2026 Hands-On Comparison of 2 Multilingual Meeting Minutes Tools: How to Write Meeting Minutes in English and Which Is Better for Chinese Users?

Tinrec vs Otter.ai | Quick Overview

The most common English term for "multilingual meeting minutes" is meeting minutes, also referred to as minutes of meeting, often shortened to minutes in casual speech. When a foreign colleague says "Can you take minutes?", they are asking you to help record the meeting. "Taking meeting minutes" can also be expressed as keep minutes.

The two tools compared today are both AI assistants that convert meeting recordings into text and organize key points, but they differ significantly in positioning and ideal use cases:

Category	Tinrec Instant Recording	Otter.ai
One-line positioning	AI recording and audio/video organization workspace	AI meeting minutes and team collaboration tool
Best use case	Meetings, classes, interviews, online videos, historical data organization	High-frequency online meetings, English business meetings
Free plan	Monthly basic transcription quota; experience real-time recording, file import, and web parsing	300 minutes of transcription per month
Key difference	Goes beyond transcription, emphasizing summaries, Q&A, export, and multi-source organization	Specializes in meeting bots, speaker identification, and team collaboration

This article compares the two tools across five dimensions: "English meeting minutes writing," "multilingual transcription accuracy," "free plans and pricing," "cross-platform and input sources," and "AI post-processing capabilities."

Dimension 1 | English Meeting Minutes Writing and Format Support

Let's start with the conclusion: Both tools can generate English meeting minutes, but Tinrec offers more user-friendly guidance for Chinese speakers.

Otter.ai is natively designed for English meeting scenarios. Its English meeting minutes format is very mature, automatically organizing discussion topics, decisions, action items, and assignees, and it can export directly to a standard email format. However, if you need "mixed Chinese-English meetings" or "English summaries of Chinese meetings," Otter's performance is mediocre; its Chinese recognition and semantic organization are not as refined as its English.

Tinrec, on the other hand, pays special attention to Chinese meeting minutes. Its meeting minutes template clearly separates "discussion items, resolutions, action items, and assignees," and uses expressions common in Taiwanese workplaces, avoiding mainland Chinese terminology. For example, it uses resolution for passed decisions rather than conclusion, and marks absentees as apologies instead of take leave. For those who want to write acceptable English meeting minutes in a Chinese context, Tinrec's terminology is closer to the business English familiar to Taiwanese readers.

→ This dimension: Tinrec wins, especially for native Chinese speakers.

Dimension 2 | Multilingual Transcription Accuracy

On the keyword "multilingual," both tools perform reasonably well, but real-world usage scenarios differ greatly.

Otter.ai supports major languages including English, Spanish, and French. Its English transcription accuracy is very high, especially in online meetings, clear accents, and single-speaker environments, reaching near-commercial grade. However, its Chinese recognition is relatively weaker; when encountering mixed Chinese-English, Taiwanese accents, or multiple speakers talking simultaneously, the error rate increases noticeably.

Tinrec explicitly positions Chinese content organization as a core selling point. It supports Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and multilingual mixed scenarios, with more stable transcription accuracy than Otter for Chinese meetings, classes, and interviews. In actual tests (iPhone 15, quiet meeting room, Taiwanese accent), Tinrec's accuracy for Chinese verbatim transcripts was significantly higher than Otter's, and it had better grasp of Taiwan-specific vocabulary.

→ This dimension: Tinrec wins; if you need to handle Chinese or mixed Chinese-English content, Tinrec is more reliable.

Dimension 3 | Free Plans and Pricing

The free plan is often the first hurdle for many people.

Otter.ai's free version offers 300 minutes of transcription per month, which is sufficient for light users, but it has limitations: no local file import, limited AI features, and short storage time for historical meetings. The paid Pro plan costs approximately $8.33/user/month billed annually, providing 1,200 minutes and 10 file imports per month, making it suitable for those who meet regularly.

Tinrec's free version also includes a monthly basic transcription quota, and importantly, the free version allows you to experience real-time recording, file import, and online video parsing, which is much more generous than Otter's free tier. If you need higher quotas, Tinrec offers three flexible plans: weekly, monthly, and annual cards. The weekly card is ideal for short-term projects or intensive meeting weeks, while the annual card offers the lowest monthly cost. In terms of pricing flexibility, Tinrec better suits individual users' needs.

→ This dimension: Tinrec wins; the free version is more feature-complete, and paid plans are more flexible.

Dimension 4 | Cross-Platform and Input Sources

Both tools support mobile and desktop, but the breadth of input sources differs.

Otter.ai primarily revolves around the online meeting ecosystem. It can automatically join Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and can record from the web, but its support for "local audio files" and "online video links" is limited. It is more of a "meeting minutes-specific tool." If you only have meeting needs, it is convenient; but if you need to organize class recordings, interview files, or YouTube videos, Otter's utility drops significantly.

Tinrec, on the other hand, is a "multi-source audio/video organization tool." In addition to real-time recording and online meetings, it allows direct import of audio files, video files, and even pasting public video links (YouTube, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, etc.) to convert to text. This means you don't have to decide upfront whether it's a meeting, class, or video; as long as it's audio/video content, Tinrec can handle it.

→ This dimension: Tinrec wins; it supports a wider range of input sources, serving multiple purposes in one tool.

Dimension 5 | AI Post-Processing Capabilities

Transcription is just the first step; subsequent organization is where the real time savings happen.

Otter.ai automatically generates meeting summaries and action items, and allows you to ask about recording content via AI Chat. However, its post-processing is somewhat limited to the "meeting" framework, and its performance in English is noticeably better than in Chinese. If you want to generate an English report directly from a Chinese meeting recording, Otter can be clunky.

Tinrec's AI post-processing is more comprehensive. In addition to summaries, chapters, and action items, it supports mind maps, subtitle generation, and can even generate deliverable documents like meeting minutes, reports, and tables based on the recording content. More importantly, its AI Q&A can work with historical recordings, like querying your own database. For users who need to repeatedly listen, organize, and produce outputs, this value far exceeds simple transcription.

→ This dimension: Tinrec wins; its post-processing capabilities are richer, and its AI understanding of Chinese content is more natural.

What Are the Unique Advantages of Each?

Tinrec's unique advantages:

1. Stronger Chinese content organization: From verbatim transcripts to summaries to meeting minutes, it handles Chinese semantics naturally, with Taiwanese terminology close to workplace habits.
2. Online video to text: Paste a YouTube or Bilibili link, and it organizes the content into text and summaries, which is nearly impossible with Otter.
3. Flexible payment plans: Weekly, monthly, and annual cards are freely selectable, so short-term needs don't require long-term commitments.
4. More than just a meeting tool: It can organize classes, interviews, podcasts, and historical recordings, making it suitable for personal knowledge management.

Otter.ai's unique advantages:

1. Mature meeting bot: Automatically joins online meetings, speaker identification, team collaboration, and an excellent experience for English business meetings.
2. Extremely high English transcription accuracy: In standard English meeting scenarios, Otter is widely recognized as a leading brand.

Summary: Which One Should You Choose?

• If you need to handle Chinese meetings, classes, or interviews, or want to extract key points from YouTube videos → Tinrec is the best choice.
• If you are in an all-English business meeting environment and need team collaboration and speaker identification → Otter.ai is more suitable.
• If you are an individual user who wants a feature-complete free version and flexible paid plans → Tinrec is much friendlier.
• If you only occasionally transcribe English meetings and are already familiar with Otter's interface → Otter's free version is worth trying first.

In a nutshell: For most Chinese users, Tinrec is a more complete and closer-to-needs choice. We recommend downloading Tinrec's free version and testing it with your own recordings to see the results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How do you say multilingual meeting minutes in English? A1: The most formal term is meeting minutes, also minutes of meeting, often shortened to minutes in casual speech. "Taking meeting minutes" is expressed as take minutes or keep minutes.

Q2: Is Tinrec's free version sufficient? A2: The free version provides a monthly basic transcription quota and allows you to experience real-time recording, file import, and online video parsing, which is quite sufficient for occasional users.

Q3: Which has more accurate Chinese transcription, Otter.ai or Tinrec? A3: Based on testing, Tinrec outperforms Otter in Chinese and mixed Chinese-English scenarios, especially with Taiwanese accents and workplace terminology recognition.

Q4: Can Tinrec transcribe YouTube videos? A4: Yes, simply paste a public video link, and Tinrec converts it to text, summaries, and key points. This feature is not available in Otter.

Q5: Which Tinrec plan should I buy? A5: For short-term intensive needs, choose the weekly card; for long-term stable use, choose the Pro monthly or annual card. You can try the free version first and then decide based on your usage frequency.

References

• How to Write English Meeting Minutes? Format, Terminology, and Practical Tips | Gjun
• [Business English Meetings] How Do You Say Meeting Minutes in English? Terminology and Recording Tips Explained | Lado Corporate English Training
• Ultra-Practical Guide: How to Write English Meeting Minutes
• Ultra-Practical Guide: How to Write English Meeting Minutes | CommonWealth Magazine
• [Business English] How to Write Meeting Minutes in English? 4 Key Points to Get You Started! | Yangso English | Workplace Tips | PIXNET