> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bird.com/api/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bird.com/api/voice-api/transcriptions-api.md).

# Transcriptions API

## Overview

A *transcription* is a textual representation of a Voice Call recording as text.\
\
Transcriptions API make possible to initiate and download a transcription of an existing recording using a REST API.

## API Access <a href="#api-access" id="api-access"></a>

The following API requests can only be made using a valid access key, and attached to an access role, with an access policy that at least specifies the permissions to the resources outlined in each section below. Learn more about [API access](https://docs.messagebird.com/api/api-access).