If you are a Bell Mobility customer and you get messages like this whenever someone leaves you a voicemail, here is how to get a transcription.

This is not an automatic process and you have to manually do it for each voicemail received, but it can be helpful when you need to forward the voicemail to someone else or collaborate on a response.

To do this you will need VLC and access to the online version of Microsoft Word.

Step 1 – Get the file on your computer

If you are an android user, the easiest way is to use messages.google.com which will allow you to send and receive text messages (and attachments) from your computer.

Step 2 – Convert AMR to MP3 using VLC

Open VLC and click File > Convert / Save

Then click add and find your file

Then click Convert / Save

Make sure that the profile is set to Audio – MP3 and click browse to pick where you want the output file to be saved, and then click start.

For voicemail files this typically only takes a second or two to convert so it might seem like it didn’t do anything, but check the destination folder to see if it worked.

Note: this will work to convert any file VLC can open to MP3, including videos.

Step 3 – Use Word Online to transcribe the MP3

Open Microsoft Word Online in your web browser: https://www.office.com/launch/word

Click Blank document under Create new

Click the drop down under Dictate and then pick “Transcribe”

In the Transcribe sidebar click Upload audio and find the MP3 file you created in step 2.

This can take a few minutes, but when it is done you can add it to the document. For voicemails I typically pick “Just text”

Note: if you use this for files with multiple people speaking, the transcription engine will try to label each person Speaker 1, 2, etc. and you can edit their names by hovering over a section of the transcript and clicking the pencil icon.