diff --git a/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble.go b/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble.go
index 262e5fd..27387be 100644
--- a/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble.go
+++ b/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble.go
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ func (e *Ensemble) Plan() []progress.Planned {
 // progress.Reporter in ctx (a no-op when nobody listens).
 func (e *Ensemble) Transcribe(ctx context.Context, wavPath string) (domain.Transcription, error) {
 	rep := progress.From(ctx)
+	if domain.LanguageFrom(ctx) != domain.LangSwedish {
+		return e.transcribeOther(ctx, rep, wavPath)
+	}
 	b, berr := e.run(ctx, rep, "engine_a", e.base, wavPath)
 	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
 		return domain.Transcription{}, err
@@ -89,6 +92,28 @@ func (e *Ensemble) Transcribe(ctx context.Context, wavPath string) (domain.Trans
 	return e.single(f, e.fallback.Name(), "both local engines failed"), nil
 }
 
+// transcribeOther handles a recording that is not Swedish (tapir#61). The base engine is
+// Swedish-only, so it never receives the audio, and with one reading there is nothing to
+// reconcile: the other engine transcribes alone, then the cloud fallback if it fails and the
+// job is still live. The phases that did not run are shown as skipped by the tracker.
+func (e *Ensemble) transcribeOther(ctx context.Context, rep progress.Reporter, wavPath string) (domain.Transcription, error) {
+	t, err := e.run(ctx, rep, "engine_b", e.alt, wavPath)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Endpoint = e.alt.Name()
+		return t, nil
+	}
+	if e.fallback == nil || ctx.Err() != nil {
+		return domain.Transcription{}, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", e.alt.Name(), err)
+	}
+	f, ferr := e.run(ctx, rep, "fallback", e.fallback, wavPath)
+	if ferr != nil {
+		return domain.Transcription{}, errors.Join(
+			fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", e.alt.Name(), err), fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", e.fallback.Name(), ferr))
+	}
+	f.Endpoint = e.fallback.Name()
+	return f, nil
+}
+
 // run is one engine call, reported as a phase. A job that was stopped is not a broken
 // engine, so a cancelled context is never reported as a failed phase.
 func (e *Ensemble) run(ctx context.Context, rep progress.Reporter, key string, be Backend, wav string) (domain.Transcription, error) {
diff --git a/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble_test.go b/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble_test.go
index f9feca4..a4dab38 100644
--- a/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble_test.go
+++ b/internal/adapters/transcribe/ensemble_test.go
@@ -204,3 +204,52 @@ func TestEnsemble_AShutdownDuringTheSecondEngineIsAnErrorNotASingleEngineSuccess
 	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, context.Canceled, "a cancelled job must not be recorded as 'kb-whisper failed'")
 	assert.Empty(t, got.Text)
 }
+
+// The base engine is Swedish-only. A recording that is not Swedish must never reach it, and
+// there is no second opinion to reconcile: the other engine transcribes alone (tapir#61).
+
+func autoCtx() context.Context { return domain.WithLanguage(context.Background(), domain.LangAuto) }
+
+func TestEnsemble_AnAutoLanguageUploadNeverReachesTheBaseEngineAndIsNotReconciled(t *testing.T) {
+	adj := &verdictAdj{v: reconcile.VerdictAlt}
+	r := newEnsemble("base text", "alt text", nil, nil, true, adj)
+
+	got, err := r.e.Transcribe(autoCtx(), "/a.wav")
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"iguana/kb-whisper"}, *r.calls, "only the other engine is called")
+	assert.Zero(t, adj.calls, "nothing is adjudicated")
+	assert.Equal(t, "alt text", got.Text)
+	assert.Equal(t, "iguana/kb-whisper", got.Endpoint)
+	assert.Nil(t, got.Reconciliation, "reconciliation does not apply, so none is recorded")
+}
+
+func TestEnsemble_AnAutoLanguageUploadFallsBackWhenItsEngineFailsAndStillSkipsTheBaseEngine(t *testing.T) {
+	r := newEnsemble("base text", "alt text", nil, errors.New("engine down"), true, &verdictAdj{})
+
+	got, err := r.e.Transcribe(autoCtx(), "/a.wav")
+
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"iguana/kb-whisper", "berget/kb-whisper"}, *r.calls)
+	assert.Equal(t, "berget/kb-whisper", got.Endpoint)
+}
+
+func TestEnsemble_AnAutoLanguageUploadWithNoFallbackFailsWithoutTouchingTheBaseEngine(t *testing.T) {
+	r := newEnsemble("base text", "alt text", nil, errors.New("engine down"), false, &verdictAdj{})
+
+	_, err := r.e.Transcribe(autoCtx(), "/a.wav")
+
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, []string{"iguana/kb-whisper"}, *r.calls)
+}
+
+func TestEnsemble_ACancelledAutoLanguageJobDoesNotReachTheFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	r := newEnsemble("base text", "alt text", nil, errors.New("engine down"), true, &verdictAdj{})
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(autoCtx())
+	cancel()
+
+	_, err := r.e.Transcribe(ctx, "/a.wav")
+
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.NotContains(t, *r.calls, "berget/kb-whisper", "a stopped job must not ship its audio to a cloud endpoint")
+}