Audio Transcription Service
Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How long does it take to transcribe one hour of an audio recording?
  2. It takes about 4 to 6 hours to transcribe a clear recording by one speaker. But that is just the first pass. Because of our intensive quality control process, our standard turnaround time is 5 working days for an hour of audio recording. This time frame may include consultations with the client regarding inaudible or indecipherable portions of the audio recording.
  3. What factors affect the audio transcription process?
  4. There are many factors that can affect the transcription of an audio recording. Some are listed here:
    • The quality of the recording
    • Quality of the recording equipment
    • Distance of the speaker from the microphone
    • The clarity and speed of the speaker
    • The disjointed way we speak our thoughts compared to how we write them
    • Multiple speakers
    • Speakers talking over each other
    • Unfamiliar accents, speech usage, and slang
  5. What is your transcription service used for? And who would use your service?
  6. Our audio transcription service is suited for:
    • Writers, authors, and journalists for books, articles and interviews
    • Teachers and lecturers who use their transcripts to document their lectures and use them to develop exams
    • Teleseminar and webinar presenters who are writing ebooks
    • Conference speakers who sell transcripts of their presentations
    • Business meetings
    • Focus groups

  7. How do you produce quality transcriptions?
  8. To reach your quality requirements, we have a seven step process that we follow for every transcription.  See our Audio Transcription process for details.
  9. How do I send an audio recording to you?
  10. If your audio is in a digital format, you can upload it to our secure server. We will give you a username and password that you can use on our website to perform the upload. If you have an audio tape, we can advise you how to convert it to a digital format. Or you can mail the tape to us so that we can convert it. We value your privacy. Our security system guarantees that your confidential data is only accessible to our employees with whom we have confidentiality agreements.
  11. What audio formats can you process?
  12. We can process any of the major audio formats including WAV, MP3, WMA and DSS.
  13. How do you price your service?
  14. We charge by the audio hour.  And we give volume discounts.  For example, if you have the need for transcriptions on a weekly or monthly basis, or if you are an author writing a book or a series of articles, we are pleased to offer significant discounts based on the projected number of hours of audio required.
  15. What factors may affect price?
  16. Some factors which could require an increase in the base price are:
    • Poor quality audio
    • Multiple speakers
    • An expedited turnaround time

  17. What if my audio is not very clear?
  18. If you are a new customer, we will evaluate the clarity of your audio.  If it is not clear enough for us to do what we deem to be a good transcription, we will put the project on hold and inform you.  Based on your decision, we may do the transcription at our regular price with your knowledge that much of it will be inaudible.

If you did not find what you're looking for in this page or need more details please feel free to contact us.

We also have FAQs for our Data Entry service.

 

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