macOS AppSummaries and translation
The four summary modes, how often summaries update (the window), output language, glossary and context hints, live translation.
When the summary updates
The transcript is split into “segments” by punctuation and length. When enough segments have accumulated, the most recent ones are handed to the summary engine and the summary is rewritten. The summary pane header controls this:
| Control | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | The shape of the summary (below) | Short summary |
| Window | How many recent segments go into one summary | 3 segments |
| Output language | The language the summary is written in | The interface language (your choice is remembered) |
A larger window updates less often but reads better as a unit. Use a small window for fast-moving meetings, a larger one for lectures where one person talks for a long time.
The four modes
| Mode | Output | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Short summary | One or two sentences | Following along during a meeting; a display for an audience |
| Conversational summary | Slightly longer, keeping the spoken phrasing | Reading back later; keeping nuance |
| Keywords | A list of terms | An index of what came up; search handles |
| Translation | The text in the output language | Following a foreign-language meeting in your own |
The “Edit summary prompt” button next to the mode picker opens the prompt editor, where you can rewrite the built-in modes or add your own.
Output language
Pick the output language from the language menu in the summary pane. If it differs from the transcription language, the summary is also a translation — for example, an English meeting followed through a Japanese short summary.
Glossary and context hints
Open the glossary from the session in the sidebar. Each session has its own.
Context hint (“About this conversation”) — one to three lines on what the conversation is, who’s in it, and the tone. Passed to the prompt as background for summaries and translation. It is a place to describe the conversation; for formatting instructions (“write it as minutes”), edit the summary prompt instead.
Glossary — one term per line: names, technical terms, abbreviations you want written correctly. The format is correct spelling(how it's said).
Kubernetes(k8s,kube)
Tatsuya(Tatchan)
CI- Left of the parentheses is what appears on screen; inside is how it’s actually said (readings, nicknames, variants; comma-separated)
- No commas outside the parentheses
- English words and abbreviations can be listed on their own (case and width are handled automatically)
The glossary feeds three things: recognition hints for transcription (only on engines that support them — Apple Speech does, WhisperKit doesn’t), spelling normalization after commit (every engine), and the summary/translation prompt. Only the first 30 lines reach the prompt, so put important terms at the top. Around 100–200 lines is a sensible ceiling for recognition hints.
Live translation (second stream, Pro)
Splits the summary pane in two: a summary in the first, a translation into another language in the second, both live. Planned for the Pro upgrade.
The machine-generated notice
For the first three minutes of a recording or import, a notice that the text is machine-generated and may contain errors stays on screen. After that, the interval (1 / 3 / 5 / 10 minutes, always, never) is set under Settings > General > Display. The wording can be edited per language.