language to expect. More reliable when two of your languages sound alike, or when words come out in the wrong alphabet.

Which languages local models cover

ModelLanguagesUsed by
Whisper (OpenAI)About 99MacWhisper, superwhisper, Spokenly, SpeechBee (optional on Mac)
Parakeet v3 (NVIDIA)25 European languagesSpeechBee (default); Spokenly also offers Parakeet models

Whisper covers far more languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Hindi. Parakeet v3 covers 25 European languages. If you dictate in a language outside Parakeet's list, pick an app and model that support it.

Tips for mixed-language dictation

  • Pin the language for long pieces in one language. Auto-detect helps most in short messages.
  • Watch for the wrong alphabet. If Cyrillic letters appear in Polish text, for example, pin the language.
  • Add names to the dictionary in the spelling you want, especially names that come from another language.
  • Expect features to vary by language. Punctuation commands and filler removal are usually strongest in major languages.

SpeechBee in more than one language

SpeechBee is the app we make. By default it uses Parakeet v3, which understands 25 European languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian. On Mac you can switch to the optional Whisper model for up to 99 languages.

Its Language Hint setting is English by default. Switch it to Auto-detect for mixed-language dictation, or pin the language you speak. Filler-word removal currently works in English, German, Spanish and French, whether you pin the language or Auto-detect recognises it. Speech is transcribed on your device either way.

Voice to text
New message

Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.

SpeechBee's listening indicator on Mac
Hold your key, talk, let go. The text lands at the cursor.
Text to speech
Article

Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.

SpeechBee's Read Aloud player on Mac
Select text, press your reading key, listen.

Dictate in your languages, on your Mac. Free for 7 days.

Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.

Download for MacGet it for iPhone & iPad

Questions

Can Mac dictation do two languages at once?

You can add several languages to Apple Dictation and switch between them while dictating, by clicking the language next to the cursor or using the Globe key.

How do I change the dictation language on a Mac?

Open System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, click Edit next to Languages, and choose the languages you want.

Which dictation app supports the most languages on a Mac?

Apps that use OpenAI's Whisper model, which covers about 99 languages. SpeechBee offers Whisper as an option on Mac.

Why does dictation write the wrong alphabet?

Auto-detect sometimes picks a similar-sounding language. Pin the language you are speaking in your app's settings.

Keep reading

Sources

All checked on 12 October 2026.