Business organizations often do not realize the significance of transcription. They perform various activities like board meetings, interviews, Zoom meetings, video conferences, and multi-day conventions that involve a lot of decision making and sharing of critical information. But listening to each and every detail in an audio or video recording and remembering it for future reference is a daunting task. A practical option is to convert speech into error-free transcripts. This is where businesses transcription becomes useful. Hiring a professional digital transcription service is a great way for businesses to transcribe their meetings, seminars, interviews etc into accurate transcripts that can be distributed among the employees and meeting attendees, or preserved for any future references. It helps in maintaining detailed records of business communication and as solid evidence helps avoid any disputes or lawsuits.
Manual vs. Automatic Transcription
Today, with advanced technology, businesses no longer have to appoint a person to create transcripts. There are software tools available that perform the transcription. The automated transcription process relies on automatic speech recognition. It converts audio to text in few minutes and supports any type of files. You have to upload your audio recording, and the speech-to-text technology performs the transcription. You get the automated transcription back, ready for you to edit. Most file formats are supported.
Although automatic transcription software helps to save time and cost, it has certain drawbacks. The rate of accuracy of automated transcripts is not as good as manual transcription. Another disadvantage is that the quality of the transcription depends on the quality of the audio. So, issues like multiple speakers on the recording, speaker talking too fast, people recording far from the microphone, use of several languages, loud background noise etc can compromise the quality of the transcription.
Manual transcription involves utilizing highly-trained individuals, rather than technology, to create a transcript. These professionals are skilled and experienced, and produce accurate transcripts because they are knowledgeable in deciphering important information, typing and editing quickly. Assigning a person for transcribing can be expensive it takes several man hours to transcribe.
Which One to Choose
Both types of transcription methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and businesses need to choose the right method suitable for their requirement. If businesses are looking to save time, then the best option is to use automated transcription software to transcribe audio to text quickly and seek the assistance of a professional transcriptionist to proofread and make any corrections necessary. The main considerations when choosing how to transcribe your audio or video files depend on how much time you have and how much money you have to spend on this.
The role of the transcriptionist or transcription service is likely to be transformed to that of transcript editors if machine transcription becomes the norm. In other words, a transcription company or transcriptionists are not going to be dead even amidst advancing technology. These entities will have a more significant role to play, working alongside companies that provide speech recognition and transcription software. Legal transcription, media transcription, academic transcription and such other forms of transcription are important and highly sensitive as well. So, these will require a human touch to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Transcriptionists should familiarize themselves with the evolving new technologies and understand their role as a crucial one in managing transcription software as it is released and updated. The combined use of humans and technology will provide businesses with accurate transcription. In today’s competitive world, businesses look for various alternatives to improve their documentation and accurate transcription is one among them. Business transcription involves creating a textual archiving of audio or video recordings of meetings, conferences or any other business interactions. Outsourcing to a professional business transcription service could prove to be a quick and time-saving alternative. Reliable companies ensure utmost accuracy, quick turnaround time and maintain complete secrecy of critical information.
