Quick rule
- Want text in the same language? Transcribe only
- Need a translated output to share/publish? Transcribe + translate
Mixed-language recordings
If your file contains Arabic + English (or multiple languages), use auto-detect / multi-language to avoid forcing the wrong language.
When “translate only” makes sense
If you already have a written transcript and just want it in another language, translation-only is faster and cheaper than reprocessing audio.
Summary
Pick the output you need first (same-language text vs translated text), then choose language settings accordingly for accuracy.