Ironically, correctly transcribing speech is not as easy as it sounds. Provided your audio is of a decent quality, it still requires patience, focus, rapid typing skills and an ability to pick out relevant information from long batches of text.
Audio transcription, that is the conversion of spoken word into a written format, is used by a multitude of industries, from media and legal careers, to education and the entertainment sector.
With consumerism on the rise and a growing mentality of more is more, many careers today require the fast turnover of information, making speedy and accurate transcription a valuable skill in today's working landscape.
When we think of transcription tips and tricks it is likely the majority of us will immediately envision a host of independent AI-powered tools and while they are incredibly useful there is significantly more to consider if you want to improve how you engage with transcription.
You get what you pay for
The obvious place to start when discussing transcription is of course the vast array of services available online. Depending on the provider you select, online transcription platforms can be relatively inexpensive, often free, quick and convenient.
However, just because a product is widely used does not mean that you shouldn't give your decision some careful consideration, particularly in relation to long-term usability. For example, many of the popular transcription tools such as Otter are only free to a certain point, requiring payment for more advanced, often essential features.
If you go down the software route, be it paid or free, ensure that the plan meets your needs and won't suddenly leave you stuck.
Don't make assumptions
AI, no matter how advanced it gets, will likely never replicate the nuance and depth of human speech. The way we speak is influenced by more than just our countries of origin. Upbringing, exposure to education, even our personalities can affect the tenor of our voices and language patterns, which is a hard concept to teach a machine.
For this reason, even if you have audio of an exceptionally high-quality, it would be an error not to double and triple check that what has been digitally transcribed is accurate. Even paid services make consistent mistakes that require a human eye to rectify.
Know your surroundings
I dare you to find one person who regularly records audio for the purpose of transcription that hasn't had a technical or environmental malfunction. It is unfortunately par for the course, but in an every cloud has a silver lining kind of way, it is a wonderful teaching moment that you will never forget.
For example (and this is from personal experience), if you are wearing bluetooth headphones prior to your interview and you don't disconnect them from your recording device, your voice will be crystal clear, but the interviewee's will be so very mumbly.
You should also be aware of the level of noise around you. Just because it seems relatively normal or low, does not mean that it isn't drowning out the sound of the interviewee on your device. Wind and rain can play havoc on a recording.
Be ethical
The conversation around AI, ethics and transcription is a fascinating one and certainly relevant when you consider the kinds of industries that most often use transcription software. People who work with the law for example have to greatly consider the privacy and security aspects of the data they collect.
They often operate in scenarios where bias, inaccuracy or mismanaged cybersecurity can have grave and far-reaching consequences. Even for those of us who aren't in as serious a position, it is crucial that you collect and store audio transcriptions safely, protecting yourself and the people who trusted you enough to let you record them.
So do your due diligence and before you subscribe to a transcription service, look into who owns the company, how they secure data, if there have been any serious information breaches and how any errors in the past have been dealt with.
Going old-school
It may surprise you to know that human transcribers are still very much in demand, often in positions that require a high level of accuracy. While AI will likely always beat a human in a task that demands expediency, a person has a degree of awareness and understanding that is, as of yet, alien to AI.
It also somewhat remedies issues around data control and security, particularly if the transcription is in-person and not uploaded to a cloud-server.
If you are aiming for a career in transcription or just want to improve, you will need to work on a number of skills, for example typing, multitasking, listening and comprehension, which can be done either through in-person classes or using online resources. Of which there are many.
Like all skills, learning how to transcribe correctly with speed and accuracy is more than achievable, it just takes time, effort and motivation, which are resources we all have at our disposal.
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