If you are new to transcription, consider this your quick start guide. You’ll find a few tips in this concise guide to get you off on the right foot for you transcription career. Continue reading “Beginner Transcriber Guide and Quick Tips”
If you’ve ever found yourself in need of a transcription service, you know that by doing a Google search, you will see a lot of results. Just because there are many transcription services out there, doesn’t mean that they all match up to each other. Continue reading “Why Scribie Is The Top Transcription Service”
If you’re reading this, you may be asking yourself why should I bother to add subtitles to my videos? They are just videos after all; a visual aid. It’s simple to just watch the video, get the information or content in that manner and go about your merry way. Well, it isn’t that simple. In this day and age, it’s vital to add subtitles to your videos. Let’s discuss a few reasons why. Continue reading “Adding Subtitles to Your Videos is No Longer Optional”
In this day and age, more and more of what we are doing is becoming automated. One example would be banking. You don’t have to go to a bank anymore to deposit or transfer money. You can do that from an app or just log on to their website. Some banks don’t even have physical buildings. Human interaction and the component of business is becoming more and more limited. Continue reading “Speech Recognition Software Falls Short on Transcription”
Most things in life have their own way of communicating, of talking. If you think of your life, I’m sure you’ll find this to be true. The same can be said for the transcription world. There are shortcuts and shorthand ways of saying things. This allows transcribers to communicate with each other in an efficient manner.
Here’s a list of some of the commonly used terms in the transcription service and an easy to understand definition of each term.
Audio Time Coding: this is simply a reference to a particular time point in the audio file.
BITC: This stands for Burnt-in Timecode. This is when you see the timecode on the screen. BITC allows you easily access a certain point a video and match it with the timecode in your transcription.
Speaker tracking: Each person that talks in the audio or video is given a distinct tag of Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc. Scribie use names when they are available.
Multiple Speakers: There are more than 2 speakers in an audio or video file.
Non-North American Accent: This means people who have African, Asian, Australian, English, European, or Indian accents.
Noisy Background: Files have been recorded in places with lots of noise in the background like crowds, restaurant, etc.
Strict Verbatim: This is a transcript that includes every word uttered or spoken. This means the “Ah’s”, “Umm’s”, etc.
High Difficulty Level: These are files that contain things such as high levels of background noise, non-North American accents, poor audio quality, distorted audio, or far-off speakers.
Spelling Style: This allows you to specify which English spelling style you prefer. Currently, Scribie offers Canadian, British, Australian, & American styles.
Subtitle File: The words, or subtitles, seen on videos can be provided by Scribie in two formats – SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv).
Non-default formatting: This refers to formatting of a transcript in a way that is not Scribie’s standard.
Default Transcript Format: Scribie starts a new paragraph at a new speaker or every 3 minutes, whichever comes first.
Transcript File Formats: There are 4 standard formats available for each transcript file – Microsoft Word (.doc), Adobe PDF (.pdf), OpenDocument Text (.odt), and Plain Text (.txt).
Transcription Progress Tracking: This allows you to keep track of your transcription as it goes through four stages to completion – Transcription, Review, Proofreading, & Quality Checks.
Start/End Time: You can define the start and/or end time of your transcription. This is used when you only need a part of the audio file transcribed.
Transcript Template: This allows you to determine the particular template file used for the conversion of your document. See transcript formats for the 4 types.
Man Hours: This is when you pay for the amount of time taken to transcribe a file.
Audio Hours: This is when you pay for the amount of audio transcribed. This is the format used by Scribie.
Re-reviews: If you find that the transcription quality is not to your satisfaction, Scribie will review the file again for free.
Businesses today are always looking for new ways to stand out. You want to keep your current customers and you also want to draw in new ones. There are a variety of ways to do this and using videos is just one of those ways. However, if you’re not using the video to your advantage, you may be doing more harm than good.
With all of the possible marketing strategies out there, one that may be overlooked is audio transcription. You’re probably thinking: “Why do I need to have my video transcribed? People are just watching it after all aren’t they?” Well, yes and no. Here are a few reasons why transcribing your video is so important.
One key reason to have your video transcribed is accessibility. Think of those who might be in an atmosphere in which they can’t listen to the video, i.e. work; having the words right there along with the video makes it easier for them to still get all of the information included. There are also those who are hearing-impaired. Transcribed script allows for all potential customers to have the access to your content.
Another area is customer experience. This allows customers to follow along with the video and if later there’s a certain part of the video they want to go back to, instead of playing it over again, they can just find it in the transcript. It also allows them to easily share content with friends, family or co-workers.
Similarly, there are those out there who would rather not watch the videos. It could be more time consuming for them to sit through a video than if they have a transcript they can read faster. There’s also the possibility that some may just scan the transcript for information and take with them the things that are important to them. Even if you don’t want script scrolling close to your video, you have the option of putting your transcript on a separate page and posting a link with the video. You can highlight key areas to ensure that consumers are getting the best information possible.
One of the biggest reasons to have your video transcribed is due to Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short. If you just post a video online, and let’s say it’s without a title, how is Google supposed to help you? No title means there’s no way of knowing what is the content of your video. Even if you have a title, that’s only a few words for Google to utilize. The more content you have, the better chances your business has of being found and of being indexed higher on the list of searches by customers.
Of course, depending on the length of your video, transcribing it can be time-consuming. If you add in multiple speakers, it could take you or your co-workers a long time to get it done. That time could cost you potential customers and valuable online presence. That’s where a top transcription service like Scribie comes in. With a variety of options and turnaround times, you could have your video and corresponding transcript up and running in no time.
Some of you out there may utilize conference calls for work, business, or school. Depending on which program and company you use, it can be a little time consuming to record the calls, convert them into a format that is compatible for transcription and then upload them to be transcribed. That’s true with WebEx as well. If you have used WebEx, you will know that they use their own proprietary format to save calls, which you then have to download, convert and upload once again for transcription. In this busy and fast-paced world we live in, that’s just too much time and work for you to get the things done in the time you need it done.
Did you know that with Scribie, you can easily record and transcribe your conference calls, while still using WebEx? Scribie provides a solution for one on one calls that will automatically record the call for you and order the transcription of the call once that call is complete.
Once you have booked a conference call with WebEx, you will have a conference call number and PIN. You can now log-in or sign up with Scribie to get started. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll locate the Calls tab and click on One-on-One Call on the right hand side. This will pull up a prompt for you to enter Participant 1 and 2.
NOTE: It’s important that YOU are listed as Participant 1 and the WebEx conference call number is Participant 2.
Now, just click Start Call.
Scribie will now call YOUR number first and then the WebEx conference call number, where you will be prompted for to enter WebEx conference call PIN. Once this is complete, you’ll be connected to the conference call. Recording starts automatically and once the call is complete, your call will be sent for transcription.
With Scribie, your conference call transcription just got a whole lot easier. Now if only you knew what to do with that extra time…
You finally decided that you wanted to get that project, business proposal, meeting, interview, etc. transcribed and you have selected Scribie as your choice of company with whom to do business. You select which turnaround option works best for you, but then you get to the payment page and discover you have to prepay. Why can’t you pay for your transcribed document once it’s completed?
For starters, the default payment type that Scribie uses is prepayment. Scribie strives to do what’s best for its customers and by having prepayments, Scribie can keep the costs down. If post payments were used, the overhead costs would be increased and it could impact the rates you currently pay for transcription.
Another reason is found in that Scribie uses freelancers, not employees for their transcription. In our current business model, freelancers are paid immediately after the files are submitted and graded. It’s the preferred method of payment by the freelancers and it keeps them happy. Happy freelancers are freelancers who are motivated and they come back for more work.
There’s also the issue of small payments. When orders include small payments, it might be better to pay via a credit card and then get that money reimbursed. Now, we aren’t saying that post payment is completely out of the picture. It is possible that post payments may be supported for bulk orders of 20 or more hours ordered at the same time. The payment would have to be made within 30 days at the latest.
At Scribie, we work to make things the best we can for the customers, for you. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us and let us know. Making sure you’re happy makes us happy.
Google provides us with a variety of services and tools to make our lives easier. One tool in particular, voice dictation, is now available in Google Docs. It’s an easy feature that makes the lives of those using it run a little smoother. Need to get an email sent? How about the notes for your next business meeting? Google Docs voice dictation makes that possible, without you having to really lift too many fingers.
To get started, you will need to have the latest version of Google Chrome installed and a microphone for your computer. With these tools set up, you’ll head to Google Drive and open a new Google Docs word processing document. You’ll go to the top menu and select Tools, then . A pop-up window will appear with a dark microphone icon in the middle. Once you click on the microphone, it will turn red to signify that it’s recording and you can start to speak.
It’s okay if you need to think about your words as you’re speaking; Google will wait. When you’ve completed your dictation, click the microphone to turn off the dictation. It is important to note that punctuation needs to be dictated.
An added benefit to voice dictation is that you can edit and format as well. Take the sentence, “I like pie.” To edit or format it, just say “select ‘I like pie’ and follow that with whatever formatting change you need to make. That could include “apply heading” or “apply underline.”
You can also create itemized list by saying “create numbered list” or “create bullet list.” When you need to go to the next item on the list, just say “new line” and say “new line” twice to finish the list. And no fears if you mess up! You can simply say “undo” to change any mistakes.
For transcribers, these features can be a great time saver. Not only that, but it can reduce the amount of effort you have to put in to typing up your latest project. Life made simple by Google. It’s as though Google just provided you with the option of having your own free secretary. For those you who may wonder what all can you type with your voice, Google even made a complete list of commands for your viewing pleasure.
We have AWESOME news for you. Now, there are only 3 rates in regards to turnaround options: express, 1 day, and 5 day. There used to be 5 options that included: Express, 24 hours, 5 days, 15 days and 30 days. Of course, there are a few of you out there wonder why the change? Why take away choices or even limit your choices?
For starters, there’s a psychological reason behind it. According to research, we are actually happier with fewer choices and it enables us to actually make an informed decision. More choices tend to make us less satisfied than when we had fewer choices. Take it one step further, we are paying more for the same things we had prior to the additional choices. By decreasing the number of choices, you as customers, have a simple decision to make.
Another benefit for customers can be seen in the 5 day option. Once the 3rd day comes around, customers can see a draft transcript. This allows you to get some work done ahead of schedule.
From a business point of view, it allows us to streamline the process, which in turn makes it a better experience for you, the customer. This means it reduces issues with quality and services, there’s a reduction in wasted resources, and a decrease in cost.
At Scribie, we want to make the entire process for you a simple and easy one. We know that your time is precious and who wants to sit contemplating over choices and whether they made the right one? Take back your time for things that really matter. For more information on the updated rates, just click here.