Starting transcription jobs - advice needed
Thread poster: Sigrid Andersen
Sigrid Andersen
Sigrid Andersen  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:23
Member (2011)
Danish to German
+ ...
Jan 12, 2012

Hello,

i ve been a translator for a long time, but went freelance not long ago. One of my customers asked me if i would look into doing some transcription jobs for him, and i have to admit, i got not much of an idea of how that works. Is it just writing down all spoken text from an audio file or video or would I use a specific software/format? Other things i should be aware of?

I would appreciate any information/tips/tricks on how to start out with transscrition jobs.... See more
Hello,

i ve been a translator for a long time, but went freelance not long ago. One of my customers asked me if i would look into doing some transcription jobs for him, and i have to admit, i got not much of an idea of how that works. Is it just writing down all spoken text from an audio file or video or would I use a specific software/format? Other things i should be aware of?

I would appreciate any information/tips/tricks on how to start out with transscrition jobs.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Sigrid
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Aradai Pardo Martínez
Aradai Pardo Martínez  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 03:23
Swedish to Spanish
+ ...
Express Scribe Jan 12, 2012

Dear Sigrid,

There are different kinds of transcriptions. Some clients want to have everything written down (including coughs, hesitations, pauses and the like) while others only want to have the main ideas. In any case, until recently, I never used any kind of software, but I then I discovered Express Scribe and I love it! It saves time and helps me avoid muscle ache from all that mouse clicking to go back and forth with the normal audio software. They have a free-trial version, ma
... See more
Dear Sigrid,

There are different kinds of transcriptions. Some clients want to have everything written down (including coughs, hesitations, pauses and the like) while others only want to have the main ideas. In any case, until recently, I never used any kind of software, but I then I discovered Express Scribe and I love it! It saves time and helps me avoid muscle ache from all that mouse clicking to go back and forth with the normal audio software. They have a free-trial version, may be you can give it a try.

I recomend you to transcribe a whole audio minute to see how long it takes you to do so. You may then decide your rate accordingly. For me it varies depending on audio quality, Spanish dialect, how fast they speak and even the subject.

Good luck!
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LEXpert
LEXpert  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:23
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
Some factors... Jan 12, 2012

You can play the audio/video back in whatever player works for you (Windows Media Player, e.g.,) and transcribe into whatever format lets you type text (Word, WordPad, etc.). There may be specific software available but I don't believe it's necessary to have it. However, a USB control such as a foot pedal, for start/stop/rewind without taking your hands from the keyboard, will probably speed up production.

The time required will depend on several factors:
1) Quality of the re
... See more
You can play the audio/video back in whatever player works for you (Windows Media Player, e.g.,) and transcribe into whatever format lets you type text (Word, WordPad, etc.). There may be specific software available but I don't believe it's necessary to have it. However, a USB control such as a foot pedal, for start/stop/rewind without taking your hands from the keyboard, will probably speed up production.

The time required will depend on several factors:
1) Quality of the recording
2) Number of speakers/voices
3) Verbatim (noting every sound or utterance, such hems, hews, errrs, door shutting, etc.)
4) The need to add time codes and similar considerations

Prices are usually expressed in $$$ per length of recording, such as (purely as an example) $3 per audio minute.

An hour of spoken text can contain as many as 5000 words. Transcribing would obviously take you much longer than simply retyping that much. I would figure on 6 hours of transcribing for an hour of audio.

It's best to try a sample of any potential transcription assignment (say, a couple minutes' worth) and see how long it takes.

My personal impression is that the rates charged by specialized transcription agencies (well, for English anyway) are very low, at least considering how long it would take me to do it and the opportunity cost of not spending the time translating instead. I'm generally happy to leave transcription to professional transcriptionists, as I can't possibly match their prices/efficiency.

HTH



[Edited at 2012-01-12 14:34 GMT]
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Sigrid Andersen
Sigrid Andersen  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:23
Member (2011)
Danish to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thank you Jan 13, 2012

Thank you Rudolf and Aradai!
Will now ask for a sample and try how that goes


 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 06:23
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Some tips Jan 13, 2012

Sigrid,

Someone else asked me the same question years ago. My current answer is at:
http://www.lamensdorf.com.br/audio---en.html
... though the original is still somewhere in the Proz articles, however it hasn't been updated. This article was expanded and converted into
... See more
Sigrid,

Someone else asked me the same question years ago. My current answer is at:
http://www.lamensdorf.com.br/audio---en.html
... though the original is still somewhere in the Proz articles, however it hasn't been updated. This article was expanded and converted into a 50-min training video at:
http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/3770-audio_and_video_translation_basics

Some tips on grounds for rejecting a job may be found at:
http://www.lamensdorf.com.br/lecture_en.html


While I disagree with Rudolf that specific software is not necessary (Express Scribe has a fully functional free version), I agree with him in that rates offered are often despicably low when it doesn't involve translation - only transcribing in the same language.
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Sigrid Andersen
Sigrid Andersen  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:23
Member (2011)
Danish to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you José Jan 13, 2012

Thank you José, this helps me a lot.

 


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