Lecture Transcription

Polmi is a lecture transcription app that turns a recording into a clean, searchable transcript. Record straight from class or upload a file you already have, and Polmi writes down every word so you do not have to.

What lecture transcription does

Two ways in. Tap record at the start of class and let the phone sit on the desk, or upload an audio or video file you captured some other way. Either path lands in the same place: Polmi transcribes the whole lecture into text you can read, search, and study from.

You do not pick a language first. Polmi detects the language of the recording on its own, so a lecture in English, Spanish, or French all start the same way. From the finished transcript, Polmi also lifts a short summary and the key terms, so you have a place to start before you read the full thing top to bottom.

From recording to study material

Each transcribed lecture gives you:

• The full transcript, searchable, so you can jump to the moment the professor defined a term instead of scrubbing through audio.
• A summary that captures the shape of the lecture in a few lines.
• Key terms pulled out of the transcript, the vocabulary you are expected to know by the exam.

Those key terms feed into flashcards and spaced-repetition review, so the words you transcribe in September are the ones Polmi quizzes you on in December. For the full path from a raw recording to a study deck, see how Polmi works.

How accurate is the transcript?

Honest answer: it is good enough to search and study from, not a courtroom record. Polmi gives you a readable transcript that holds the structure of the lecture, the terms, the definitions, the worked examples. Clear audio and a professor who speaks at a normal pace produce the best results. A noisy back row, heavy crosstalk, or a hard-to-hear lecturer will show up in the text the way they show up to your own ears.

Because the transcript is searchable, a stray word here or there does not cost you much. You are looking for the moment the concept was explained, and you will find it.

Who lecture transcription helps

It earns its place in a few specific situations.

• Dense, technical lectures. When a single class drops twenty new terms, writing them down by hand means you stop listening. Let Polmi keep the record while you follow the argument.
• Lectures in a second language. If you are studying in a language that is not your first, a transcript you can reread at your own pace closes the gap between what was said and what you caught in the moment.
• Classes you missed. A classmate records, you upload the file, and you have the lecture in text by the time you have made coffee.

Recording, consent, and your audio

A few things worth saying plainly. You are responsible for getting consent to record where your school or local law requires it; check the rules for your class before you hit record. Transcripts and notes are encrypted. We delete the original audio by default about a week after it is transcribed, once the text exists. We do not train models on your content.

Recording your own lectures is what the paid plans cover, and web access comes with them. Reading lectures classmates share into a group is free for everyone. The full breakdown lives on the pricing page.

Common questions

Can I transcribe a lecture I already recorded?

Yes. Upload the audio or video file and Polmi transcribes it the same way it handles a fresh in-class recording. There is a full walkthrough on turning a recorded lecture into study material.

Do I have to set the language before I record?

No. Polmi detects the language of the recording automatically. You record or upload, and it works out the rest.

What do I get besides the raw text?

Every transcript comes with a summary and the key terms lifted from the lecture, and those terms can become a flashcard deck with built-in review. The transcript is the foundation; the study material is built on top of it.

Will it work on a long lecture?

Lectures are long. We get it. A full class period transcribes fine, and the search and summary are most useful when the recording is too long to relisten to.