Give Words To Your Voice With Audio Transcription

Posted by mcgowantranscriptions on March 27th, 2014

Audio transcription is essentially the conversion of audio files into text data that can either be printed, stored, or presented in other electronic or digital manner. Transcription demands superior listening skills and technical knowledge making it a very expensive and often time-consuming task. Thanks to companies that specialise in these services, it is easier to convert important recordings into readable text format. These companies take away the burden of re-listening to legal depositions, interviews, lectures, talks, and other forms of spoken recordings in order to transform them to archive-able text. They will save you a great deal of time, which you can use for other aspects of your work, business, research, inquiries, and other important tasks.

There have been many types of audio to text conversion tools and programs that have been developed throughout the years, but none of them has come close to the accuracy of human ears when it comes to translating spoken conversations into written word. This is why many still prefer using professional transcription services over these kinds of software. Moreover, transcripts produced by these conversion tools require several verification stages to ensure accuracy, as opposed to traditional transcription, which offers greater accuracy even after the first listening. When looking for reliable audio transcribers, consider the following tips:

1. Choose professional transcribers that can work with most any types of audio files and formats to save you the trouble of converting and your files into suitable containers—a process that can potentially diminish the quality of your audio and interfere with accurate transcription.
2. Discuss with your transcriber how exactly you want your finished file to be presented—verbatim or with unnecessary parts (false starts, ums, and ahs) removed. Mention also what type of file you want the finished transcript to be in or if you have a certain template you want followed.
3. Don't forget to mention any challenges that the transcriber might encounter, like interviewees with heavy accents or certain discussions that contain a lot of technical vocabulary and jargon. When it comes to poor audio quality, any good transcription company can enhance audio quality, but only to some extent, and with some limitations.
4. Make sure to sign non-disclosure agreements, especially when dealing with highly confidential transcripts. It is also important to clear-up payment details, so you won't be surprised at the final amount, especially when you are having hours of audio files transcribed. Transcription isn't a cheap service, but for good reason.

About The Author:

This article is written by Joe McGowan, who is associated with McGowan Transcriptions. McGowan Transcriptions are the leaders in digital transcription services in the UK and are at the forefront of digital transcription technology.