Translate a Russian lecture to English, live
If you study in Russian as a second language, a live translation under each sentence can be the difference between following a lecture and surviving it. Here is how it works, what to expect, and how to help it do well.
How it works
The phone or laptop listens through its microphone and sends the sound to a speech-recognition service, which writes the Russian words as they are spoken. Each sentence is then translated into English, usually within a second or two, and appears under the Russian. The original stays on the screen, so you can listen, read the Russian and read the English together.
You choose the language you want the translation in. Konspekt’s own screens come in ten languages, and the translation can go into any of them.
What to expect
- Russian is the language we have tested end to end on real lectures. German, Spanish and English are available in beta; more languages are on the way.
- Ordinary lecture speech works well. Technical terms, names, numbers and anything new to the recogniser are the hardest, and are where mistakes appear first.
- The translation is a machine translation. It is made to help you follow along and to find things later, not to be quoted.
Get cleaner results from your seat
- Sit as close to the lecturer as you can, and put the phone with its microphone towards them, not in a pocket or under your notes.
- Set the course’s subject, so that the key terms are highlighted as they come up.
- Add the course’s terms to its glossary, or add the syllabus. Terms the recogniser has been told about are far more likely to be written correctly.
- Keep the screen on only if you want to read live; recording carries on with the screen locked.
After the class
When you stop, Konspekt writes notes from the lecture: a summary, the key points, the terms and the moments you marked. You can search what was said in Russian or in English, ask questions about the lecture, and share or export the notes.
Know the limits
This is not a certified translation, and it can be wrong. For anything an exam or a grade depends on, check it against the slides, the textbook or the lecturer. And ask permission before you record: see our short guide on recording lectures.