Audio transcription is the process of translating audio recording materials into text documents. Companies in the marketing, legal, and education fields utilize professional transcriptionists to improve the efficiency of their businesses and enhance their workflows. Audio transcription services generate significant cost reductions for businesses and ensure that interviews, focus groups, and legal proceedings are transcribed quickly and accurately. Here we’ll detail the audio transcription process and explore how your business can benefit from hiring a transcriptionist.

Recording Best Practices

Before you begin the audio transcription process, you’ll want to follow these best practices to ensure you put together a clear recording. It is recommended that you avoid recording in environments with an abundance of background noise, as this will impact the quality of your audio file. In-person interviews are typically recommended over using phone speakers whenever possible. If you are going to record multiple speakers, you should try and center the phone, microphone, or recording device so that all voices can be heard clearly.

The Manual Audio Transcription Process

After receiving the file, the transcriptionist begins the process of transcribing the audio recording into an accurate and carefully organized document. They listen to audio files using a headset, and carefully dictate the contents of the recording into text. One of the benefits of employing a trained professional is the industry experience they bring to the table. A transcriptionist has advanced knowledge of industry terms, which allows them to avoid misunderstandings when transcribing interviews containing industry jargon or abbreviations. Audio transcriptionists also have extensive training in navigating files with sound quality issues, which is a great benefit for clients who would otherwise have to spend valuable work hours transcribing their recordings internally.

Audio Transcription Speed

Transcribing audio can be extremely time-consuming if you lack training in the industry. On average, people speak four to five times faster than a person can physically type, which means the transcriptionist will need to carefully playback the recording to eliminate possible errors. Each hour of recorded audio can take up to four hours to transcribe and organize. Our experienced, professional transcriptionists allow Preferred Transcriptions to guarantee 24-hour turnaround time for most client projects.

Automated Audio Transcription

Companies can also employ the use of automated software to transcribe their audio files. This can be a more affordable option, but it also produces a document that is less accurate and requires you to manually organize the contents. If you do intend to use this software to complete your transcription, you’ll want to make sure that your recording is extremely clear, since automated software doesn’t have the ability to overcome issues related to sound quality.