GENERAL TRANSCRIPTION - IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Basically, general transcription is anything that is not legal or medical transcription. General transcription includes business transcription (meetings, conference calls, presentations), academic transcription, insurance transcription, sermon transcription, podcasts, radio and TV interviews, etc.

Education & Training
Certification in general transcription is not necessary. If you feel it will help you secure employment, you could enroll in a training program. Make sure the program is accredited. Or simply brush up on your typing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. Usually, training for general transcription is not necessary. Your resume should reflect any relevant experience, and if you have no experience, then state in your cover letter why you think you would be perfect for transcription work. Although a college degree is not necessary, some companies may require it in order to work for them.

Start-Up Costs & Pay Rates
In order to do transcription work, you will need to purchase a foot pedal and a good set of headphones. If you don't already have Microsoft Word, you will need to get that as well. That's it. Never pay a fee to do transcription work. If any company or individual asks for money up front, it is a scam. You will need transcription software, but most of it is free, as I discuss in another section of this lens. As for pay, transcription usually pays per audio hour (although some pay per word or per line). I've seen pay rates as low as $10 per audio hour and as high as $60 per audio hour. On average it takes about four hours to type one hour of audio, so based on this average, this amounts to $2.50 to $15 per hour.

How It Works
Basically, transcription works like this: You download a digital audio file, load it into your transcription software (Express Scribe is the most popular), put on your headphones and, using a foot pedal, type what you hear into Microsoft Word to create a transcript of the audio recording that you are listening to. Sounds like a piece of cake, huh? It's actually more work than you think. Keep reading.

The ability to type quickly and accurately is important, but it is not the only component of transcription work. Just because you can type fast does not mean you will make a good transcriptionist. Transcription requires skill and talent beyond typing. I will go into more detail about that later. But does typing speed matter? Well, to some degree. People can speak at rates ranging from about 140 to well over 200 words per minute, so you will not be able to type as fast as they can talk unless you're using a steno machine, which is what court reporters use in a courtroom or deposition proceeding. So the faster you can type the better, but a minimum typing of speed of 60 wpm is usually sufficient for transcription (although some companies may require that you have 70, 80 or even 120 wpm). Ideally, you should be able to type at least 15 minutes of audio in one hour. On average it takes about four hours to transcribe one hour of audio. That's just the typing part. Extra time will be necessary for proofreading, editing, research, and re-listening to any parts of the audio that you didn't get the first time around. So transcription is quite a bit of work.

Obviously, you have to know how to spell and punctuate. Do not depend solely on spelling checkers and grammar checkers. And although it's not necessary to have an English degree, having a good grasp of the English language is required as well as having a very strong vocabulary. Do you know the difference between "compliment" and "complement"? What about "ordinance" and "ordnance"? "Discreet" and "discrete"? "Prescribe" and "proscribe"? Some words are pronounced the same way or similarly but spelled differently, so you have to use context to determine the spelling. Are you able to do that? Is it one word, two words, or hyphenated? Sometimes it will depend on how the word is used; i.e., verb, noun, adverb, adjective. If you have difficulty with English, you may want to reconsider doing transcription work. Transcription is not as simple as "see Spot run." Sometimes the work will be relatively simple, but oftentimes you will transcribe moderately difficult to very complex material.

Again, while having a degree in English may be helpful, it's not necessary. After all, you are not going to be writing novels. You will be transcribing verbatim speech. The rules for punctuation, capitalization, and grammar in transcribing verbatim speech vary somewhat, sometimes even significantly. While style guides such as the Associated Press Stylebook (for media and journalists) and the Chicago Manual of Style (for writers and publishers) are certainly helpful, I recommend using court reporter resources such as Morsons English Guide for Court Reporters for transcribing verbatim speech. I have included a list of recommended resources further along in this lens. I've also included some quizzes at the end of this lens so that you can evaluate your skills.

There is a difference between hearing and listening. You can hear something and not know what it is. Listening is comprehending. Having a strong vocabulary and general knowledge on a wide variety of subjects will help you greatly in being able to listen intuitively and with common sense. It's important to be well-read and aware of what's going on in the world around you. You need to have a general understanding of topics such as technology, business, finance, religion, academics, marketing, society, law, medicine, etc. You are not just typing words. You need to be able to comprehend the material in order to use context to transcribe it accurately. In addition, accents are very common in transcription work -- both regional U.S. and foreign -- so you need to be able to listen very, very carefully in order to accurately decipher what is being said. This could slow down the transcription process, which in turn could affect your earnings.

Always proofread your work. If the audio is especially challenging, you should proof to audio as well. Never guess at spellings or capitalization. If a word is unfamiliar to you, look it up. Always look up spellings and capitalization for proper names. For example, is it "Kmart" or "K-Mart"? It may be nitpicky, but it's very important to be as accurate as possible. You need to be resourceful. Google and other search engines are useful tools, but they are not the be-all and end-all. Most things can be looked up by doing an Internet search, but you can't find everything, so it's important to utilize other resources as well.

What is it that motivates you to want to do transcription? If you want to transcribe because you think it's just simple typing work, it doesn't take any skill, it's a great way to earn extra money without really knowing anything except how to type fast, that's the wrong motivation. Transcription, as any other professional business service, is not something you do for yourself. It's something you do for others. If you believe transcription fits your skills, abilities and personality, and if you believe you can offer the best products and the best service possible to your clients, then that is the right motivation.

So what are some of the personality characteristics required for transcription? If you are a literate person, if you are a well-read person, if you enjoy reading, if you enjoy writing, if you enjoy learning, if you love words and the English language, if you enjoy typing and don't mind typing for hours at a time, then transcription is a most suitable career. If you have a short attention span, if you get bored easily, if you get frustrated easily, or if you're an outgoing person and need a lot of social interaction, transcription is definitely not for you.

You need to be able to work independently and without distractions. You need to focus on your work. You must be professional. Contrary to popular belief, you do not work for yourself. You work for your clients. They don't work for you. You work for them. They are paying you to provide a quality product within a certain time frame. You need to be able to meet deadlines. It takes about 4 hours to transcribe one hour of audio (give or take). Don't be flaky. If you take a job, do it well (no slop) and finish it within the deadline that is given to you.

If you are serious about earning an income doing transcription work, you need to be a person of integrity, disciplined, focused, and the best that you can possibly be. Laziness and mediocrity are not allowed. You need to be confident, competent, dependable, and professional. You don't throw professionalism out the window just because you are working from home.

You need a good working computer, a reliable high-speed Internet connection, good earphones, and a foot pedal. Yes, a foot pedal is required. You can work much faster with a foot pedal and thereby increase your earnings. You need to be computer literate and technologically savvy in order to download files and troubleshoot any technical issues that may arise. You need audio and video transcription software. Express Scribe is free and the most popular software program for transcription. In most cases, you need Microsoft Word (other word processors are not acceptable) with intermediate to advanced skills in using it. Most transcription is done over the Internet, but if you plan on working with tapes, then purchasing transcribing machines for standard size and/or micro cassette tapes may be necessary.

And remember, there is no such thing as software that will transcribe for you. If such software existed, there would be no need for transcriptionists. I'm convinced that at some point in the future someone will develop software that will do that, but in the meantime, that "software" is you. Voice recognition software will not work for transcription. This only works for the person dictating, and it still hasn't been perfected for even that purpose. So if you are unable or unwilling to type for hours on end, transcription is not for you.

If you do not meet the requirements outlined in this article, I recommend that you not pursue transcription work. Transcription companies and clients are not going to provide on-the-job training. They expect you to know what you're doing. If you don't have a foot pedal, get one. If you don't know Microsoft Word, learn it. If your English skills are not that great, take a course and brush up. Never tell a potential client that you will learn this or buy that if they hire you first. No. Acquire the necessary skills first. Buy or download the software and equipment that you need first. You may have to invest a little money to get started, but if you are serious about using your skills to provide top-notch service to clients, then this should not be a problem. Once you are fully prepared, you will be able to confidently market yourself as a transcriptionist.

If you meet all of the requirements and have experience transcribing for others, it will be much easier to get hired by transcription companies or even start your own business. Just doing a little typing here and there as a secretary or admin does not count as transcription experience. Neither does call center, receptionist, customer service, collections, data entry, sales, cashier, fast food, etc. But if you have solid transcription experience, you are in a good place. Do an Internet search for general transcription companies. Some of them have online applications and tests. Others will want you to send a resume. It's important that you emphasize your ability to turn in accurate work in a timely fashion. Transcription companies look for experienced, dependable professionals who can follow instructions and get the job done accurately and timely without having to train. They are not in the business of training new transcriptionists. They are in the business of servicing their clients.

What if you have the desire, the skills, the software and equipment but have never transcribed before? You might want to try bidding for work on sites such as Elance and Guru. Only bid on projects you are qualified for. Be honest about your lack of experience. Tell buyers that while you have the necessary qualifications for transcription work, you are looking for opportunities to demonstrate your expertise and establish your reputation as a qualified transcriptionist. You may have to bid low, but your chances of being selected in a very competitive field will be increased and you will get the experience you need. As your experience level grows, you can raise your rates accordingly and even hang out your own shingle, so to speak. You could create your own website and include your Elance and/or Guru provider profile URLs and submit your site to search engines in order to attract potential clients.

Transcription is not for everyone. It sounds like simple work and easy money, but it is not. Transcription is challenging work and it is a very competitive field. If you are serious about doing transcription work as a part-time or full-time career, or even just for a few extra bucks here and there, you must be skilled and talented, you must love what you do, you must be the best at what you do, you must treat your clients with professionalism and respect, and you must be determined to succeed.

It goes without saying, but stay away from any company that charges a fee to work for them. If you're not sure, just ask them.

GMR Transcription appears to be a scam. You can read more about this company here. I once tried to apply with this company and was sent a test audio file without instructions. I submitted the test and received a reply email stating that I had failed the test for not following the instructions that I never received and was encouraged to enroll in their "Transcription Certification Institue" which costs $200.

Be wary of smaller transcription companies and individual freelancers who hire you to do their work for them. Individual freelancers should NEVER send their work out. If they cannot complete the work themselves, they should not accept the assignments. Rather than refuse an assignment (because they don't have time to work on it, poor audio, whatever), they will just farm it out and take some money rather than no money -- if they pay at all. If you work for one of these people, you're more likely to be treated like a home assembly worker and told that "your work doesn't meet company standards" and you won't get paid. Unprofessional, unethical people are out there, so be careful. Ask questions and watch out for red flags.