A transcription service converts speech from either audio recording or video into a written / electronic text document. Because of the number of different transcription services, there is some misunderstanding. Some transcription services specialize in legal transcription or medical transcription while others may be more general services. Some transcribers will work on-site while others work virtually. Because of all these different services we thought it would be helpful for us to list the 7 biggest transcription myths about the industry.
All Transcription Services Are the Same
As mentioned above, this is far from the truth. Some companies will transcribe from tapes while others may only do digital files. Some services offer a translation service. You may find some will provide on-site transcription and others may work virtually through the internet.
Some companies offer quality control where a transcriber produces the work and others check the work. Some only invest in their transcribers to type and proofread their own work.
Transcribing Is Just Typing
To transcribe it goes beyond a keyboard skill and it also required language and listening skills. It is a must to have excellent knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You have to be able to decipher accents and hear carefully through background noise, and also fuzzy or crackling noises. You may also need to google unfamiliar names, and places, or technical and medical terms.
Transcription Services Are Cheap
There is a good reason this isn’t true. High-quality transcription services require employing high caliber transcribers, uploading to secure remote servers, taking precautions to ensure confidentiality and rapid turnaround. Some smaller companies do offer cheap transcription services but you risk both confidentiality and accuracy.
Quality Is Not Important
A transcript is only useful if it is of high quality. A transcript is an exact hard copy of the recording. If it isn’t an exact duplicate of the recording then it is essentially rendered useless. When you hear us speak of quality, this refers to the text being an exact duplicate of the audio that is transcribed.
Transcribing Is Easy
This type of work can often be difficult and stressful. It requires skills beyond simply typing that can only truly be learned through practice and practice. It is very taxing on the ears and your brain. Meticulous attention to detail is also required.
Voice Recognition Software As Good As Human Transcription
As of right now, voice recognition software only records what it hears. If a word is pronounced wrong or if the individual speaking has a heavy accent then the software won’t be able to transcribe it correctly. The software can’t google to find the correct spelling of places, companies, or people. It can only transcribe what it thinks it hears.
Transcription Is Specialized
Transcription is not just something that is required for the medical or legal fields. Any business that records a discussion or interview or perhaps a meeting would utilize this service. Universities that conduct academic research or journalists that refer to interviews to write their articles and production companies that need to edit scripts, all use a transcription service. It is also used in market research where companies investigate people through interviews and focus groups. Conference calls can be transcribed so everyone attending has the notes to refer to.
