We have often been asked “Why does Scribie charge extra for non-North American accents?” so we decided to clarify and expand on the reasons behind our decision. Here’s what you need to know:
Most files that are uploaded on Scribie for transcription are from the US, or at least the speakers are mostly North Americans–so for that reason, we specialize in transcribing North American accents. Naturally, it makes sense that most of our transcribers are based in the US. And this ensures they are familiar with the accents, which in turn ensures flawless transcription in much less time. The result? Faster turnaround, better accuracy, and happier customers.
Generally, we have a flat rate for all high-quality audio files with North American speakers. However, we do charge a bit extra ($.50 per minute) for high difficulty files due to the time these files are. Similarly, we charge a little more for files with a non-North American accent. The main reason is, these accents require specialized transcribers that are familiar with wider accent patterns and can transcribe files with non-US speakers at the same accuracy level. The problem is that these transcribers are rare, which means, if we get too many files in this category, the files tend to get stuck in the pipeline. And nobody likes that.
Basically, we charge more for these files because it costs more to transcribe these file types. It also keeps the transcribers motivated and encourages them to continue to work on such files.
So in closing, the pay rate occasionally changes, but what doesn’t change is Scribie’s commitment to one of the highest levels of accuracy in the industry Upload your files now and find it out for yourself.
At Scribie, we follow a very straightforward process from ordering a transcription to delivering it. You upload a file, select the desired turnaround time and place the order. Next, our transcribers start working on it while you monitor the progress online.
Once transcribed, the file is quality checked by our dedicated team and delivered to you. The effect? 99% or more accurate transcriptions. While most things remain constant, there is something that keeps on changing in this system — the nature and quality of the audio files.
When it comes to a file that needs to be transcribed, nothing matters more than clarity or sound quality.
In fact, this factor becomes crucial in determining whether a file should be categorized as ‘high difficulty’.
What Is A High Difficulty File?
As you might have guessed, it is a file that is very difficult to transcribe. Maybe the audio is not very clear or maybe there is a lot of background noise, which makes listening in pretty challenging. Here are some common characteristics of high difficulty files.
Reverberation (most frequently caused by bad room acoustics)
Echo (e.g. while recording Skype calls)
Inaudible parts
Who Determines If A File Is Highly Difficult?
Your file may sound ‘fine’ to you, but that might not be the case. Since we receive files of varying quality and content, the audio quality of your file is judged by numerous transcribers in our system. The difficulty level then becomes is a relative concept. We believe our transcribers have a better perspective and are in a more informed position to understand the difficulty level of a particular file and hence they are the ones who decide if your file should be categorized as a high difficulty file. We found this is the best solution for ruling out any possibility of subjectivity.
How Does It Affect The Rates?
If you are an existing customer you know that Scribie charges a flat rate for all files. BUT the high difficult ones are an exception. As of January 2016, we have implemented new policies that ask for additional charges for high difficulty files. Since high difficulty files require more time and effort from the transcribers, it is only fair that we compensate them accordingly for it. Plus, the additional pay is the motivation that the transcribers get to ensure that quality is not compromised. Generally, the extra charge varies between $0.50/ minute and $2.00/ minute. We always inform the customer in case a file is found to be of a high difficulty level. The customer also has the liberty to cancel the order in case he is not willing to pay the extra charge and get a full refund.
We do our best to give you quality transcription within your deadline, even if it’s a highly ‘difficult’ file, and we ensure that the transcription matches the highest standard of accuracy.
Know what’s the first thing that chases potential clients away in the online world? UI complexity. Why? Because things online are supposed to make life easier. Plus, no one has the time or the energy to spend in figuring out how a convoluted system works. The result? They switch to a better, easier website. We, at Scribie understand it too well. And we know how important it is to make the whole process simple for our customers. That is why we use the default format while transcribing all the files that you upload on our website.
But wait, what’s the default format? Nothing too complicated, I promise. Here’s a quick look at what you can expect out of this format.
Speaker Tracking: In case there are a number of speakers in your audio file, we will identify each one. If the audio identifies each speaker by his/ her name, our transcription will do that too. But what if it doesn’t? Don’t worry. We make a good use of our ears and distinguish each speaker as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on according to the order of their ‘appearance’ in the audio. And what happens when there is only one speaker? Say, if the audio file is a monologue? No problem. We use the name of the speaker (if that’s available) or identify the person as Speaker 1 throughout the transcription. If it sounds too complicated, check out one of our sample files available on the website.
To enhance the ease of understanding, we begin a new paragraph with every change of speaker or every three minutes, whichever is earlier. You even have the option to name the speakers in the audio file while placing an order. You can change it later on, even after the transcription, with the help of our Integrated Editor.
Timestamps: Timestamps, also known as time coding, is yet another feature that we offer as a default. This means, we put the running time of the audio file at which a particular speaker begins talking. You can expect an accuracy of +/- 1 second for timestamps. We also add the running time at the beginning of each new paragraph.
Non-strict verbatim: Our transcription follows the non-verbatim format as a default. This means the ‘fillers’ such ‘ummm’, ‘uh-huh’, and the likes are omitted from the transcribed file unless such words are indispensable. However, if you want a strict verbatim format, you can specify that too while placing the order.
You can trust our default format for an impeccable transcribed file turned around within the specified deadline. However, if you want to modify the requirements, you can do that too. Upload your files now and let our superb team of transcriptionists work their magic.
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.
General Transcription could either be of an interview or a conference call or just a conversation or discussion on a certain topic. The topics can be varied and there is usually more than one speakers. Unlike medical transcription it does not require a formal training or a certification for the company.
Skills required:
The basic skill required for general transcription is a good typing speed of around 40-50 wpm and excellent english comprehension. In addition, you should be able to comprehend different accents native (American, British, Australian) and non native ( Spanish, Italian, French etc). By excellent comprehension, we mean ability to get the context right and understand the usability/difference between similar sounding words as per the context etc. Of course, for some, the comprehension skills are inherent. However, there are many ways to improve you comprehension skills for e.g watching all kinds of English movies or series and try to understand whats spoken without looking at the subtitles.
Work Content:
While the work involves listening to the audio and typing it out, there are cases where some words are unheard of and some research is required to get it right. Google search is most widely used for this purpose. The more files you do, the better it gets in terms of comprehension and vocabulary. On an average, a person can do 2 audio hours of transcription/Verification and 3- 4 hours of QA (which involves going through around 50% of the file) in a day. If a person tries to stretch beyond this, it might affect the quality of the file.
Tools:
There are various tools (hardware/software) available for transcription in general. While many companies, like Scribie.com, have their own Integrated editor, there are other who use tools like Express scribe. Many are used to foot pedal, which can be configured to play/pause etc using your foot while your hands can do the typing.
Career Growth:
The work flow that we follow here in Scribie is as follows:
1. Raw Transcription: In this step, the audio for each part file is played back and transcribed as accurately and cleanly as possible. The incomprehensible parts are marked with blanks.
2. Review: During Review, the Raw Transcript is checked for correctness and quality. The audio file is played back again and each transcribed word is checked against the audio. The blanks are filled, if possible. Timestamps and speaker tracking are also added at this stage.
3. Verification: During verification each part files is checked once again to correct mistakes and address inconsistencies among them. At the end, all part files are collated together and the final transcript is prepared.
4. Quality Analyst( delivery): In the last step, the final transcript is quality checked and delivered to the customer.
The experience required as well as the responsibility and remuneration given to people in each phase increases as one goes from doing Raw Transcription to Delivery. The role of QA is very important as he/she is the interface to the customer and lot of business depends on his abilities to do his/her job well.
The good news is, you could do all this from comforts of your home by joining our freelance transcription program. If you really think this career is for you, then Apply here now and become a certified freelancer with Scribie.com .
High quality and low cost don’t always go hand in hand. The rule is hardly different when you are looking for a transcription company. However, if you are working within a limited budget, you cannot overlook the cost factor. Since transcription is a high accuracy requirement, quality is of utmost importance too. Thankfully, not all affordable services raise a red flag. Companies like Scribie have consistently delivered superior quality transcription service at an affordable cost. Since students make up a huge part of Scribie’s transcription customer base, marrying quality with cost has become the norm with us. When you are looking for a cost-effective transcription service, look for the following few things:
Know the specific transcription service provided by a company
The first step is understanding the kind of files that you would want to get transcribed, and then choosing the transcription service accordingly. If you are looking for medical transcription, you should look for a company that specializes in it. Scribie, for instance, offers excellent service when it comes to transcribing research, interviews, and conversations that involve more than one speaker and a variety of accents.
Look for rating and reviews
A quick online research will reveal the company’s reputation. Often the company website will give you a good deal of customer feedback. Including case studies in the website is also very common. Scribie’s website lists a number of satisfied customers who have used the company’s service.
Accuracy
Affordable cost does not mean cheap quality. Check for companies that have a record of delivering high-quality content. At Scribie we have a strict policy to maintain 98% accuracy. No file is delivered until this level is achieved. We also follow a 4-step process that ensures maximum transcription accuracy.
Flexibility
A good transcription service provider will let you review the files and will accommodate your inputs. Even if you are opting for an affordable service, this is a crucial aspect to consider so that you are not stuck with a file that’s of no use. With Scribie, you can check the work-in-progress any time. You can even request re-reviews if you are not satisfied with the quality.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is also crucial when choosing a transcription service company because an audio often includes sensitive data. We at Scribie understand this too well. All our transcribers abide by a strict NDA policy. Unlike many other affordable service providers we also have an efficient customer care service that can provide support 24/7. For greater convenience, you can use Scribie for teleconferencing recording service along with audio transcription.
The Integrated Editor is a one of a kind online transcription tool that only Scribie has to offer. We’ve touched on a few of its features in a previous blog and now we’ll continue to talk about more features that the Integrated Editor has to offer.
The Integrated Editor comes with a featured packed text editor that helps you while going over your files. You can click on a line in the text editor and it’ll take you to that point in the audio or vice versa.
The Integrated Editor also supports a variety of audio and video formats. Some the formats supported are mp3, wav, m4a, avi, flv, mp4, wmv, and mov. You don’t have to worry about whether your file will be supported as there are many types supported in the editor.
A fun feature included in the Integrated Editor is the multi-cursor. This allows you to select a word and change all occurrences of that word to another word. All you do is select a word, press CTL+ALT+G, which highlights all occurrences of that word, and simply type what change you want to make. It’ll change all occurrences to that new word.
Another feature that you’ll find in the Integrated Editor is text analysis. You can utilize this feature by clicking ‘Analysis’ at the top of the editor and the least common words and phrases or words not recognized by the editor in the document will be underlined. This allows you to go through your document for accuracy and cohesion. For further analysis, simply right click on a word to provide you with more options.
Want to learn more about the Integrated Editor? Simply click here to see all the features. Next time, we’ll discuss the last few features of the Integrated Editor in more detail.
Today transcription has its own place in your business toolbox. Transcription services can take your business to a next level. It opens door for improvements and betterment for your business. The need of the hour is to provide these business a way to easily integrate their systems or website with the best quality transcription service. Scribie has enabled this by releasing its very own REST API. It provides easy integration and seamless user experience with least investment for the business. Some of the advantages of partnering and integrating Scribie’s API are. Continue reading “How Businesses Can Leverage Scribie’s API To Provide Transcription Service To Their Users.”→
Transcription services are known worldwide today. With an increase in awareness about the benefits it can reap, transcription is going global. Today companies, businesses want to reach every corner of the world and transcription services can definitely help them in doing so.
We know that technology today is making any thing possible. Many opine that with the advancement in technology, transcription can be completely automated and there is no human intervention required. In fact speech recognition softwares are used by many transcription service providers Continue reading “Humans Are Better Than Machines For Transcription”→
Transcription is an indispensable part of business. It helps in reporting, predictive analysis and much more. It also helps enhance business web presence. For perfect transcription many are using next generation technology to help them in entire process and to make transcription more flawless and accurate.
