Transcription - The Nuts And Bolts - What It Is, What It Is Not
Aside from the medical definition, transcription is the act or process of transcribing or putting what is spoken into writing. One of the most famous writers who took advantage of dictating and getting his work transcribed is Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of the Perry Mason series. He kept a staff of several secretaries busy typing his dictation.
Why use transcription? If you are creating any written or information documents, the fastest, easiest way to get it done is to record it and get it transcribed.
Modern day transcription is taking information from an audio, an MP3 or other type of audio, and typing it or putting it into words onto a piece of paper so that you can read it. The audio can usually be transmitted through the Internet to the transcriptionist, who has special transcription software allowing her or him to control the audio with a foot pedal. (The controls can also be done with the keyboard, but the foot pedal is more efficient.)
This foot pedal allows the transcriptionist to start or stop the audio, reverse, go forward, re-listen, slow down or speed up the transmission.
Being a transcriptionist requires some special skills. They must not only be able to type fast, they must have good eye, ear, foot coordination because all of these things are required in the operation of the pedal and typing.
They also have to be a good listener, and have a good vocabulary and grammatical skills because they have to be able to include punctuation, spell words correctly and ascertain the differences between homophones, i.e., there, their, they're, for example, all while typing as fast as they can.
Many times people using a transcription service confuse what they will receive with edited material. Strictly speaking, a transcription is a word-for-word, verbatim interpretation of your audio recording, or of what you said, which includes all of your ums, ahs, stutterings, false sentence starts.
This is one of the things you should discuss with your transcription service. Most transcription services can provide you with limited editing, or what is called "intelligent editing," eliminating the ums and ahs, taking out repeated words (such as okay, you know, right, etc.), and help with run-on sentences and long paragraphs. There may be some adjustment in cost for doing this, however. Check with your service.
The biggest disappointment may be that the client expects an "edited" finished product. In most cases, this can be accomplished if it is discussed beforehand. Again, there could be cost adjustments. Also, be aware that there is a difference between "intelligent editing," "edited copy," and "copy editing." Copy editing is a different skill set and is completely different from transcription. I have heard copy editors say they would rather die than transcribe something.
If a really clean audio is not provided, there will almost certainly be words that either can't be understood or will be misunderstood (and sometimes this can be pretty funny). If it is a really bad audio, additional costs can also be incurred.
I cringe and I feel sorry for the situation where somebody records something, even a nice presentation they've given, then they give the audio to a spouse, close friend, or even a teenage neighbor and say, "Here transcribe this for me."
Most of the time these pseudo transcriptionists are not experienced at coordinating all of the different functions as mentioned above, and they usually will not have the correct equipment There is nothing worse than listening to a recorder and trying to type what is being said, manually stopping the recorder every few seconds, going back a little bit, typing what was said. You may very well lose a friend or a loved one.
Instead, find a skilled transcriptionist. The best way to find a skilled transcriptionist is to ask for a referral from someone who has used one, or to go to the Internet.
If you don't know anyone who can recommend a transcriptionist for you, here are three questions you should ask before entrusting your valued audio to a stranger.
1. Do you use experienced operators?
2. What is your turnaround time?
3. How do you charge, and how do you expect payment?
I would also feel more comfortable with getting a "live" person on the phone rather than always using the Internet or voice mail. There are other factors you should be aware of to ask a transcriptionist, too numerous to mention in this short article, but using these simple tips, and with a little practice in dictating, you should be able to increase your production in no time.
Using my special record and transcribe method can save you countless hours of typing.
