There are numerous benefits of transcribing your speech to text. Not everyone is a gifted orator, and when public speaking, various obstacles such as speed, pronunciation, and occasional technical difficulties can stand in the way of delivering an important message to your audience. Providing your listeners with a transcript means they won’t miss any crucial details or powerful statements in your speech or presentation. In this article, we will discuss a few different ways to convert your speech to text, so you can choose the best option for your project.

Transcribing Your Speech to Text with Self Transcription

Compared to other transcription methods, self transcription is free and relies on your own ability to transcribe speech to text. However, it is often a time-consuming, tedious task. Choosing this method is often dependent on the length of the speech and your own level of transcription skill. If you have the time and ability, you can sit down with the audio or video recording and start transcribing your speech to text. If you wrote notes or an outline in advance of your presentation, you may even have the beginning of a transcription on hand, which can save some time. However, for longer speeches, demanding deadlines, and an inflexible personal bandwidth, it may be more beneficial to hire a transcription service. This ensures you will have a complete, grammatically correct transcription of your presentation.

Automated Transcription

Another way to transcribe your speech to text is by using an automated transcription software or service. Unlike self transcription or a formal transcription service, automated transcription uses algorithms to convert your speech to text. This can be helpful for faster turnaround and transcribing your speech on the spot. However, these algorithms are not grammatically perfect and cannot always properly transcribe different pronunciations, speech difficulties, and accents. This is why automated transcription is better suited for personal notes or private use. The technology is often built right into your mobile device so you can send messages or emails on the go.

Using a Transcription Service

The final option for transcribing speech to text is hiring expert audio transcription services. This can often save you valuable time while offering a quality transcription of your speech. When hiring a reputable service, you are guaranteed to receive your speech transcribed by a skilled human rather than a computer algorithm. A human transcriptionist has the training and experience to recognize various speech disabilities, accents, or pronunciations to provide transcriptions that are accurate and reliable.

Additionally, a human transcriptionist can expedite requests to accommodate deadlines and can work with you on different options, depending on your budget. For instance, you may not need a verbatim transcription that includes pauses or restarts, or you may require timestamps. You can also provide the human transcriptionist with a glossary of industry-specific terms, speaker names, and other helpful information to make your transcription as complete and accurate as possible.

Here at Preferred Transcriptions, our transcriptionists are trained professionals and experts dedicated to converting your speech to text with the care and attention it deserves. We are proud to offer a 24-hour turnaround on most projects, as well as a convenient, secure, HIPAA-compliant, web-based platform.

If you are in need of transcription services, contact us today.