> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guides.curiousmints.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AssemblyAI Transcription - Local File

> Transcribe Local Audio Files Using the AssemblyAI API

<Info>
  **Prerequisite** You should have an API key from AssemblyAI and have it stored in a .env file.
</Info>

## Introduction

This guide demonstrates how to transcribe a local audio file using the AssemblyAI API. You'll learn how to set up your environment, configure your API key, and transcribe an audio file stored on your local machine.

<Accordion title="Show me the code" icon="code">
  ```python assemblyai-local-transcription.py theme={null}
  import os
  from dotenv import load_dotenv
  import assemblyai as aai

  # Load environment variables from .env file
  load_dotenv()

  # Get AssemblyAI API key from environment variables
  aai.settings.api_key = os.getenv('ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY')

  # Initialize the transcriber
  transcriber = aai.Transcriber()

  # Define the local audio file path
  local_audio_file_path = "downloads/voice.m4a"  # Ensure this path is correct and the file exists

  # Set the transcription configuration
  config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(speaker_labels=True)

  try:
      # Transcribe the local audio file
      transcript = transcriber.transcribe(local_audio_file_path, config)

      # Print the transcription text and ID
      print(transcript.text)
      print(transcript.id)

      # Print the speaker labels and their corresponding text
      for utterance in transcript.utterances:
          print(f"Speaker {utterance.speaker}: {utterance.text}")

  except FileNotFoundError as e:
      print(f"File not found: {e.filename}")

  except Exception as e:
      print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")
  ```
</Accordion>

## Setup

### Step 1: Install Required Packages

First, install the necessary packages using pip:

```sh theme={null}
pip install python-dotenv assemblyai
```

### Step 2: Create a .env File

Create a `.env` file in the project root with your AssemblyAI API key:

```plaintext theme={null}
ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY=your_assemblyai_api_key
```

## Transcribing a Local Audio File

### Step 3: Create the Python Script

Create a Python script named `assemblyai-local-transcription.py` with the following content:

```python assemblyai-local-transcription.py theme={null}
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import assemblyai as aai

# Load environment variables from .env file
load_dotenv()

# Get AssemblyAI API key from environment variables
aai.settings.api_key = os.getenv('ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY')

# Initialize the transcriber
transcriber = aai.Transcriber()

# Define the local audio file path
local_audio_file_path = "downloads/voice.m4a"  # Ensure this path is correct and the file exists

# Set the transcription configuration
config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(speaker_labels=True)

try:
    # Transcribe the local audio file
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe(local_audio_file_path, config)

    # Print the transcription text and ID
    print(transcript.text)
    print(transcript.id)

    # Print the speaker labels and their corresponding text
    for utterance in transcript.utterances:
        print(f"Speaker {utterance.speaker}: {utterance.text}")

except FileNotFoundError as e:
    print(f"File not found: {e.filename}")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {str(e)}")
```

### Step 4: Run the Script

Ensure you have the `.env` file in the same directory as the script. Then, execute the script:

```sh theme={null}
python assemblyai-local-transcription.py
```

## Conclusion

You have successfully transcribed a local audio file using the AssemblyAI API! This guide provided a basic example to get you started. You can now expand on this by customizing the transcription configuration and handling different audio files stored locally.