Top 5 Tips for a Great Transcription Service

 
Here at Transcription City, we have a team of transcriptionists, virtual assistants and online secretaries who are available everyday and work hard to ensure that your work is of a high standard and to your exact specifications. However, as the client, it is your responsibility to provide us with the source material; be that a recording for transcription, a hand written document for copy typing, information for spreadsheet creation or instructions for a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. With that in mind, here are our top 5 tips for getting the most from your transcription service.

Record a Clear Audio or Video File For Transcription

Unfortunately, bad quality recordings are pretty difficult to improve. Even with the best technology and editing software, bad quality recordings cannot be turned into good quality recordings. Bad audio recordings can take many additional hours to transcribe when compared with a good recording as the transcriptionist has to listen to the audio several times in order to pick up what is being said. The sound of low quality files will also require filtering and enhancing which adds to the cost of your transcript. Making a high quality recording is relatively simple and can be achieved with very little effort, it will also allow you to make significant savings when it comes to the cost of your transcription service and reduce the number of [unclear] or [inaudible] in your transcript.

Keep File Sizes as Small as Possible when Sending for Transcription

Even with the best Internet connection, sending large files can slow down the transcription process and are often not necessary. Generally speaking, audio files work best in mp3 or m4a formats, as these are compressed files, which maintain a good level of sound quality. If you are sending video files for transcription, it is not necessary to send high-resolution files (unless you require burnt in subtitling) or need the subtitles/captions transcribed.
If you require an urgent transcription service, sending large video or audio files can add hours to the transcription process, as upload and download times add to the turnaround times.

Provide as Much Information as Possible for your Transcripts

Even the most straightforward transcription is enhanced if the transcriptionist has additional information. Providing your transcription company with relevant information on your recordings (such as spellings of names, useful websites for research, technical terms, abbreviations, background information and company names) will all help to improve the accuracy of your final transcript. Our transcriptionists are seasoned investigators when it comes to research, but if a recording contains confidential information (such as a testing on a not yet released drug) then it can be near impossible to find the correct information needed for your transcript.
Having a clear idea of the subject matter also helps the transcriptionist do any research needed quickly and efficiently, which saves time and speeds up the production of your transcripts.

Know the Transcription Style you Require

If you are new to using transcription services, you may not be aware of the many different styles a transcript can take. Here is a quick breakdown of the most frequently used transcription styles.
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription: An intelligent verbatim style of transcript includes all dialogue word for word, but omits “um’s”, “you know’s”, repetitions, false starts and conversational fillers.
Verbatim Transcription: Verbatim style transcripts include every word and every utterance in the dialogue, including “um’s”, repetitions, conversational fillers and false starts.
Discourse Analysis: Discourse analysis is transcribed in a verbatim style but also includes additional information such as [high tone], [emphasis], [stuttering], [loudly] to add more description to the meaning of the words.
Edited Transcription: An edited or paraphrased transcript reads more like a film or television script. The dialogue is amended, tidied up and shortened to provide an articulate and easy to read, almost summarized version of the dialogue.
Time Coded Transcription: Time coded or time stamped transcription includes time stamps in the transcript so that you can reference exactly when a particular piece of dialogue was uttered. This is especially good for use with video transcription or for research purposes.

Transcription Templates

A transcription service can be used to produce a number of different documents; from a straightforward transcript, to a complex instruction manual, excel spreadsheet, carefully formatted manuscript, business letter, medical report or even a PowerPoint presentation. The only difference is the template we use! We have a catalogue of in-house transcript templates for you to choose from, but are also happy to work with you to design custom layouts to your specifications or to work with existing templates to provide a transcript that is tailor-made to your needs. If you are new to transcription or are not sure what would work for you, we are happy to provide a few options for you to try and can collaborate with you until you get exactly what you are looking for.
So there you have it, 5 Tips for a Great Transcription Service! If you would like to know more about our transcription company or would like a free, no obligation quote, why not contact us today? We are available 7 days a week and are always happy to help.