Feedback: guides-translate_transcripts

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/translate_transcripts
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:34:18 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:34:17 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Improvement Recommendations

Critical Issues to Address

1. Incomplete Setup Instructions

Problem: The documentation jumps into code without ensuring users can actually run it.

Missing Information:

• No audio file preparation guidance
• Incomplete Google Cloud setup (most complex part glossed over)
• No error handling or troubleshooting
• Missing dependency version compatibility information

Recommendation: Add a complete prerequisites section:

## Prerequisites & Setup

### 1. Prepare Your Audio File
- Supported formats: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, etc.
- Place your audio file in the same directory as your script
- Rename it to `my-audio.mp3` or update the path in the code

### 2. AssemblyAI Setup
[existing content, but add validation step]

### 3. Choose Your Translation Provider
Before proceeding, you'll need to set up at least one translation service...

2. Poor Document Structure

Problem: The flow doesn’t match typical user workflow - setup is incomplete, then suddenly jumps to different translation options.

Improved Structure:

# Translate AssemblyAI Transcripts Into Other Languages

## Overview
## Choosing a Translation Provider
## Complete Setup Guide
## Translation Methods
  ### Method 1: Google Translate (Recommended for Enterprise)
  ### Method 2: DeepL (Best Quality)
  ### Method 3: Open Source Options
## Complete Working Examples
## Troubleshooting
## Next Steps

3. Missing Error Handling & Validation

Problem: No guidance on what happens when things go wrong.

Add Error Handling Examples:

# Add to each translation method
try:
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe('./my-audio.mp3')
    if transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
        print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
        return
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error during transcription: {e}")
    return

# Validate language detection
if not transcript.json_response.get('language_code'):
    print("Warning: Language detection failed. Setting default...")
    from_lang = 'auto'  # or prompt user

Specific Content Improvements

4. Unclear Provider Comparison

Current: Vague bullet points about considerations.

Improved: Add a comparison table:

| Provider | Accuracy | Languages | Cost | Setup Complexity | Best For |
|----------|----------|-----------|------|------------------|----------|
| Google Translate | High | 100+ | Pay-per-use | Complex (GCP) | Enterprise, high volume |
| DeepL | Highest | 30+ | Free tier + paid | Simple | Quality-focused projects |
| translate-python | Variable | 100+ | Free | Very simple | Prototypes, low stakes |

5. Incomplete Google Cloud Setup

Problem: “Follow Google’s docs” is not helpful in context.

Solution: Add step-by-step Google Cloud setup:

### Google Cloud Setup (Detailed Steps)

1. **Create a Google Cloud Project**
   - Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/)
   - Click "New Project"
   - Name your project (e.g., "transcript-translation")

2. **Enable the Translation API**
   - In your project, go to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
   - Search for "Cloud Translation API"
   - Click "Enable"

3. **Create Service Account Credentials**
   - Go to "APIs & Services" > "Credentials"
   - Click "Create Credentials" > "Service Account"
   - Download the JSON key file
   - Save it as `translate_creds.json` in your project folder

4. **Verify Setup**
   ```python
   # Test your credentials
   try:
       translate_client = translate_v2.Client()
       result = translate_client.get_languages()
       print("✅ Google Translate setup successful!")
   except Exception as e:
       print(f"❌ Setup failed: {e}")

### 6. **Missing Complete Working Example**
**Problem**: Code is fragmented across sections.

**Solution**: Add a complete, runnable example at the end:
```python
"""
Complete Example: Translate AssemblyAI Transcript with DeepL
Run this after completing the setup steps above.
"""
import assemblyai as aai
import deepl

# Configuration
AAI_API_TOKEN = "your_assemblyai_token_here"
DEEPL_API_TOKEN = "your_deepl_token_here"
AUDIO_FILE_PATH = "./my-audio.mp3"
TARGET_LANGUAGE = "DE"  # German

def main():
    # Setup AssemblyAI
    aai.settings.api_key = AAI_API_TOKEN
    config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(language_detection=True)
    transcriber = aai.Transcriber(config=config)

    # Transcribe audio
    print("🎵 Transcribing audio...")
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe(AUDIO_FILE_PATH)

    if transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
        print(f"❌ Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
        return

    print(f"✅ Transcription complete. Detected language: {transcript.json_response.get('language_code', 'unknown')}")

    # Setup DeepL
    translator = deepl.Translator(DEEPL_API_TOKEN)

    # Translate sentences
    print(f"🌐 Translating to {TARGET_LANGUAGE}...")
    for i, sentence in enumerate(transcript.get_sentences(), 1):
        try:
            result = translator.translate_text(sentence.text, target_lang=TARGET_LANGUAGE)
            print(f"\nSentence {i}:")
            print(f"Original: {sentence.text}")
            print(f"Translation: {result.text}")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"❌ Translation failed for sentence {i}: {e}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

7. Add Troubleshooting Section

## Common Issues & Solutions

### "No audio file found"
- Verify the file path is correct
- Ensure the file format is supported
- Check file permissions

### "Authentication failed" (Google)
- Verify your JSON credentials file path
- Ensure the Translation API is enabled in your GCP project
- Check that billing is enabled (required for API usage)

### "Invalid target language" (DeepL)
- DeepL uses specific language codes (e.g., "EN-US" not "en")
- Check supported languages: [DeepL Language Codes](https://www.deepl.com/docs-api/translate-text/)

### Translation quality is poor
- Try a different translation provider
- Consider translating paragraphs instead of individual sentences for better context
- Check if the source language was detected correctly

8. Missing Performance & Cost Guidance

Add a section on:

• How to estimate costs based on transcript length
• Batch processing recommendations
• Rate limiting considerations
• When to translate full text vs. sentences vs. paragraphs

9. Improve Code Comments

Current code lacks explanatory comments. Add context:

# Enable automatic language detection to identify the source language
config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(language_detection=True)

# This will be used to determine the source language for translation
from_lang = transcript.json_response['language_code']

These improvements would transform this from a fragmented code snippet collection into a comprehensive, user-friendly guide that actually helps users succeed with the task.

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