# Punctuation and casing

**The problem.** Raw speech recognition gives a flat stream of words: "hello id like to change my address is that
possible". Punctuation and casing turn it into sentences people can read, and that downstream tools (summaries,
search, LLMs) understand better.

**Where it works.** Every model, every language. **On by default**: nothing to do.

> **Use the SDK.** The Gladia SDKs stream the audio, keep it until the API has transcribed it, and reconnect after a network drop
without losing a word. Most integration issues come from hand-written WebSocket clients: start from the SDK
examples below.

```json
{ "text": "Hello, I'd like to change my address. Is that possible?" }
```

## Turning it off

To feed your own text processing with the words only, set `punctuation: false`.

**Python SDK**

```python title="no_punctuation.py"
# pip install gladiaio-sdk requests
import os
import sys
import threading
import wave

import requests
from gladiaio_sdk import GladiaClient, LiveV2ConnectSessionOptions

API_URL = os.environ.get("GLADIA_API_URL", "https://eu1.api.gladia.io")
API_KEY = os.environ["GLADIA_API_KEY"]

with wave.open(sys.argv[1]) as wav:  # a 16-bit PCM WAV file
    rate, channels = wav.getframerate(), wav.getnchannels()
    audio = wav.readframes(wav.getnframes())

config = {
    "encoding": "wav/pcm",
    "sample_rate": rate,
    "bit_depth": 16,
    "channels": channels,
    "model": "trantoria-1",
    "language_config": {
        "languages": [
            "en"
        ]
    },
    "punctuation": False
}

client = GladiaClient(api_key=API_KEY, api_url=API_URL)
# `punctuation` is a Gladia Enterprise option the Python SDK does not send yet
# (gladiaio/sdk#61): create the session over HTTP, then let the SDK stream it.
created = requests.post(f"{API_URL}/v2/live", headers={"x-gladia-key": API_KEY}, json=config, timeout=10)
created.raise_for_status()
info = created.json()
session = client.live_v2().connect_session(LiveV2ConnectSessionOptions(id=info["id"], url=info["url"]))
ended, errors = threading.Event(), []

@session.on("message")
def on_message(message):
    if message.type == "transcript" and message.data.is_final:
        print(message.data.utterance.text)

session.on("error", errors.append)
session.once("ended", lambda _: ended.set())

step = rate * channels * 2 // 10  # 100 ms of audio per chunk
for start in range(0, len(audio), step):
    session.send_audio(audio[start : start + step])  # live audio: send each chunk as it is captured
session.stop_recording()

ended.wait(timeout=60)
sys.exit(1 if errors or not ended.is_set() else 0)
```

**JavaScript SDK**

```js title="no_punctuation.mjs"
// npm install @gladiaio/sdk
import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
import { GladiaClient } from "@gladiaio/sdk";

const { sampleRate, channels, pcm } = readWav(process.argv[2]); // a 16-bit PCM WAV file

const config = {
  encoding: "wav/pcm",
  sample_rate: sampleRate,
  bit_depth: 16,
  channels,
  model: "trantoria-1",
  language_config: {
    languages: [
      "en"
    ]
  },
  punctuation: false
};

const client = new GladiaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.GLADIA_API_KEY,
  apiUrl: process.env.GLADIA_API_URL ?? "https://eu1.api.gladia.io",
});
// `punctuation` is a Gladia Enterprise option not in the SDK's types yet: the SDK sends it as is.
const session = client.liveV2().startSession(config);

session.on("message", (message) => {
  if (message.type === "transcript" && message.data.is_final) console.log(message.data.utterance.text);
});
session.on("error", (error) => {
  console.error(error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});
session.once("ended", () => process.exit());

const step = (sampleRate * channels * 2) / 10; // 100 ms of audio per chunk
for (let start = 0; start < pcm.length; start += step) {
  session.sendAudio(pcm.subarray(start, start + step)); // live audio: send each chunk as it is captured
}
session.stopRecording();

function readWav(path) {
  const file = readFileSync(path);
  let fmt, pcm;
  for (let pos = 12; pos < file.length; ) {
    const id = file.toString("ascii", pos, pos + 4);
    const size = file.readUInt32LE(pos + 4);
    if (id === "fmt ") fmt = { channels: file.readUInt16LE(pos + 10), sampleRate: file.readUInt32LE(pos + 12) };
    if (id === "data") pcm = file.subarray(pos + 8, pos + 8 + size);
    pos += 8 + size + (size % 2);
  }
  return { ...fmt, pcm };
}
```

**HTTP**

Create the session, then stream its audio to the returned `url` ([Live WebSocket](/api-reference/v2/live/websocket/)):

```bash
curl -X POST https://eu1.api.gladia.io/v2/live \
  -H "x-gladia-key: $GLADIA_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "encoding": "wav/pcm",
    "sample_rate": 16000,
    "bit_depth": 16,
    "channels": 1,
    "model": "trantoria-1",
    "language_config": {
      "languages": [
        "en"
      ]
    },
    "punctuation": false
  }'
```

## Limits and gotchas

- **Finals only.** Punctuation and casing are applied to final transcripts. Partials show the text as the model
  writes it: their punctuation may differ, then settle in the final. Compare finals with finals.
- **Off means off.** With `punctuation: false`, the casing goes too: do not expect sentences.
- **A Gladia Enterprise option.** Gladia's cloud API does not know `punctuation`: do not send it there.