How to Change the Dictation Language on Mac
To change what language your Mac listens for, open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation and edit Languages. Add the languages and regions you use. If you add more than one, you can pick the active language while dictating using the language label near the cursor. Apple's guide also describes using the Globe key when your keyboard has one. Apple's guide to dictating in another language
Add a language and switch in the middle of a draft
- In Keyboard → Dictation, turn Dictation on and select Edit next to Languages. Choose the language and region you want. Keep your first language selected if you plan to switch back.
- Open a blank TextEdit document and place the insertion point on the first line. Start Dictation with the shortcut shown in Keyboard settings.
- Choose the first language from the label near the cursor, then dictate a complete sentence in that language.
- Choose the second language before speaking again. Start a new line and dictate a sentence in that language. This makes the switch easy to check in the resulting text.
Use sentences with clearly different vocabularies. For English and Spanish, try “The meeting starts at three” and “La reunión empieza a las tres.” Seeing both sentences in their respective languages confirms that you switched the recognizer. If you want to see the actual wording used for commands or punctuation in your language, Apple's reference lists the options. Apple's Dictation setup · Apple's Dictation commands
If the language keeps coming out wrong
| What you observe | Next check |
|---|---|
| Only one language appears while dictating | Return to Keyboard → Dictation → Languages and verify that both choices are enabled. |
| You changed the keyboard layout and speech still comes out in the first language | Select the language shown in the Dictation session. That is the control for this speech test. |
| You see no Dictation controls | Confirm Dictation is enabled and check whether you use Voice Control. Apple documents separate dictation controls when Voice Control is active. |
| The right language is selected but names are wrong | Try a short sentence with ordinary words. If ordinary words work, check or type the names separately. |
If one language fails only when you're offline, check the Dictation settings on that Mac to see how general text input is processed. Then try the same sentence in a local document using the language that worked online. Apple's troubleshooting guide
If you frequently mix languages within one sentence
Manual switching works well for separate blocks. For speech such as “请把 Roadmap 发给 Mia,” try a model that supports both languages and inspect what it does with the names and English words. In Voconly, you can select a local speech model and test the sentence as plain text before adding a rewrite step. Compare the output with the words you intended to keep. Voconly model selection · Mac voice input guide
Voconly · Try a local model for mixed-language dictation
Dictate a sentence with a name or a product term and check both languages before using the model in your real draft.