Audio Transcription

Audio Transcription is a really good service to offer when you first start out.

It is one of the services that I offer. I charge per audio minute. My personal take on this is that my speed isn’t great because I don’t do audio all the time. I also don’t use a foot pedal but use the keyboard to control the digital files. I don’t feel comfortable charging an hourly rate to my clients.

It is generally thought that it would take FOUR hours to transcribe a clearly recorded speech of ONE hour.

I recently did some audio transcription of grievance meetings, which needed to be typed verbatim, and it was taking me SIX hours to transcribe ONE hour of recorded speech.

There are a number of factors that you need to consider when setting up your pricing plan.

• How many people are talking – group meetings/interviews could take between 6 to 10 hours per ONE hour of recorded speech.
• The quality of the recording.
• The type of recording – video could take between 7 to 10 hours to transcribe ONE hour of recorded speech.

If you’re going to just be doing audio transcription then you could charge by the hour. I would also advise purchasing a foot pedal.

Tools Needed to Provide Audio Transcription Services

Express Scribe

I use Express Scribe which is FREE audio player software for PC, Mac or Linux. It’s really easy to download.

It can be controlled using a transcription foot pedal or using the keyboard (with ‘hot’ keys). It has the ability to play most audio file formats (including encrypted dictation files).

SendThisFile

Sending large files via email can take a long time and sometimes they never arrive. SendThisFile allows you to put a free upload box on your website that allows your clients to send large files, one at a time to you. Take a look at my website to see what it looks like Help on Tap. This is FREE.

If you are going to do a lot of audio transcription you may need to consider paying for a service to upload more than one file.

Professional Foot Pedal

If you plan to do a lot of audio transcription, using the hot keys on the keyboard to control express can add on a lot of time.

Why not increase your words per minute by giving your feet control of playback leaving your fingers free to type.

The Infinity USB foot pedal is suitable for both Windows and Mac OS X.

It is “plug and play” which makes it easy to install and use. There are three controls which are usually setup for rewind (right), play/pause (center) and fast-forward (left).

Click on the image below to check availability and price.

Headphones

You will need a set of headphones, especially if you are in a noisy environment. I use a pair of Logitech headphones that came with my webcam. I’m sure you’ve got a pair of headphones just knocking around. Dust them off and I’m sure they will do.