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

# Code switching

> Transcribe conversations that mix multiple languages in real time or pre-recorded

Code switching handles conversations where speakers switch languages mid-utterance or across turns. Gladia can detect and transcribe the active language dynamically, and annotate results with the detected languages code.

<Note>
  For best accuracy and latency, provide a small set of expected languages.
  Avoid listing dozens of similar languages.
</Note>

## How to use code switching ?

Enable code switching in the session configuration:

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "encoding": "wav/pcm",
  "sample_rate": 16000,
  "bit_depth": 16,
  "channels": 1,
  "language_config": {
    "languages": ["en", "de", "fr"],
    "code_switching": true
  }
}
```

When enabled, transcript messages include the detected `language` per utterance and per word. Use the [`transcript` message](/api-reference/v2/live/message/transcript) schema for details.

<Warning>
  **Do not enable `code_switching` with an empty `languages` list.** When no
  languages are specified, the language detector evaluates every utterance
  against 100+ supported languages, leading to frequent misdetections -
  especially between similar-sounding languages.
</Warning>

## Recommendations

* Limit the number of languages to those you expect.
* Combine with [custom vocabulary](/chapters/pre-recorded-stt/features/custom-vocabulary) per language for domain terms.