CoVoST 2
Don’t want to install CoVoST 2? Drop the file here.
The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free: a recording up to 20 minutes transcribes in full, a longer one is previewed, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export, and credits never expire.
Common Voice-based speech-translation corpus — 21 X→en + 15 en→X language pairs.
Upstream is archived. CoVoST 2’s repository has been set read-only by its owner, so there are no further releases, fixes, or security patches. The last commit landed 2021-09-14. It can still be cloned and run, and forks may be maintained elsewhere. See the repository.
Best for many-to-one and one-to-many speech translation benchmarks at scale (2880h total). Pricing: free.
What it is
CoVoST 2 extends Common Voice with translation targets — 21 source languages → English (2880h) plus English → 15 targets. The standard low-resource speech-translation benchmark. License: CC0.
Watch out for: CC0 1.0 (audio from Common Voice) · translation quality varies per pair · low-resource target pairs are <100h. Cite: Wang et al., LREC 2020.
Install / use
from datasets import load_dataset; ds = load_dataset('facebook/covost2', 'en_de')What people actually do with CoVoST 2-style transcription
The tool is the means. These are the jobs — each one priced at published rates, each one wired up on its own page.
Features
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | 22 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Links
CoVoST 2 vs Whipscribe
| Feature | CoVoST 2 | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Open source | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | No | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | No | Yes |
| Streaming | No | No |
| Languages | 22 | 99 |
| Platforms | HuggingFace, GitHub | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to CoVoST 2
Frequently asked about CoVoST 2
Is CoVoST 2 free?
Yes. CoVoST 2 is free and open source.
Does CoVoST 2 work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
CoVoST 2 runs on HuggingFace and GitHub. It is not listed for other platforms; check the vendor for anything beyond HuggingFace and GitHub.
How do I install CoVoST 2?
Download the installer for your platform from the vendor. No terminal needed.
How many languages does CoVoST 2 support?
CoVoST 2 lists 22 languages.
Does CoVoST 2 identify different speakers?
No. CoVoST 2 does not label speakers; a conversation comes back as one continuous text. If you need speaker labels, that is a separate tool or a different service.
Does CoVoST 2 give word-level timestamps?
No — CoVoST 2 produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can CoVoST 2 transcribe live audio?
No — CoVoST 2 works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is CoVoST 2 HIPAA compliant?
CoVoST 2 does not claim HIPAA compliance. For PHI, run it on infrastructure you control or choose a service that will sign a BAA.
What are the limitations of CoVoST 2?
CC0 1.0 (audio from Common Voice) · translation quality varies per pair · low-resource target pairs are <100h. Cite: Wang et al., LREC 2020.
Who is CoVoST 2 best for?
Many-to-one and one-to-many speech translation benchmarks at scale (2880h total).
Does CoVoST 2 run offline?
CoVoST 2 runs on your own machine — it is open source, so nothing leaves the computer unless you configure it to.
Can I use CoVoST 2 in the browser?
No — CoVoST 2 is a HuggingFace and GitHub application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
Where is the CoVoST 2 source code?
On GitHub at github.com/facebookresearch/covost. It is maintained by Meta AI.
What kind of tool is CoVoST 2?
In this directory CoVoST 2 is filed under dataset as a open-source tool.
What are the alternatives to CoVoST 2?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/covost-alternatives comparing CoVoST 2 with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
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