In today's world, audio transcription has become an indispensable tool for converting the spoken word into written text. Whether it's transcription of interviews, phone calls, meetings, podcasts or other audio, accurate written records are often needed for a wide range of purposes.
The ability to quickly and efficiently transcribe audio to text unlocks a host of valuable applications. Transcripts make audio searchable and accessible, provide records for research and reporting, enable editing and repurposing of audio, and power automated services like captioning and translation. Transcribing audio is no longer a tedious manual task - with the right tools, it can be accomplished quickly, affordably and accurately.
This guide will explore everything you need to know about transcribing audio in 2023. You'll learn about the leading options for automated and manual transcription, top services to consider, what to expect to pay, how to transcribe audio yourself, techniques for improving audio quality, transcript formatting best practices, use cases, and more. Whether you're looking to occasionally transcribe interviews or handle large volumes of audio, this guide will help you navigate the world of audio transcription. Let's dive in!
There are many types of audio that can be transcribed. Some of the most common sources include:
Videos contain a lot of valuable audio content in the dialogue, interviews, voiceovers and more. Transcribing the audio from videos has multiple uses:
- Creating subtitles and closed captions to increase accessibility
- Translating the audio into different languages by using the transcript
- Analyzing the speech and dialogue for research purposes
- Turning educational videos into text-based learning materials
- Improving video SEO by including a text transcript
Podcasts are entirely audio-based, so transcribing them creates a text transcript of the full show. Podcast transcripts can help:
- Make the content more discoverable by search engines
- Create shareable quotes and excerpts to promote on social media
- Provide text versions for people who prefer reading over listening or have hearing difficulties
- Allow podcasters to edit and refine the spoken words into clearer writing
Transcribing interviews word-for-word creates a written record of the conversation. This is useful for:
- Journalists - accurately quote sources in articles based on the interview transcript
- Research - carefully analyze the interview responses during qualitative research
- Documentation - keep archives of important interviews for historical record
Meetings often contain important information like decisions, action items, and discussions. Transcribing meetings helps:
- Track decisions and remind participants of actions they agreed to take
- Refine brainstormed ideas into an organized record
- Share updates with stakeholders who couldn't attend the meeting
- Resolve any disputes about who said what by referring back to an official transcript
Transcribing audio can be done either by automated software or manual human transcribers. Each method has its own pros and cons.
Automated transcription uses speech recognition software to convert audio into text. Some key advantages of automated transcription include:
- Fast turnaround time - Software can transcribe audio almost instantly, much faster than a human transcriber.
- Lower cost - Automated services tend to be cheaper than professional human transcription.
- Scalability - Software can handle transcribing thousands of hours of audio without getting fatigued.
However, there are also some downsides:
- Lower accuracy - Automated services may have higher error rates compared to human transcription. Accuracy can range from 80-95% depending on audio quality.
- Limited formatting - Software may not properly transcribe speaker changes or add proper punctuation and formatting.
- Poor with accents - Automated services struggle with heavy accents, mumbling, or niche vocabulary.
Manual transcription utilizes professional human transcribers to convert audio to text. Some key benefits of manual transcription:
- High accuracy - Expert human transcribers can achieve 99% or greater accuracy.
- Formatting - Humans can properly format speaker changes, punctuation, etc.
- Handles accents - Human ears are better at deciphering unfamiliar accents.
- Verbatim transcription - Every word can be captured, including filler words.
The tradeoffs compared to automated transcription are:
- Slower turnaround - Full transcription of an hour long audio file may take 3-4 hours.
- More expensive - Professional human transcription has a higher cost per audio hour.
- Less scalable - Limited by the availability of qualified transcribers.
So in summary, automated services provide a fast and affordable option but have lower accuracy, while manual transcription delivers high-quality transcripts but is pricier and has slower turnaround. Choose the option that best fits your transcription needs.
Transcribing audio can be time consuming and tedious to do yourself. Thankfully, there are many transcription services available to handle it for you. Here are some of the top options:
Glyph is one of the most popular automated transcription services. It uses artificial intelligence to transcribe audio and video files with great accuracy.
- Offers fast turnaround times, often within 12 hours or less
- Works by uploading an audio or video file, which is then transcribed by Glyph AI system
- transcripts are editable with human level accuracy.
- Pricing starts at $0.10 per minute of audio
Temi is another leading automated transcription service powered by advanced speech recognition technology.
- Quick transcription turnaround time of just a few hours
- Allows you to upload audio or integrate with platforms like Zoom, Dropbox, and Google Drive
- Transcripts are highly accurate but you can also edit as needed
- Pricing is $0.10 per minute
Otter.ai specializes in transcribing meetings, interviews, and other conversations.
- Integrates directly with Zoom, Google Meet, etc to transcribe video meetings live
- Offers a free plan with limited minutes per month
- Paid plans start at $20/month for 400 minutes of audio
- Transcripts are searchable, editable, and shareable
Scribie provides affordable human-based transcription services.
- Transcripts completed by a combination of AI and thousands of human transcribers
- Very accurate transcripts with humans reviewing and editing
- Turnaround time is 18-36 hours in most cases
- Pricing starts at $0.80 per minute
GoTranscript relies on a network of over 130,000+ professional human transcribers around the world.
- Very accurate, human-generated transcripts
- Turnaround time averages 36-48 hours
- Transcripts formatted according to your preferences
- Lower cost at $0.90 per audio/video minute
The top services provide a balance of accuracy, fast turnaround, integrations, and affordable pricing. Consider your specific needs to choose the right one. For fast automated transcriptions, Rev and Temi are great choices. For human-reviewed accuracy, Scribie and GoTranscript are top options.
The cost of transcription services can vary greatly depending on several factors:
- **Provider:** The price per audio minute can range from $0.50 to $5+ depending on the provider. Well-known services tend to be on the higher end while freelancers and new companies may offer lower rates.
- **Accuracy:** Highly accurate verbatim transcription is more expensive than general transcription that captures the overall meaning. Most services offer different accuracy levels.
- **Turnaround Time:** Faster turnaround comes with a premium price. For example, 24 hour turnaround can be 100%+ more expensive than a 5 day turnaround.
- **Audio Quality:** Clean audio with little background noise is cheaper to transcribe than poor audio quality. Most services charge a fee for challenging audio.
- **Formatting:** Transcripts that require formatting like speaker IDs, timestamps, etc. cost more than raw text.
- **Language:** Transcribing audio in common languages like English is cheaper than niche languages with fewer transcribers available.
- **Volume:** Large transcription projects get volume discounts due to efficiencies. One-off files cost more per minute than thousands of hours of audio.
- **Industry:** Transcribing technical or complex content from legal, medical, academic sources is more costly due to the expertise required.
So in summary, transcription pricing can start as low as $0.50 per audio minute for high volume, straightforward audio from common sources. And it can be $3-5+ for specialized transcription of challenging content on a short deadline. It's important to balance your accuracy, formatting and turnaround needs with your budget.
Transcribing audio on your own can save money compared to using a professional transcription service. With the right tools and techniques, you can create accurate transcripts without outsourcing.
Transcription software automates some of the tedious work of manual transcription. Options like Descript, Otter.ai, and Trint utilize speech-to-text technology to generate a rough draft transcript. You can then go in and correct any errors. These tools tend to work best for interviews or clear audio with one speaker at a time.
For more complex audio with multiple speakers, background noise, or unclear audio quality, automated services may not be as accurate. They can still provide a helpful starting point before you go in and manually correct the transcript.
Some key features to look for in transcription software include:
- Speech-to-text capabilities
- Ability to handle multiple speakers
- Editing tools to correct automated transcripts
- Integration of timestamps
- Export options like text, docx, pdf, etc.
Many services offer free versions with limited features and paid plans for full functionality. Shop around to find an option fitting your budget and use case.
To maximize accuracy when transcribing your own audio, follow these tips:
- Use a foot pedal for more convenient playback controls as you type. This allows you to keep your hands on the keyboard.
- Wear headphones to clearly hear every word.
- Pay close attention to context clues and punctuation to aid comprehension.
- Rewind frequently and type snippets of 5-10 seconds at a time. Then replay to confirm accuracy.
- Mark unintelligible audio with [inaudible] and make your best guess at unclear words.
- Take breaks to maintain concentration and avoid getting burned out.
- Allocate adequate time. Transcribing audio yourself takes significantly longer than the length of the audio.
With practice and the right tools, you can save on transcription costs by doing it yourself. Just be prepared for an intensive process, especially for long recordings. But for short interviews or meetings, DIY transcription can be worthwhile.
Transcribing audio with background noise or poor quality audio recordings can be challenging. Here are some tips for cleaning up audio before sending it off for transcription or transcribing it yourself:
- Noise reduction software like Audacity can help remove consistent background noise like the hum of an AC unit or crowd chatter. Use the noise reduction effect to get a noise sample and subtract it from the rest of the recording. This won't work as well for irregular noises like coughing or clattering dishes.
- Normalizing the volume so the audio is around the same loudness can make it easier to transcribe. Compressor effects can also even out any spikes in volume. Boost quiet sections and lower loud sections so the transcriptor doesn't have to keep adjusting their volume.
#### Remove Unwanted Sections
- Edit out any irrelevant audio like long pauses or interruptions. This saves on transcription costs and focuses on the usable content. Just be careful not to remove anything substantive.
- If the speech is very quiet or muffled, try using effects like bass boosting, EQ adjustments, or limiter compressors to bring up the vocal range specifically. This makes the words crisper and clearer.
- Sometimes converting to a universal file format like WAV or MP3 if not already can give you better results when uploading the audio for transcription.
#### Listen and Rewind Difficult Sections
- It can be helpful to spot check difficult to understand sections yourself and rewind repeatedly. Provide time stamps if there are particular muddy areas the transcriptor should pay special attention to.
With some audio cleanup and enhancement before transcribing, you can end up with much more accurate and usable transcripts. It's worth investing a little time into optimizing the quality.
Formatting transcripts depends on the intended use of the transcript.
For general use, transcripts should be formatted in standard paragraph style, with each speaker on a separate line and minimal formatting. This makes the transcript easy to read through quickly.
Transcripts intended for accessibility or search should focus on semantic HTML tags like <h1>-<h6> for headings, <p> for paragraphs, <li> for lists, etc. This allows the transcript to be parsed and consumed by machines. Accessibility transcripts may also contain additional tags for audio descriptions.
Transcripts that will be used to create captions or subtitles require precise time stamping at the start of each line. Timestamped transcripts make it easy to sync the transcript back to audio or video.
Some common transcript formats include:
- **SRT** - SubRip file with timestamped lines for captions/subtitles
- **VTT** - WebVTT format, similar to SRT but with additional web support
- **TTML** - Timed Text Markup Language for captions/subtitles
- **SBV** - YouTube subtitle format
- **DOCX** - Word document for general use
- **PDF** - Printable transcript format
- **TXT** - Simple text transcript
- **XML** - Extensible markup language for machine readability
- **JSON** - JavaScript Object Notation for API integration
Choosing the right transcript format depends on how you intend to use the transcript. Formatting for accessibility, readability and intended medium will make your transcript more usable.
Achieving high accuracy in audio transcription requires attention to detail and often some editing of the transcript after it's completed. While automated services can achieve decent accuracy with clear audio, there are always improvements to be made with a human review.
Some ways to improve transcription accuracy include:
- Using a human transcription service or carefully reviewing automated transcripts yourself. Automated services alone often have 5-10% error rates, even with high-quality audio.
- Editing the transcript while listening to the original audio to catch any errors. It's easy for automated engines to mishear words, especially with background noise.
- Correcting spelling errors and formatting issues. Automated transcripts often have inconsistent capitalization, punctuation, and formatting that should be standardized.
- Filling in any gaps denoted by "inaudible" tags. You may be able to make out words an engine couldn't by carefully re-listening.
- Reviewing industry or niche-specific terms. Automated services without custom training can misinterpret terminology.
- Adding speaker labels and other formatting to improve readability.
- Comparing transcripts from different services to cross-check accuracy. Multiple engines can help identify errors.
Investing time to carefully edit and format transcripts pays off through higher quality deliverables. For professional uses, accuracy is essential for trustworthy research, data analysis, audiobooks, closed captions, and more. With attention to detail, it's possible to achieve minimal errors in a transcript.
Transcripts are useful for a wide range of people across many industries and use cases. Here are some of the top reasons transcripts are needed:
Accessibility
Transcripts make audio content accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. They allow people who cannot hear the audio to still consume the content via text. This is essential for organizations aiming to provide equal access to information.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engines cannot listen to audio files or videos. Transcripts allow this content to be indexed by search engines, improving findability and traffic. Transcripts are especially key for video SEO.
Data Analysis
Transcripts turn audio content into structured data that can be searched, quantified, and mined for insights. Researchers, marketing teams, legal teams and more leverage transcripts to efficiently analyze audio content.
Editing and Repurposing Content
Transcripts provide an easy way for creators to edit and repurpose audio content into new formats. Transcripts from podcasts, interviews, speeches, and more can be turned into blog posts, books, social media captions, and a variety of repurposed content.
Improved Accessibility for Editing
Editors, creators, and transcribers can more easily search, review, correct, and improve content by leveraging a transcript. It's faster than repeatedly re-listening to audio.
Compliance and Record Keeping
Many regulated industries require audio records be kept and made available. Transcripts help satisfy these compliance demands in healthcare, finance, legal proceedings, and more.
Knowledge Management
Transcripts create searchable documentation of organizational knowledge or processes captured in audio training, meetings, conferences, interviews and more.
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