How does it handle novel compound words that are not in dictionaries?

German allows speakers to create new compound nouns freely. The AI recognizes compound formation patterns and writes them as single words according to German rules, even if the specific compound has never been seen before. For example, a speaker might coin Klimaanpassungsmaßnahmengesetz in a policy discussion, and the AI will join it correctly.

Does it capitalize all nouns, including substantivized verbs?

Yes. The AI capitalizes every noun in the transcript: common nouns (Haus, Auto), proper nouns (Berlin, Müller), substantivized verbs (das Lesen, das Schwimmen), and substantivized adjectives (das Gute, etwas Neues). It also handles context-dependent cases like morgen (tomorrow, lowercase) vs der Morgen (the morning, capitalized).

How does it handle ß vs ss — and what about Swiss German?

The AI follows post-1996 reform rules by default: ß after long vowels and diphthongs (Straße, groß), ss after short vowels (dass, Schloss). When Swiss German speech is detected, it applies the Swiss convention of using ss exclusively (Strasse, gross) since Switzerland does not use ß at all.

Does it get umlauts right when they change meaning?

Yes. The AI distinguishes umlaut pairs like schon (already) vs schön (beautiful), drucken (to print) vs drücken (to press), and Bruder (brother) vs Brüder (brothers). It determines the correct form from grammatical and semantic context.

Does it use German quotation marks?

Yes. The AI produces German-style lower-upper quotation marks by default: „Guten Tag“ (Anführungszeichen unten-oben). For Swiss German text, it uses the Swiss convention of «Guillemets». Nested quotes follow the standard German convention of ‚single lower-upper‘ marks.

Transcribe German audio and video to text

German is the only major language where every noun is capitalized, compounds can be infinitely long, and a single character — ß or ss — depends on which reform your speaker follows. Our AI handles all of it.

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German transcription built for a uniquely complex orthography

German transcription is not just about recognizing words — it is about applying an orthographic system unlike any other major language. Every noun must be capitalized, including substantivized verbs and adjectives (das Lesen, das Gute). Compound nouns are written as one word with no limit on length — Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän is a valid single word. The 1996 spelling reform changed ß to ss after short vowels (dass, not daß), but Swiss German never uses ß at all (Strasse, not Straße). Umlauts distinguish entirely different words: schon means already while schön means beautiful. Vocova’s AI navigates all of these rules to produce correctly formatted German text.

How it works

Upload your German audio or video

Drag and drop any recording containing German speech. The AI detects whether the speaker uses Hochdeutsch, Austrian German, or Swiss Standard German patterns.

MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV, MKV, and all other formats
Files up to 500MB supported
No format conversion needed

AI applies German orthographic rules

The engine capitalizes every noun (including substantivized forms), joins compound words correctly, selects between ß and ss based on reform rules and regional conventions, and places umlauts accurately.

Capitalizes all nouns including das Lesen, das Beste
Joins novel compound nouns as single words
Applies correct ß/ss rules (or Swiss ss-only convention)

Export your German transcript

Review the transcript with all capitalization, compound words, umlauts, and ß/ss choices in place. German quotation marks are applied where appropriate.

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Features

Unlimited compound noun formation

German allows speakers to create compound nouns on the fly with no theoretical length limit. The AI writes these as single words following German rules — Krankenversicherungsbeitrag, Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung — even when the compound has never appeared in any dictionary.

Mandatory noun capitalization

German capitalizes ALL nouns, not just proper nouns. This extends to substantivized verbs (das Lesen, das Schwimmen), substantivized adjectives (das Gute, das Beste), and context-dependent cases where a word is a noun in one sentence and not in another: morgen (tomorrow) vs der Morgen (the morning).

ß vs ss and Swiss German handling

The 1996 reform changed ß to ss after short vowels (dass, not daß; Schloss, not Schloß) but kept ß after long vowels and diphthongs (Straße, groß). Swiss German eliminated ß entirely — Strasse and gross are correct in Switzerland. The AI detects the regional convention and applies it consistently.

Meaning-changing umlauts

German umlauts are not decorative — they create entirely different words. schon means already but schön means beautiful. Schwüle means mugginess but Schwule is a noun. drucken means to print but drücken means to press. The AI places ä, ö, and ü based on meaning, not just sound.

DACH dialect spectrum

From Bavarian to Berlinerisch to Viennese to Bernese, German dialects range from mild accent to near-unintelligibility. The AI processes standard Hochdeutsch at highest accuracy and adapts to Austrian and Swiss Standard German accents, producing standard orthography even when the pronunciation diverges significantly.

Why choose Vocova

Correct orthography without post-editing

Noun capitalization, compound joining, ß/ss selection, and umlaut placement are applied automatically. No need to manually capitalize nouns, join broken compounds, or fix missing umlauts after transcription.

Novel compounds written as single words

When a speaker coins a compound noun that does not exist in any dictionary, the AI still writes it as one word following German compounding rules. Transcripts read like properly written German, not English-style multi-word phrases.

German typographic conventions

Transcripts follow German punctuation standards including „lower-upper“ quotation marks (Anführungszeichen unten-oben), correct comma placement in subordinate clauses, and proper formatting of numbers and dates.

Speaker identification across DACH regions

When a meeting includes speakers from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, each voice is labeled separately. Regional vocabulary differences (Samstag vs Sonnabend, Tüte vs Sackerl) are transcribed as spoken.

Who can benefit

Business professionals in DACH markets

Document meetings, negotiations, and presentations in German with correct noun capitalization and compound word formation. Speaker labels distinguish participants from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

German media and broadcasting teams

Transcribe ARD, ZDF, ORF, and SRF broadcasts, podcasts, and film content. The AI handles Hochdeutsch narration and interview speech across the full DACH dialect spectrum.

German language learners and educators

Get transcripts that model correct German orthography — noun capitalization, compound formation, ß/ss rules, and umlaut placement — making them ideal study materials for intermediate and advanced learners.

Translators and localization teams

Start translation workflows with German transcripts that already have correct orthography. No need to fix capitalization, compound breaks, or ß/ss errors before beginning localization.