Technology has taken over almost all sectors in an economy, and media and journalism are no different. Conducting and recording interviews is a common requirement for journalists. With the advent of advanced technology, various devices, software and apps are now increasingly used for recording interviews. Whatever be the method of recording, when these audio files need to be transcribed, journalists rely on providers of general transcription services for accurate and error-free transcripts.
Traditionally, journalists used a simple recorder and cassettes to record an interview but today you can make the recordings even with a personal smartphone or tablet. Here are five useful tools and apps that make recording interviews an easy task.
- Cogi: This is a free app that can be used in both iPhones and Androids. This app lets you capture only those conversations that are crucial. It buffers the recording without saving anything. You can record any important part of the interview by just pressing the button and the app will rewind 15 to 40 seconds to record what was just said. The advantage is that you can focus on what is spoken without taking down notes, and also benefit from the shorter recording at the end.
- Dictation.io: This software can be opened in your internet browser and it’s free. It works only for Google Chrome. It combines an audio player and text editor. It can dictate everything you say but does not assure complete accuracy. It also comes in more than a dozen languages differentiated by regions.
- oTranscribe: This is similar to Dictation.io, it combines an audio player and a text editor into a single interface. All activities like rewinding, recording, time stamping etc can be controlled by keyboard, from rewinding the audio to putting in timestamps. It eliminates the need to switch apps or take your hands off the keyboard to rewind or to pause.
- Dragon: This is one of the most used and accepted dictation tools. It will allow you to speak into the device and your words will appear on the screen. It offers a free mobile app which is not completely reliable but it saves time and easily transcribes as well. Various versions and editions of its products are available in many different languages.
- Rev: Rev is a site that becomes helpful if you don’t have the time or energy to type your notes yourself. It is a simple process that allows you to upload your audio and pay the fee to get your transcription by email. These audio recordings are transcribed by skilled transcriptionists and not by machines or software. It also offers a money back guarantee if the transcriptions are not accurate. The turnaround offered is 24 to 48 hours.
A professional journalist never jots down an interview as there is a strong possibility of missing some points made by the interviewee and it is not very pleasing to expect the interviewee to patiently wait for the journalist to finish writing. The best thing to do while interviewing is to record the entire interview using any digital device and hire a reliable provider of general transcription services to transcribe the interview into an accurate transcript.
