Why Use Video (Audio) Transcription To Grow Your Business (Case Study)

Language services come in two major components, translation and interpreting. Each one has several sub-branches, specific services to cater to different topics. One sub-branch under translation is transcription, which is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States.
Transcription converts audio files into text. Audio files can be in MP3 or WAV formats while video file formats vary, from AVI, MP4, FLV, MOV or WMV. Transcriptions serve many purposes, from medical to legal or business. It can be used as evidence in a case trial or as a reference for voice recordings and translation.
In transcription work, the ideal scenario is to have recordings where the audio is clear and audible and in the same language, even if there are multiple people in the recording. But that is not always the case. There will always be instances when the recordings are complicated.
The actual transcription process is already difficult, but the level of difficulty rises higher when several languages are heard in one recording and people are speaking in a hurried and tense manner.
Complications in transcription
A good transcriptionist is trained to expect complexities in transcription work. In transcription, timestamps are required to show the exact time when something is spoken. Not only the words spoken by the main speakers are transcribed. Almost everything within the recording is transcribed, including background noise, coughing, laughter, and other things that are heard or spoken in the background.
Transcription covers every element that is captured in the recording, including the elements that make transcription difficult.
Background noise includes strong wind, other people screaming or talking, sirens, or various traffic sounds. These are some elements that can compete with the voices of the main speakers that can make it harder for the transcription work to proceed faster. In most cases, the transcriptionist marks the audio parts with audible or inaudible if it is no longer possible to understand what is being said.
Speakers using other languages also make transcription difficult. In a report or interview, for example, one language can be used by one person while another could be speaking in a different language and a translator is needed. If this is the case, different persons may be needed to transcribe the recording.
Slang or strong accent is another element that complicates the transcribing process. Even if only one language is used, the accent of the speaker or the slang of the speaker can pose a challenge to the transcriptionist. It would be ideal if the speaker or speakers have a neutral vocabulary and accent.
The volume and speed of the conversation also affect the process of transcription. Since the transcriptionist has to type the transcription, the faster the speaker speaks, the slower the transcription becomes since the transcriptionist has to rewind the recording several times to pick up all the audio. Even if the transcriber is a quick typist, it will take time to understand what’s being said and translate it into text. The volume of the speaker’s voice is also important. If it is very low and quiet, it could be hard to understand or pick up what is being said.
Role of the transcriber
In the early days of transcription service, the transcriber had to use shorthand to write everything that is heard in the recording, before cleaning it up and type it. Today, transcribers use computers, foot pedals, and professional transcribing applications.
The audio or video file can be sent online through email or other file sharing applications. These make it easier for transcriptionists to download the file, load it into the professional software, and start typing the transcription.
The transcriber will add the proper punctuation marks, new paragraphs, and full stops.
A professional transcriber who uses touch-typing normally types about 75 words in one minute. Taking this as the basis, the industry standard to transcribe a 60-minute recorded video or audio is about 4 to 5 hours (minimum) of transcription work. Several factors may affect the speed of the transcription such as the speed of the conversation, the number of persons speaking in the recording, and its clarity, including the clarity of the speaking voice of the speakers.
All the mentioned variables add time to the transcribing work. The client must understand that a professional transcriptionist cannot type at the normal typing speed because of the need to capture all the audible sounds in the audio or video file. On average, a speaker will speak at a speed that is four to five times faster than the typing speed of a transcriber.
Written By:
Everline Moragwa Achira
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