I want use this post to explain how I do my transcriptions at www.outsourcetranscriptionservices.com and why the way I do them allows me to stand out from the crowd of other transcription services. There is nothing wrong with simply transcribing what you hear. Rule number one is to type what you hear and although that is satisfactory for most people, there is still that extra touch that is often left out.
I truly focus on becoming a trusted resource for all my clients by providing intelligent, edited, and researched transcripts, and by "learning" my client’s business to provide the best possible product. How do I do this? Because most of my clients are long-term and repeat clients, I am able to learn the industry specific terminology for their fields. I take the time to Google unfamiliar terminology and I am able to draw on that knowledge base for not only one client, but for others whose fields may overlap. This saves my clients from wasting both time and money on unnecessary editing. With each successive transcript, there are fewer “new” words, thus fewer edits on the client end.
There are several ways to deliver audio and/or video to me for transcription. You can use email, FTP, URL index page, or a file sharing service. I have a drop box for ease of delivery, which is free for clients to upload to: http://dropbox.yousendit.com/tamarabentzur5612437.
I am comfortable transcribing both audio and video. I use Express Scribe for the majority of my audios, which are usually transcribed into Microsoft Word format, but I use Inqscribe for my videos or for transcripts that will be exported into plain text or HTML format.
My transcription experience includes working with multiple experts and authorities in the fields of:
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- Entertainment, Infomercials, and scripts (including burned in time stamp requirements)
- Marketing, Marie Forleo, Marcia Hoeck
- SEO or Search Engine Optimization, SEO Mentor
- IT, Peepcode, Alt.NET
- Emerging Communications, one of the most exciting is eComm USA as well as eComm Europe, Ideas Project.com
- Social Media, thought leaders in this area, including Social Media Club
- Doctoral Thesis
- University Lectures, Prof. Andreas Weigend
- Podcasts, Mommymuse, Stories of Survival
- Webinars, Walking on Water.org
- Case Studies, ACT Venture Partners
- Author Book Notes
Although I do transcribe verbatim when requested, most of my clients prefer that I clean up their dialog, removing false starts and removing ums and ahs, to make the conversation flow more smoothly, which ensures better readability. I strive to keep the speaker’s “voice” so it sounds correct but without sounding sterile. Each speaker has their own style, their own special phrases, all of which make each speaker’s “voice” unique and “them”. This is oftentimes difficult for foreign transcription services, whose employees may not have English as their mother tongue.
Upon request, I will format dialog using headings/subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, or periodic time stamps.
My clients can rest assured that they will receive accurate transcripts because accents are never a problem. I have a great ear and have worked with English accents including:
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- Canadian
- British
- Scottish
- Australian
- South African
- Latin American
- French
- Japanese
If there ever is uncertainty about what is said, due to audio quality, or accent, I time stamp that area in red to make it easier for my client to find and correct.
You may find transcriptions that are cheaper, but when you want high quality, great efficiency, and the comfort of building a relationship you can trust, you’ll never find better. My clients are never just a number to me. They know that even if my schedule is a bit full when they contact me, because we have built a trusted relationship, I will do my upmost to work them in to get their project back to them when they need it, if not beforehand.
Outsourcing transcription services is a rapidly growing field. There is always the option to farm out the work to the cheapest service provider you can find. I am not one of those providers. I pride myself in my professionalism, my enthusiasm, my competence, but most importantly in my ability to become a long-term part of your team. I believe that having someone you can count on, especially in a pinch, is often worth its weight in gold.