Tips On Effective Professional Transcribing

By Catherine Hill


Transcription is the process of converting an audio file into a text document. It entails the painstaking listening of audio files and later putting the content in written form. The audio may be a conversion by many people or a dialogue between two people. In order to produce a document with the exact information in the audio, it demands that the transcriber be attentive. Professional transcribing ensures that expectations of the clients on quality are delivered. Quality of transcription is pegged on the accuracy and timeliness of submission to the client.

In this age of computerization, transcription can be executed by computer programs effectively. But this has been disapproved by a standard transcription process which goes beyond a mere audio conversion to addressing all concerns for clients. Technological tools such as word processors express scribe just facilitate the transcription process that is handled by a transcriber. These tools help in the management of transcription documents.

Every profession is guided by standards so that efficiency and quality are not compromised. Despite these attempts, there has been several cases of flouting basic rules of standard transcription. This has been evidenced by an upsurge of complaints by clients. This is a wake up call to the transcribing fraternity to initiate and implement mitigation measures. By doing this the repute of this profession will be improved.

Many people have been misled to believe that transcription is a labor extensive task reserved for clerical workers. This misconception emanated from the notion that typing skills are only required to perform this role. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Expert transcribing transcends beyond typing to addressing pertinent issues of quality. It is geared towards fixing suicidal mishaps like grammatical errors, punctuation errors, sentence construction and poor voice recognition. If these problems are not checked they can technically alter the original information.

The high demand for adept transcriber has turned transcription into a highly coveted career. It has beckoned several people who have ventured in order to make ends meet. This demand has fuelled the associated rates. These rates range between $ 0.8 - 1.25 for every audio minute. Some clients can surpass these standardized rates for quite appealing work.

Professionalism dictates that commitment and confidentiality is the only secret to the reputation of an expert. They should then prioritize in all of their engagement. Professional transcription also ensures that every aspect concerning a client is only revealed to other third parties with their authority. Commitment on the other flank makes sure that clients demands are satisfied appropriately thus appeasing them. This makes them brand ambassadors thus provide endorsement to certain transcribers.

Giving a transcription document a professional outlook is an easy way to impress clients. This improves the public image of a transcribing company. Professional transcription, therefore, outlines the ways of achieving this desired outlook. These include giving transcription a sensible title and file name and using a readable font.

Time-stamps are one of the unique features in the transcription process. Marking the correct time interval ensures that fluency is enhanced while maintaining the actual information for an audio. In a noisy background where many people are talking transcription should be broken into paragraphs at natural breaks. Expert transcribing sets a standard time interval of five to ten minutes before another line.




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