Whisper — Transcribe and translate speech in 99 languages
Whisper — Transcribe and translate speech in 99 languages
Start with meaning, then move to detail.
This lesson explains Whisper — Transcribe and translate speech in 99 languages as part of getting started with Hermes correctly. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.
If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?
For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.
For advanced readers, inspect Skill metadata, Reference: full SKILL.md, When to use Whisper, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.
No prior experience is required; follow the steps on a safe test setup first.
A clear outcome before you read.
- Understand Whisper — Transcribe and translate speech in 99 languages without assumed prior knowledge.
- Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
- Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Short definitions before the details.
- Provider
- The service that runs or provides access and authentication to a model.
- Skill
- An instruction bundle that teaches Hermes a repeatable workflow without necessarily adding an external service.
Transcribe and translate speech in 99 languages
What does the source say, and in what order?
- 01Skill metadata
Start here to understand the core idea or structure.
- 02Reference: full SKILL.md
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 03When to use Whisper
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 04Quick start
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 05Installation
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 06Basic transcription
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 07Model sizes
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 08Transcription options
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 09Language specification
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 10Task selection
Finish here to verify the result and special cases.
Copy only after you understand the effect.
# Requires Python 3.8-3.11
pip install -U openai-whisper
# Requires ffmpeg
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
# Windows: choco install ffmpeg## Model sizes| Model | Parameters | English-only | Multilingual | Speed | VRAM |
|-------|------------|--------------|--------------|-------|------|
| tiny | 39M | ✓ | ✓ | ~32x | ~1 GB |
| base | 74M | ✓ | ✓ | ~16x | ~1 GB |
| small | 244M | ✓ | ✓ | ~6x | ~2 GB |
| medium | 769M | ✓ | ✓ | ~2x | ~5 GB |
| large | 1550M | ✗ | ✓ | 1x | ~10 GB |
| turbo | 809M | ✗ | ✓ | ~8x | ~6 GB |
**Recommendation**: Use `turbo` for best speed/quality, `base` for prototyping
## Transcription options
### Language specificationRead the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.