What is Transcription?

Annalisa — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:51:17 +0000

I am often asked the question “What is Transcription?” when chatting to people about what I do and am often quite surprised when people don’t know. Put quite simply, transcription is the conversion of speech-to-text from video or more commonly digital audio recordings.

However there are a lot of steps to go through to transform a digital audio file into a useable text document – and there are many reasons in business for needing an accurate record of events.

Our clients upload their digital audio files via our secure online server, which generates an email alert to all staff in our office to advise that the file upload has been completed. We load the digital audio into one of our transcription software packages, we use a combination of Express Scribe and the Olympus DSS Player Pro transcription module (so we can transcribe the new .ds2 DSS Pro audio). This software lets our solipsists control the audio playback speed and volume using a USB connect foot control or pedal while listening to the audio.

Once we have checked the audio length and quality we assign the audio to one of our transcriptionists along with an individual client example and reference document. We have specific notes for each client indicating what fonts are preferred, whether or not to type verbatim, what format the client prefers time stamps and if required the clients letterhead. Using their transcription software the typist will transcribe into a Word document using a USB foot control and headphones. Each Word document is proofread and quality checked by a second person, we call this the second set of eyes and ensures that the quality and accuracy of the document is as high as can be. The completed document is emailed back to the client or for highly secure transcripts the completed document can be downloaded from our secure server.

Transcription can be used for business in a number of ways, such as documenting meetings or notes, keeping a record of an annual general meeting (AGM) or for any type of correspondence. Here are some examples:

Financial Transcription – typically financial results recorded live or via webcast.
Legal Transcription – this type of transcription can include hearings, correspondence or records of meetings such as arbitration, court cases and legal notes.
Medical Transcription – for keeping records of patient progress, referrals, letters, insurance cases or summaries.
Market research or focus groups – documenting what the group of people has said when reviewing products or services.
Podcast – many podcasters include downloadable transcripts on their websites.
General – other types of transcription include interviews, scripts, speeches, presentations, manuscripts and research.

Transcription is a very specialised field and for those who are not trained, transcribing an audio file into text can be very time-consuming and often frustrating. It involves the ability to work to tight deadlines, maintain confidentiality as well as the necessary transcription skills.

Previously, a business many have employed an assistant in-house to transcribe company documents, but with corporate cutbacks many of these roles have been absorbed into others and transcription is often now handled by an external company. Time is a valuable resource for business owners, so many outsource transcription to ensure they have more time to concentrate on their core business activities and increase their productivity.

Take a letter Miss Jones

Annalisa — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:41:35 +0000

Running, no sprinting into the 21st Century the team at The Transcription People are starting to become more and more active in social media in Australia and Worldwide so now it is time for our blog to be born.

The role of your stereotypical typist has changed greatly over the last ten years. We no longer use dictaphone tapes, audio files are now now digital and shared across the internet. We don’t wear large headphones on our ears straining to hear the the audio we have to type above the noise of a mechanical typewriter, these have been replaced by iPod earbuds and the gentle click of nails on the keyboard. We don’t even work in your office, your state or in some cases your country.

Transcription Typist

In our blog we will bring you information from the life and times of an outsource transcription business. What to expect? Plenty of advice on transcription, dictation, digital voice recorders and voice recognition software. Amusing experiences with our clients, small business advice and generally anything we think is mildly entertaining to us we will pass on.

Annalisa
Principal of The Transcription People

The Transcription People - Digital Dictation & Transcription Blog » Typist

What is Transcription?

Take a letter Miss Jones