Understanding Transcription Prices

Every once in a while, I’m contacted by a prospective client who wants to know why my transcription services “cost so much.” I’m sure other professional transcriptionists have had to answer this same question, as most people think transcriptionists are purely glorified typists, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Most transcriptionists, no matter their specialty, know that the average person simply can’t identify with what we do unless he or she has performed the same type of work. And no it’s not just simply typing what someone says.

Honestly, you could just type it yourself or have a family member or friend transcribe it. But the average person talks much faster than most people are able to type. A one-hour recording may take from 3 to 6 hours to transcribe depending on the quality of the recording and any technical terms involved.

Transcriptionist are trained to have an “ear” for transcribing various regional and foreign accents. They are skilled in deciphering the words of those who speak a million words per minute and those who speak slower than molasses.  They are able to figure out the words of the classic “mumblers” and the women you love to hate who have a high-pitched “little girl’s” voice.

Transcriptionists must also have a keen eye for detail and the common sense to figure out what the speaker is saying.  If you chose the right transcriptionist, he or she will often research names and industry-specific terms to reduce the number of blanks left in your final transcript and proofread the entire transcript before returning it to you.

Your transcriptionist must also demonstrate a good work ethic and finish the work by a deadline that is often difficult to meet.

All of these skills have a huge impact on transcription prices. After all, will your cousin take such care with your transcript? Is she professionally trained to do the job? Will she proofread the final product or take the time to research names and terms? Will she drop everything or work extra hours to meet your deadline? Is she really invested in producing a top quality transcript for you? Moreover, will another transcription company with lower costs be as dedicated to the quality of the final product?

Often paying for quality and peace of mind is worth the cost.

So What Is General Transcription Anyway?

I have to admit, most people are familiar with medical transcription but are absolutely clueless about general transcription. It’s not hard to see why that is, as medical transcription plays a very important role in the healthcare industry. Without medical transcription, a patient’s medical record would be almost barren to say the least.

I spent about five years working as a medical transcriptionist before venturing into general transcription. I may delve into the whys of my transition into providing general transcription services in a future post. It’s such a long and tedious story. But back to the subject at hand…

General transcription usually falls into four specialties:

• Business transcription
• Legal transcription
• Academic transcription
• Media production transcription

However, general transcription can include any area of focus (besides medical) that requires either audio or video recordings to be converted into text.

In the not so distant past, transcriptionists worked mainly with analog (i.e., standard cassette and micro cassette) recordings. However, in recent years, digital audio/video transcription has overtaken the industry, as digital formats are much clearer and able to be sent over the Internet. These include wav transcription and mp3 transcription.

A general transcriptionists will take your recording and play it back using special transcription software such as Express Scribe or Start Stop. He or she types the transcript while controlling the playback of the audio or video file with a special foot pedal.

Any number of recordings and/or events may need a transcript produced including interviews, webcasts, podcasts, seminars, TV shows, films, conference calls, phone calls, focus groups, workshops, depositions, oral histories, business meetings, and lectures.